Chapter 16: “Its the Curriculum, Stupid !”: A Brief History of the Media and Media Literacy in American Schooling

The mass media, from early radio to the current Internet, have had and continue to have tremendous influence on the lives of American children. The history of the relationship of the mass media and schooling remains a story of disconnections, however.

Enthusiastic advocates of the new technological wonders, both in and outside schools, remain disconnected from classroom practitioners;

expertise in educational technology remains divided from expertise across the K-college curriculum; and scholars in cultural studies and communications do not communicate with colleagues in education, let alone K-12 educators. Popular culture remains removed from school life, and the everyday experiences of American citizens remain disconnected to much of the school curriculum, particularly in regard to media literacy— the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in diverse media. This educational schizophrenia disadvantages both teachers and students in an age so dominated by the changing media. Thus, it is worth examining this history to learn what led to these oppositions and disconnections and what might encourage the media and media study to be more usefully integrated into the schools. A brief survey of the history of media in the classroom and a retrospective on the field of educational technology are followed by a history of the media literacy movement, concluding with a consideration of future possibilities in the light of the education necessary for a vital democracy.