Justifying Media Study Curriculum

I plan to teach high school English. There are many benefits to teaching and incorporating media studies into our curriculum. My school does not believe that media studies should be studied separately but rather incorporated into the already established curriculum. The school does not recommend or promote the use of studying media studies unless it is used to enhance the lesson plan. Since my school district is under a lot of pressure to return to the basics of education, there is not a lot of emphasis on studying or becoming familiarized with the media. The media is viewed as a distraction to schoolwork and rather than working with it and using it in the classroom.
I would like to provide a framework for my justification for why media studies and literacies should be promoted in the classroom. The content of my curriculum would not only satisfy what should be covered by the English standards but also use the Internet options such as blogs and online instant communication to increase participation and better understanding of the texts that we would be reading at the time. For one example, lets say we were studying To Kill a Mockingbird I would have my students research online articles about the book and perhaps to why it is so popular yet controversial. The Internet, if used in the right way, can be a very useful tool in doing research and creating more discussion about the topics that I would be teaching. I would also have my students talk online once a week, since some students are shy in class they might be more talkative while chatting online in the privacy of their own home.
Providing media in and out of the classroom would benefit the students. Understanding the course content is one of the most important aspects of the student’s education. This understanding can be brought about through other ways besides basic lecturing. The idea of media will not go away therefore instead of being afraid to use teachers and students to use it to their advantage. Using clips from youtube about the book or the author would offer different perspectives about the topic in which we are discussing. Giving the students various forms of information not only keeps their attention but in light that the number of hours outside of school that students spend on television and the internet is significantly increasing. Adding these types of tools increases the student’s attention in class and would help them better learn and want to learn.
One of the departments that deserve more attention is the language arts. Basic grammar and learning of other languages is important. In a world that is becoming more international everyday it is important that students learn another language besides English. Language and basic writing skills is very crucial to any job and deserves more time in the curriculum. There are many amazing ways that the internet can be used to help students learn English and another foreign language. One example of incorporating media and foreign language is using programs on the computer to automatically correct sentence structures of students after they type on the computer and having them listen and repeat it. One of the most beneficial arguments for using media and media studies is that the media is not going away anytime soon, and although it is very crucial that students are able to do the basics of reading and writing it is just as important to stay up to date and use new ways to communicate and develop student’s education. It is important for all departments of the student’s education to stay up to date and get the proper amount of curriculum time.