Writing with Video Research Guide
This page contains information and suggested resources to support the research components associated with the Writing with Video classes. Any questions about the use of resources included on this page can be directed to the library's Ask A Librarian service.
What do you know about media literacy ?
Take the quiz! PBS Teachers Media Literacy Quiz
What is media literacy?
Media literacy is a learning approach which helps students access, analyze, evaluate, and create messages using media in various forms. ( Renee Hobbs )
The Alliance for a Media Literate America provides this definition:
Media literacy empowers people to be both critical thinkers and creative producers of an increasingly wide range of messages using image, language, and sound. It is the skillful application of literacy skills to media and technology messages.
The Center for Media Literacy has expanded their definition to read:
Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.
Questions to ask when evaluating media.
- Who is sending this message and why?
- What techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
- What points of view are represented?
- How might the message be interpreted in different ways?
- What is omitted from the message?
Finding information to support Writing with Video research.
- The Undergraduate Library's Find Articles Guide provides a list of suggested databases for starting research in many subject areas.
- The Online Research Resources page provides access to all of the databases the library provides.
- The Information Cycle from Penn State presents a timeline for how long it takes information to become available via particular formats.
- Need help deciding what kind of information sources is best? Selecting the Best Information Source shows the differences between and strengths and weaknesses of various information formats. (books, magazines, newspaper, internet, etc.)
Finding and supporting pro/con arguments
The CQ Researcher is a great source for locating information about recent "hot" topics. This weekly source also includes a pro/con discussion about an aspect of each topic.
Finding Editorials
Editorials may be helpful when researching various perspectives on a topic. The Guide to Finding Editorials provides suggested sources and strategies for locating editorials.
Finding Local Information
Regional and local information can be difficult to find. Links to sources that search for this information are included on the Where to find local and regional information page.
Locating campus information can also present difficulties when searching databases. The Campus Information, History, and Statistics page provides links to numerous resources for finding this information.
Evaluating your resources
As we become saturated with media in its varying formats it becomes easier to be complacent in accepting media on its face value. Being a savvy consumer of media is crucial to understanding its content. Evaluating resources used to support the creation of your videos is your responsibility. The following pages will provide guidance.
Evaluating Internet Resources
The quality of sources located when using search engines are can run extremes from the very good to the very questionable.
Evaluating Internet Resources provides assistance and tips for determining the validity of these sources. Test what you know!
Evaluating Print Resources
Although print resources do not, as a rule, present the ambiguity of web resources determining academic or scholarly contact may present some difficulties.
Distinguishing Periodical Types: Is it a magazine or a journal? provides a chart indicating the characteristics of various periodical types.
Is it scholarly or popular? Distinguishing periodical types online provides guidance for determining scholarly content of online full-text articles.
The Undergraduate Library provides links to numerous sources that provide video clips.
Finding Video Sources
Follow the links and tips on the Finding Video Clips page to locate videos covering various topics and in various formats.
Digital Media Collection
In Fall 2007 the Undergraduate Library subscribed to a collection of digital films from Films Media Group. This page provides information about these films and a link to search them.
Updated: 10/19/2007
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