Visual Literacy Workshop for High School Teachers and Media Educators August 21, 2006

HOW TO READ A FILM

A Visual Literacy Workshop for High School Teachers and Media Educators
August 21 & 22, 2006

The Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley presents a two-day intensive workshop, How to Read a Film, designed to help high school teachers prepare their students to better “read” the diverse and complex images surrounding them—from the silver screen, through the video beam, to the 3-D computer dream.

Now in its eighth year, How to Read a Film familiarizes teachers with the basic concepts and practices of visual literacy while encouraging the productive use of media in the classroom. The workshop gives teachers the background needed to nurture in their students an appreciation of film and video as art forms with their own unique properties. Our principal aim is to furnish young people with the critical viewing skills necessary to master the visual culture of the twenty-first century.

An inspiring group of media educators and professionals has been assembled to introduce workshop participants to the principles and practices of visual literacy. The sessions balance theoretical issues with effective classroom applications. Presentations offer visual “reading” practices, a sense of the sweep of contemporary media, and insights about harnessing visual culture for enhanced curricular learning.

This year's workshop includes two special sessions: “iPod Therefore I Am,” an entertaining critique of youth culture and the emerging array of personal digital devices, presented by Sean Uyehara of the San Francisco Film Society; and “Grade the News,” a classroom-based activity for evaluating news broadcasts, led by San Jose State University affiliate John McManus, Ph.D.

Each participant will be given a reader containing the essential principles of visual literacy along with selected essays and suggested activities. Registration for the event is on-going and the fee is $100. For more information, please contact Steve Seid (510-642-5253/[email protected]) or Anuj Vaidya (510-642-6883/ [email protected]). 

Official Website: http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/pfa_programs/literacy05/index.html