Ninth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

What kind of professional learning experiences might be most appreciated by educators when they consider a cross-media pedagogical framework, that is, an examination of what happens when a story “crosses” from one media content platform, say a book, to another, say a film? And, how does this cross-media approach serve to integrate within the educator’s ethos, roles that are understandably important to differentiate? Simply comparing and contrasting a book with its film adaptation is not the compelling work of cross-media story telling. Why not? For one thing, while activities that are primarily academic and/or ethical might be apparent, such activities do not necessarily provide an understanding for teachers (or youth) of the educational importance of integrating aesthetic awareness with academic and ethical knowledge and skills with media for deeper learning. Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein believed that ethics and aesthetics were one in the same because at the core of both were questions of value, of selection, choice, the creation of priorities and their consequences. We think in practice, engagement with stories and media through close comparisons is the integrative core that suffuses aesthetic, academic, and ethical (epistemic) ways of knowing. This session examines the merit of close comparison of cross-media stories, and the implications for educators in this media use –for their own professional development and that of their learners.