{"id":171,"date":"2025-03-21T13:39:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T13:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigating-teacher\/chapter\/introduction-6\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T19:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T19:59:39","slug":"introduction-6","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigating-teacher\/chapter\/introduction-6\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction","rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"raw":"Begin by writing on the board \u201cMedia are constructions that re-present reality.\u201d\r\n\r\nAsk students:\r\n
\r\n\r\nWhat does this mean? (Two key ideas: First, that media texts are created \u2013 every part of a media text is the result of a decision made consciously or unconsciously regarding what to include and exclude as well as how to present what is included. Second, that audiences perceive media texts \u2013 correctly or not \u2013 as representations of reality.<\/em>)\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nGive students the example of a documentary: we accept it as a representation of reality, but the director had to make decisions about what footage to include and what to leave out, what music to use on the soundtrack, and even where to point the camera \u2013 pointing a camera in one direction automatically means you\u2019re leaving out everything that camera isn\u2019t pointing at.\r\n
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Note to Teacher<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\nThis lesson is based on the media literacy key concept that all media are constructed. To familiarize your students with these concepts, you may want to show this Media Literacy 101 video. It is available in the Student Material in the Introduction chapter of this lesson.\r\n\r\nSelect this link to access a video description for people who are blind or low-vision.<\/a>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=baftkjc5gKs\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nNow introduce the idea that media are influenced by commercial considerations \u2013 how much money it costs to produce media, how the producers will make money off media, how media will appeal to the audience that will pay for it (either directly or in time and attention). Ask students if they can think of any examples of how commercial considerations influence media creation. (For example: TV has commercials because that\u2019s how TV shows are paid for; big-budget movies that appeal to youth are mostly released in the summer because that\u2019s when young people have time to see them.)\r\n
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Note to Teacher<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\nThis lesson is based on the media literacy key concepts that media have commercial implications, as well as social and political implications. To familiarize your students with these concepts, you may want to show these Media Literacy 101 videos. They are available in the Student Material in the Introduction<\/a> chapter of this lesson.\r\n\r\nSelect this link to access a video description for people who are blind or low-vision.<\/a>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RdkH0GwJy6A\r\n\r\nSelect this link to access a video description for people who are blind or low-vision.<\/a>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YZi6s22yktw\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

Begin by writing on the board \u201cMedia are constructions that re-present reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask students:<\/p>\n

\n

What does this mean? (Two key ideas: First, that media texts are created \u2013 every part of a media text is the result of a decision made consciously or unconsciously regarding what to include and exclude as well as how to present what is included. Second, that audiences perceive media texts \u2013 correctly or not \u2013 as representations of reality.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Give students the example of a documentary: we accept it as a representation of reality, but the director had to make decisions about what footage to include and what to leave out, what music to use on the soundtrack, and even where to point the camera \u2013 pointing a camera in one direction automatically means you\u2019re leaving out everything that camera isn\u2019t pointing at.<\/p>\n

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Note to Teacher<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\n

This lesson is based on the media literacy key concept that all media are constructed. To familiarize your students with these concepts, you may want to show this Media Literacy 101 video. It is available in the Student Material in the Introduction chapter of this lesson.<\/p>\n

Select this link to access a video description for people who are blind or low-vision.<\/a><\/p>\n