The video of Sarah Stuteville can be connected with the importance of digital media literacy, as well as the importance of teaching students through current events. Sarah tells a story of how her own minor hardship led her to explore and connect people in the world through their own determination to survive and thrive through hardship. Sarah points out during the video that while she was traveling the world and telling the stories of all these different people, she met people who experience and endure hardships that she can only try to imagine. I spent some time reflecting on what is newsworthy in relation to this discussion, and I realized that anything can be newsworthy. The news is the process of making the unknown known. Anything unknown could be considered news when revealed, although the importance of it can be questionable. Different people will find different levels of importance in any kinds of news.
This discussion brings me to the current turmoil in Ferguson, MO. I feel this situation is warped by the news, because there are so many different people weighing in on the issue and interpreting the situation according to their own beliefs. I feel the news media is not accurately covering all of the situation, and many news outlets seem to be placing uneven emphasis on the "bad" news over the "good" news in Ferguson. However, the biggest reason I feel this discussion ties into Ferguson is the issue of empathy. I have been noticing a lot of people judging the events of Ferguson openly, and this has been concerning to me. I can't say I come close to understanding what life is like for the people who are so angry and hurt that they riot in their own hometown in response to the Ferguson ruling. Sarah Stuteville set out on a mission to give a voice to many people enduring hardships and struggles. I feel like someone needs to get into the middle of things in Ferguson and do the same - give a voice to these people! Those on the outside need to come closer to understanding why people are so hurt and angry, and what hardships they have faced to lead them to this crucial time.
The point of all this is that news can be extremely important, and good journalism will always be the heart of disseminating news. Students can learn to understand the lives and the struggles of people very different from them through exploring the journalistic process. Sarah Stuteville said in her video that when she began her journalistic world journey, her profession of journalism was being declared dead. However, Stuteville took matters into her own hands and showed the world that journalism was alive and well, and that young people were next in line to take the reigns and take journalism to new heights. Our students can also be journalists, and they can also prove to the world that journalism is not dead.
Student motivation is also important in this area. The book tells the story of Mr. Landis, who overheard his students talking about flash mobs and decided to turn it into a means to explore current events and tie in many other lessons while allowing students to explore something they are genuinely interested in. The motivation for students to learn about this idea was already present, and Mr. Landis used it as a spring board to launch his class into a deep lesson about news and the media. Teachers who are in touch with and pay attention to their students' interests will find this an easy way to initiate much of the learning that occurs in the classroom. Teachers can tie current events into the lives of students by choosing topics that extrinsically motivate the students to learn more and push forward.
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