August 2011 M-Passioned Member: Emily Bonilla
Emily Bonilla, Video & Television Instructor, Essex County, NJ
Name: Emily Bonilla
Title: Video & Television Production Teacher
Organization: Essex County Vocational: Bloomfield Tech
What do you do?
I am a video production teacher at Essex County Vocational: Bloomfield Tech. Students attending our school are mainly from the Newark, East Orange, and Irvington areas. Four years ago I left the media world in New York to start this video program, and have been given free reign to design the program as I see fit. While many schools base their video/television production courses around daily morning announcement/news programs, I wanted to push the boundaries of deeper critical thinking and creativity. With this goal in mind, I wrote a curriculum that is based on the core principles of media literacy while providing students with a through background of production skills.
2) Tell me about your latest work or project in media literacy.
During the school year our students work on projects ranging from PSAs, documentaries, music videos, screenwriting, and short films. There is always a media literacy component as part of their assigned project, so students are aware of their voices and the messages they want to convey.
For Example: While our students create music videos, we first spend a week dissecting videos in the mainstream. We analyze how the director visually represents the lyrics, what elements are valued, how gender is represented, and for whom is the video targeted. Through probing questions and discussion, students then create music videos based on messages that are not being told in the mainstream video business.
When we enter the documentary unit, I give them free reign to explore a story meaningful to them. In our group brainstorming sessions, I hear stories regarding immigration, body image, love, gender, family struggles, gang and teen pressures. They become excited to tell their perspectives and stories no matter the issue. I am always astonished at the raw emotion and openness of the students, and the level of consciousness when I watch the final product.
Recently four of my students participated in M3 at the 2011 NAMLE Conference in Philadelphia. They had an amazing time working on the 48 hour film festival where there they had to incorporate media literacy into the genres of music video, action adventure, reality television, or a news show.
3) Why is media literacy important to you?
Media literacy is tremendously important because it is not enough to know how to operate a camera, edit a video, watch a video, or read a blog. As a culture we need to understand how to synthesize and analyze the constant media bombardment that happens daily in all of our lives. In the education field, schools are being updated with educational technology and 21st century learning tools, but for most teachers there is rarely a discussion on how to use these advancements to improve communication, analytical thinking, and student engagement. In my years of teaching, students are becoming more tech savvy, while many teachers are resistant to changes in new learning environments, hence there becomes a large divide within the classroom. The only way for students to become real 21st century learners is for every teacher to implement MLE into their curriculums. I often do collaborative projects with academic teachers within my school, with the mission of spreading the knowledge of the core principles; quickly teachers realize the possibilities and importance of utilizing these concepts and skills. I firmly believe within this time of educational reforms, media literacy standards need to be stressed alongside the new standards of technology because they really go hand in hand.
4) What are you most excited about in the media literacy field?
Youth! I love working with teenagers, because they are capable of so much creativity and innovation. They are in the awkward stage of having the ability to say so much, but sometimes not knowing how to convey their thoughts and ideas. I am always so impressed with youth’s ability to process information and their enthusiasm for dialogue. Media literacy education and youth media has the power to change the way the younger generations become engaged citizens. One of my major themes in the classroom is to inspire students to become Pro-Activists instead of being In-Activists, and through the power of media production they have the ability to spark the minds of others and provoke a conversation of change.
5) Why did you become a NAMLE member — what benefits do you see to membership and how will it support your work?
I became a NAMLE member to learn and share information, and to meet the many faces of media literacy education. During the year I attend numerous professional development workshops and conferences about education, specifically educational technology, but they never seem to fit the themes of what and how I teach. This was my first year attending a NAMLE conference, and it was an amazing experience. From attending workshops sessions that ranged from cyberbullying to screencasting, youth activism to common core standards, I left with my head filled with many ideas, and my phone filled with new contacts. I look forward to the 2013 NAMLE conference and the opportunities that lay ahead.
Category: Features, M-Passioned Members
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