New Mexico Media Literacy Project | nmmlp.org

DECONSTRUCT THIS! New Mexico Media Literacy Project offers a monthly deconstruction activity available for free on its website. What is the message this example is sending? What other important questions should you be asking about this advertisement? This month's deconstruction features the winning entry in the middle school division submitted by Gabriella Simeone of Buford Middle School in Charlottesville VA for the Ninth Annual Bad Ad Contest. Simeone's deconstruction was sponsored by teacher Gail Heard, who has had several winning and runner-up Bad Ad entries from her classroom. NEW RESOURCE CHALLENGES THE DEBIT INDUSTRY Challenging the Debt Industry (Cómo Desafiar a la Industria de Deudas en español) is NMMLP's new multimedia resource which combines media literacy with financial education. Using this DVD-ROM, you can learn about credit card debt, payday loans, title loans, rent-to-own and the advertising of these industries. This DVD-ROM is designed for use in a classroom or with a community group to teach others about the connections between media, consumerism and predatory lending. Thanks to a grant from the New Mexico McCune Foundation, this resource is available for free to NM residents through June 30, 2007 and residents outside of New Mexico can purchase it online at www.nmmlp.org or by calling 505-828-3129. THE PROJECT OFFERS FREE SPANISH-LANGUAGE CD-ROM Los medios y la salud (formerly Medios y remedios) is a Spanish-language media literacy CD-ROM addressing six key issues affecting the health of young people today. Designed to be used in classrooms, family discussions and other group settings, the CD-ROM helps teens become more critical consumers of media so they can make more informed choices about their health. The CD-ROM features 66 Spanish-language media examples from magazines, television shows and movies. Questions & answers accompany each media example, highlighting the explicit and implied messages, the persuasion techniques used, and how the media example might influence a young person's health decisions. Produced by the New Mexico Media Literacy Project for the New Mexico Department of Health, Public Health Division, Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program (TUPAC). REVISED SMOKE SCREEN ACTION GUIDE AVAILABLE New Mexico Media Literacy Project just added a new teaching resource to our list of products! Smoke Screen: How Advertisers Cloud the Truth is a major revision of our popular pamphlet first published in 2001. In addition to the updated information, images and activities, we've redesigned the learning guide into a new, fold-out format. Smoke Screen supports state teaching standards and is appropriate to use in language arts, social studies and current events, health, and consumer education classes, as well as in after-school clubs and programs for grades 6-12. Order online or call 505-828-3129. SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS Click here to subscribe if this was forwarded to you and you want to stay in touch. Click here to unsubscribe. We'll be sorry to see you go!		*SUPPORT TV TURNOFF WEEK: APRIL 23^RD TO THE 29^TH*
		Join thousands of parents, teachers, pediatricians and other families by celebrating TV-Turnoff Week 2007 April 23-29, 2007. Television cuts into family time, harms children's ability to read and succeed in school, and contributes to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. Here are just a few of the facts: - On average, children in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours). - Forty percent of Americans frequently or always watch television during dinner. Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since it began in 1995. Turning off the television gives people a chance to think, read, create, and to connect with families and engage in our communities. Turn off TV and turn on life! TV-Turnoff Week is supported by over 70 national organizations including the New Mexico Media Literacy Project. To learn more, check out the TV-Turnoff Week fact sheet.
		*HARD TO SWALLOW: SPIT TOBACCO MARKETING*
		The New Mexico Media Literacy Project is excited to share our new spit tobacco resource that we've created. It's a multimedia CD entitled Hard to Swallow: Spit Tobacco Marketing. In addition to colorful magazine ads, movie clips and spit tobacco product images, Hard to Swallow contains discussion guides, two sample PowerPoint presentations and other printable resources for you to use in classes or trainings about tobacco education. This CD is appropriate to use with teens and adults in schools, clubs or community settings. Best of all, the materials are designed to be interactive and engaging. If you would like a copy or know of an organization that might be interested in receiving this CD, please share our contact information with them. You may reach us at 505.828.3129 or by email.
		REGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER 2007 CATALYST INSTITUTE!
		New Mexico Media Literacy Project is now accepting applications for the Summer 2007 Catalyst Institute to be held July 23-26, on the beautiful natural campus of Albuquerque Academy. Each Catalyst Institute is limited to 30 attendees. NMMLP is pleased to announce that the summer session will feature The Praxis Project Executive Director Makani Themba-Nixon as the guest speaker. The Catalyst Institute offers an intensive four-day training experience in media literacy concepts and skills. NMMLP staff and guest speakers lead participants in workshops, exercises, video screenings and discussions designed to deepen understanding of media issues and provide a solid foundation for media activism. The Catalyst Institute is ideal for teachers, health professionals, community activists and others who want to make a difference. We encourage you to register online at www.nmmlp.org. If you need more information on how to register, please e-mail or call us at 505-828-3129.
		PROFESSORS USE GRANTS TO EXPLORE COPYRIGHT ISSUES
		*BY MIKE UNGER* Pat Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi, AU professors whose research on the use of copyrighted materials changed the documentary film industry, will now turn their attention to the world of media literacy. Using a $600,000 grant awarded to their partner, Renee Hobbs, director of Temple University's Media Education Lab in its School of Communications and Theater, the professors plan to create a code of best practices for educators and students to consult when confronted with questions about the use of copyrighted material. "We live in an age in which students, young people, and for that matter, adults' ability to read critically and participate actively in the media environment is an important aspect of citizenship," said Jaszi, director of the Washington College of Law's Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property. "We believe that the efforts of teachers to help students to become informed citizens of the world of media is being hampered by the restrictive understandings of copyright law that are circulating in this educational community. It's fairly obvious that if you want to make effective lessons and you want your students to do effective assignments that involve critical use of the media, you have to use media." The professors are now studying the depth of the problem. They expect to report their initial findings at the National Media Education Conference, sponsored by the Alliance for Media Literate America. Read the entire Unger article or visit the NMMLP website for more information Note: New Mexico Media Literacy Project and its featured national presenter Andrea Quijada will also be at the National Media Education Conference in St. Louis, MO on June 22-26.