Digital Expressions: Media Literacy and English Language Arts

Luke Lawson is a teacher and administrator in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

As the authors state, “This book intends to prepare teachers in a
range of English-speaking countries to navigate critically the blended
fields of ICT [information and communication technology], media
literacy, English education and cultural studies.” The book is
composed of contributions from teachers and professors from across
Canada, many using their own classroom experiences. The topics covered
range from organizing a multi-literacy classroom, to examining the
relationship between poetry and the digital media, to viewing television
with a critical eye. The chapter on viewing television presents four
practical teaching methods: viewer response, semiotics, deconstruction,
and cultural criticism.

While the practical suggestions are very useful and the contributors
repeatedly point out that non-print materials enhance classroom learning
and interaction, the critical reader may come away from this book with
the feeling that there is still an element of truth in the “back to
basics” notion that fundamental reading and writing skills are still
crucial in the real world.