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Goals & Objectives:
The goal of a review is to develop a students ability to critically evaluate
a media item attending to certain criteria. A sub goal is that students are
exposed to the content that they are reviewing, allowing this lesson to tie
into other lessons and goals.
Sample objectives include:
After completing a review, students will:
- develop attention to detail and critical analysis
- synthesize information in order to compose clear arguments or thoughts
- articulate their thoughts on the quality of a media event
as determined by successfully attending to 80% of the requirements.
Prerequisites:
- None other than adequate Web access or access to library or other resources
required.
Materials and Resources:
What needs to be prepared in advance by the teacher? The teacher needs to
prepare the assignment description including pointing out the requirements
of the review and perhaps what the students should be paying attention to.
Providing examples is also useful.
What does the student need to bring to the lesson? Students need to read
any prerequisite materials.
Guiding Questions for this Lesson:
How well are the students able to formalize and articulate their evaluation
of a given media event?
Lesson Outline and Procedure:
- Student read, view, or listen to a media event.
- Following a list of requirements that can be as open ended as the instructor
desires, the students write a review of the media event.
- The instructor provides comments on the review. The reviews can also
be peer assessed and shared among the class. the reviews can also be used
to begin discussions on key media concepts that are present in the given
piece. For example, review a play of a particular style and then have a
lesson on that particular style from which elements in various student
reviews can be used to spawn discussion.
Learning Assessments:
The primary assessment involves the quality of the review and its attention
to rubric elements if a rubric is used.
Teaching Strategies and Highlights:
- Link the review to the discussion going on in the course at that time.
- Link this activity to other activities such as peer review.
- Have the reviews posted publicly as an option for the students to obtain
input outside of the course. For example, movie reviews could be placed
on the Internet Movie Database.
- Reviews can alternatively be done using non-written methods such as podcasts
or using a synchronous audio tool. Students could discuss the merits of
the media event and the actual discussion and quality of participation
could be assessed rather than or in addition to text-based written reviews.
Accommodations:
- Students need to have the physical ability to view or listen to the media
event. Depending on the nature of the course, accommodations may have to
include alternative media events for those with visual or auditory disabilities.
Timeline:
How much time would a typical online student require to complete such a
lesson? Generally, a review should take less than an hour to compose for
a student paying attention and caught up on the content. Additional time
is required to view or hear the media event. Alternatives involving synchronous
discussions may take an hour for the discussion but should include some preparation
time beforehand where the students are encouraged to have thoughts composed
prior to coming to the synchronous discussion.
Learning Connections:
What connections to other
topics exist within the lesson? When such connections exist, they should
be exploited. The media chosen for review should reflect an increasing or
logical progression of critical thought so that students can draw on what
has already been learned.
Ideas for Lesson Evaluation and Teacher Reflection:
How did the students like the lesson? End of semester evaluations should
ask about the usefulness and learning accomplished through such activities.
Difficulties experienced should be addressed for current and future courses
and students.
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