The document discusses empowering 21st century students through media studies. It describes the various publications produced by over 600 students in the media studies program at Palo Alto High School, including newspapers, magazines, websites, and videos. All publications are self-supporting through advertising sales. The key to engaging students is said to be trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness. Media studies teaches critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills through project-based learning involving writing, interviewing, photography and other skills relevant to the real world. Scaling this type of education requires supporting policies that treat teachers with trust and respect while changing classroom culture.

1. EMPOWERING THE 21ST
CENTURY STUDENT
THROUGH MEDIA STUDIES
ESTHER WOJCICKI
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL
V.CHAIR CREATIVE COMMONS

2. PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN
THE LANGUAGE ARTS
600+ students ELECT to
take MEDIA STUDIES

3. TEN different publications
at Palo Alto High 2012
– Campanile (full sized newspaper) 28 pages every 2-3
weeks
– InFocus television program (1998) (daily)
– Verde Newsmagazine (2000) (80 pages every 6 weeks)
– Voice (2003) website updated daily
– Viking Sports Magazine (2007) 80 pages every 6 weeks
– Calliope Literary Magazine yearly
– Madrono Yearbook
– Video Production (1995) producing videos
– Agora Foreign Affairs (2012)
– C Magazine (arts) (2012)

11. ALL PUBLICATIONS ARE SELF
SUPPORTING
STUDENTS SELL ADVERTISING

13. WHAT IS THE KEY TO
ENGAGING KIDS?

14. KEYS TO EMPOWERING STUDENTS --
TRICK
• 1. TRUST
• 2. RESPECT
• 3. INDEPENDENCE
• 4. COLLABORATION
• 5. KINDNESS

15. PARENTS ARE THE FIRST TEACHERS
• TRICK STARTS AT
• 1. TRUST
HOME • 2. RESPECT
• 3. INDEPENDENCE
• 4. COLLABORATION
• 5. KINDNESS

16. BLOCK: LACK OF TRUST
• AMERICA DOESN’T TRUST TEACHERS
• PARENTS DON’T TRUST THEIR KIDS
• TEACHERS DON’T TRUST KIDS
• KIDS DON’T BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES

17. Dropout rate is 35%

18. Reasons for dropping out
• LACK OF TRICK
• School not relevant to real world
• Difficult home life
• Economic issues
• Other ways to learn

19. Never before have so many
people had access to so
much information

20. everyone can access
information
24/7

21. But, many schools today look like
schools 100 years ago

22. TEACHERS SHOULD SEE THE WEB AS
SUPPORT NOT AS COMPETITION

23. SO WHAT KIND OF
ACTION CAN YOU
TAKE TO HELP?

24. FORGET BLAMING TEACHERS

25. Schools of Education
CHANGE
Teachers need to
learn to use tech
in the classroom

26. SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY TRAINING FOR
TEACHERS
• Only 13% of teachers say they are
receiving the professional development
they need to effectively use technology
resources

27. SUPPORT BLENDED LEARNING

28. BLENDED LEARNING
50% lecture
50% Project based learning
or self directed online learning

29. Great Example:
HIGH TECH HIGH IN SAN DIEGO
11 schools and a graduate school of education

30. PROJECTS IN MATH

31. PROJECTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

32. Projects in Science

33. Projects in Language Arts
MEDIA STUDIES
PROJECT BASED CURRICULUM FOR THE 21ST
CENTURY

34. What do students learn in
MEDIA STUDIES?
The three C’s
Tony Wagner (Harvard U)
1.CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
2.COLLABORATION SKILLS
3. COMUNICATION SKILLS

35. MEDIA STUDIES IS RELEVANT TO
THE REAL WORLD
Writing Interviewing Art
Thinking Photography
Computers Internet Civics
Technology

36. Social skills Deadlines
Teamwork Passion
Collaboration Advertising
Budgeting Marketing

37. Media Arts
Brings the community into
the classroom
Brings the classroom into
the community

38. CAN THIS TYPE OF
EDUCATION BE SCALED?

39. CALL TO ACTION
SUPPORT POLICIES THAT
TREAT TEACHERS WITH
TRUST & RESPECT

40. CHANGE THE CULTURE
OF THE CLASSROOM

41. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
• Esther@creativecommons.org