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My Pop Studio is a creative play experience that strengthens critical thinking skills about television, music, magazines and online media directed at girls. Developing media literacy skills
is increasingly important in a world where girls spend much of their everyday life consuming and creating media. Parents and educators can highlight the learning outcomes of My Pop Studio by
encouraging girls to share and discuss activities on the site, and by extending into offline activities from the curriculum guide below.
Parents Most girls appreciate when their parents are interested in media they use. So the most effective action you can take as a parent is to navigate My Pop Studio with your daughter. Ask her to share her opinions and online creations with you, ask questions about those activities and creations, and reflect more deeply on the role of media in our lives. The following are three ways you can get help guide your daughter to get the most out of My Pop Studio. 1. Share. Sit down with your daughter at the computer and ask her to share her online creations with you. Check out your child's singing popstar, edited TV show, published magazine, or digital comic strip. Girls often love to share the things they create online. Asking your daughter to share will prompt you for the next step: asking questions about the activities. 2. Ask. Ask questions about specific activities to start discussions about media. Examples:
By asking questions that promote deep thinking about the fun activities your daughter plays, you model critical thinking skills. 3. Reflect. With your daughter, reflect on the purpose of the activities and make connections to the role of media in her life. For instance, the Popstar Producer activity can spark a discussion about how stars in real life sell an "image" or "message" to a target audience in order to sell music, movies, TV shows, and products. In Teen TV Producer, you can reflect on how editing in TV shows changes the purpose and meaning of the show, or how stereotypical characters on TV do not reflect the diversity and complexity of people in the real world. You can also urge your daughter continue the use of critical thinking and reflective skills to discuss the "behind the scenes" of My Pop Studio itself.
You can also draw on the activities and discussion ideas from the downloadable Curriculum Guide, which offers fun activities that can be completed in the home. Sharing, asking, and reflecting on the activities in My Pop Studio will enhance your child's media literacy skills—and talking and thinking about media is fun! Educators Educators in Reading/Language Arts teachers, Communication and Technology will find these activities a valuable addition to their programs. They are also ideal for use with young people in an after-school program or technology center. However, any educator can benefit from the activities in My Pop Studio, which are designed to promote critical thinking skills about media. Each lesson offers an activity and discussion questions designed to promote conversation and reflection. In addition, you can strengthen your students' critical thinking skills by encouraging them to share their work, ask "why?" questions, and make connections to the role of media in their lives. If you are interested in implementing My Pop Studio with your students, check out a few case studies ranging from traditional classroom settings, day camps, and after school centers. The structured activities in the Curriculum Guide promote reflection and dialogue designed to strengthen young people's media literacy skills. By using these activities, parents and educators can help transform the playful game of My Pop Studio into a rich learning experience. Lessons and Activities  |
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