Big risks = big rewards as a class website is launched

In my Media Literacy class the students recently launched a class website called positive-planet.net. The project was a complete leap of faith in response to the curriculum covered the previous semester, the growing use of technology in the classroom, the desire to create authentic learning beyond the classroom, as well as the ambition to help students understand and learn real-world workplace skills.

The first semester of the class was a time for the students to understand the role media has in shaping gender roles, ethnic identities, political beliefs and societal norms, while also learning about how the corporate media is tied into the larger corporate and political structure of the United States and global society. We also discussed the current state of media and how social media, blogging, and alternative news outlets are re-shaping the media landscape.

In our studies the students quickly became aware of the overwhelmingly negative tone of mainstream media through not only news reporting, but also through reality shows, crime dramas, music videos, video games, and blockbuster films. As a result we began to understand the immense pressure students are inadvertently placed under as they are raised learning about war in history class, studying environmental degradation in science class, and reading discouraging current events and novels of struggle and hardship in English classes, while simultaneously being bombarded with negativity through virtually all their leisure time activities.

After all of that, they are left with the age old adage we all heard when we were in school: "You are the future of this planet and it is up to you to become the future problem solvers." I don't think I need to explain how that sentiment has played out over time.

With those concepts in mind we began creating a positive, alternative news outlet, to be completely managed by the students. We created five departments and the students voluntarily chose which department to join. The different options were art/webdesign, content creation, editorial, local marketing, and national marketing. With the new class structure in place we began treating the classroom environment like an authentic workplace in which accountability is reflected in the success of the project as a whole, instead of individual students receiving individual grades based on isolated individual assignments.

The initial plan was to become a positive media aggregation site and then branch out into creating our own content through student journalism from our community. Consequently, we created four categories of content and began our journey into the unknown. The types of content we settled upon were positive news stories, uplifting songs and music videos, inspirational/motivational videos, and student created content focusing on positive events on campus and in the community.

Out of this model, in conjunction with the intentional outcomes, an abundance of amazing unintentional lessons have been learned.

Some of the intended student outcomes included:

• understanding and practicing how to evaluate sources for credibility
• understand and detecting information bias
• improving writing and journalism skills
• improving reading comprehension skills
• expanding student knowledge of global society
• using technology tools to collaborate and create
• understanding the intense collaborative environment of a modern workplace

Some of the unintended student benefits have included:

• having the ability to find their place as they explore the different jobs/departments available
• finding an undiscovered passion for media creation
• taking extreme pride in their writing with an understanding that it is being published for a global audience
• understanding that their activity or inactivity severely affects the overall performance of a group
• understanding how to use social media in order to network and customize the flow of information 
• expanding their perspective in relation to future careers and opportunities
• emerging into self-directed, intrinsically motivated collaborative partners
• realizing the nature and power of global information and connectivity
• gaining a passion for positive activism and social change
• motivating students to read without having to officially assign reading

As the website and project continue to grow, I am learning just as much if not more than the students in relation to re-assessing my overall concept of what a classroom can and should be. My purpose in writing this is to hopefully encourage teachers to follow their hearts and take the risks that are bubbling below the surface. Hopefully, teachers have administration that is willing and able to allow teachers some freedom in re-designing their classrooms and curriculum, as global collaborative projects and authentic learning are the two greatest opportunities available in the drastically changing educational landscape.

Enjoy the journey!

With that in mind, if you are or know of an educator that would like to collaborate on the project outlined above, or has other collaborative projects in mind, I would love to hear from you. The media class is specifically looking for student corespondents from around the country to write articles about positivity in their local communities, but any and all ideas are welcome. I can be contacted via e-mail at mrtessier33@gmail.com. Also, feel free to follow me on twitter @mrtessier33.