A Visual Literacy Workshop for High School Teachers and Media Educators
Thursday, June 17, and Friday, June 18, 2004
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 sixth 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. Teachers are given the needed background with which 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 practical classroom applications. Presentations will offer demonstrations of visual "reading" practices, a cumulative sense of the sweep of contemporary media, and many examples of relevant moving images.
This year's workshop includes two special sessions: “Games (Younger) People Play: The Cultural Import of Video Games” and “Models That Work: Effective Exercises That Combine Media Analysis and Video Production.” Each participant will be given a reader containing the essential principles of visual literacy, along with selected essays and suggested activities.
For general information or for reservations, please contact Steve Seid at (510) 642-5253 (seidtrak@berkeley.edu) or Laura Deutch at (510) 642-6883 (ldeutch@berkeley.edu).
