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Bo (Lost Girl)
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Bo Dennis
Lost Girl character
First appearance
September 12, 2010
Last appearance
October 25, 2015
Created by
Michelle Lovretta[1]
Portrayed by
Anna Silk
Information
Aliases
Ysabeau
Species
Succubus
Gender
Female
Occupation
Private Investigator
Affiliation
Unaligned
Family
Aife (mother)
Hades (father)
Dagny (half-sister)
Isabeau (grandmother, maternal )
Fitzpatrick 'Trick' McCorrigan (grandfather, maternal )
Zee (aunt) [aka Zeus]
Heratio (uncle) [aka Hera]
Iris (cousin)
Bo Dennis[2][3] (birth name "Ysabeau"[4]) is the protagonist of Lost Girl, the Canadian supernatural drama television series that premiered on Showcase on September 12, 2010, and ran for five seasons. Bo, a superhuman bisexual succubus,[5][6] was portrayed by Anna Silk.[7][8]
In the first episode of the series, It's a Fae, Fae, Fae, Fae World, Bo saved a young human woman named Kenzi from a rapist, and despite their differences the two quickly became friends. Confronted by the local Fae leaders with having to pick a clan, either "Light" or "Dark", Bo declared herself neutral, choosing to side with humans after Kenzi risked her life to find out where Bo had been forcefully taken and then helped Bo break free from a trance by calling out to her. Throughout the first season, Bo learns more about the Fae world and her supernatural nature, while searching for information about her origins. Along the way, Bo also develops romantic relationships with both Dyson, a Light Fae wolf-shapeshifter and police detective in the human police force; and Lauren, a human doctor and scientist in servitude to the Light Fae.
In 2012, "Bo" was No. 35 in the AfterEllen list of Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters;[9] and in 2013, No. 10 in its Top 65 Kick-Ass Female Fantasy Characters.[10] In 2014, "Bo Dennis" was named No. 92 in the British Film Institute list of the top 100 Best Sci-Fi Characters of All Time.[11]
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Childhood and early years
1.2 Powers
2 Relationships
2.1 The Love Triangle
2.1.1 Dyson
2.1.2 Lauren Lewis
2.2 Kenzi
2.3 Fitzpatrick "Trick" McCorrigan
2.4 Hale Santiago
2.5 Tamsin
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Biography[edit]
Childhood and early years[edit]
Bo is a succubus who grew up in an adopted human family, unaware of her non-human nature and of the Fae world she descended from. In "Raging Fae", she told Kenzi that she began to feel "different" when she entered puberty and didn't know she was not normal until she accidentally killed her high school boyfriend by draining his life energy during her first sexual activity. When she told her parents what had happened, they broke the news to Bo that she had been adopted. Not knowing what she was and what she had done, Bo hated herself and ran away from home, exchanging her previous life for one without family or friends, moving from place to place and assuming a false identity whenever she killed again.
Powers[edit]
As a succubus, she can seduce and manipulate both humans and Fae with the touch of her skin; and has the power to absorb the life force (the "chi", or Qi) of humans and Fae by drawing it out through their mouths. She feeds and heals from oral chi intake, and chi absorbed from the sexual energy created with males or females. At first she could not feed without killing her sexual partners; but with Lauren's help Bo learned to control her sexual drive and chi-drawing powers so that she could have sex with both Fae and humans without injuring or killing them. Although Fae are stronger than humans and can better endure her feeding on them, they are not immune from being drained. Without self-control Bo can render them comatose or dead. In "(Dis)Members Only", Dyson's chi is drained by Bo's succubus birth mother, Aife, and Bo brings him back to life by transferring some of her own life energy into him.
Relationships[edit]
The Love Triangle[edit]
The relationship between Bo and Dyson/Bo and Lauren is known as "The Love Triangle".[12][13][14] Initially, there was rivalry between Dyson and Lauren over Bo, as neither one wanted her to be with the other, but they tolerated it. As the series progressed, Dyson and Lauren began to understand each other and the role they played in Bo's life, with the animosity that used to exist between them fading in favor of helping and protecting Bo. What Bo meant to them and they to her was tested throughout the series, with the relationship between Dyson and Bo evolving into an unequivocal friendship, while Lauren and Bo remained in love through hurdles and episodic distance.[15][16]
Dyson[edit]
A Wolf-Shapeshifter and homicide detective in the human police force. He is over 1,500 years old, very strong, possesses a sharp sense of smell, is acutely knowledgeable about Fae politics, and is scornful towards humans. A member of the Light Fae, his true allegiance is to Trick rather than The Ash. He is the first individual Bo drew chi from that didn't die as a result. Dyson fell in love with Bo while under orders from Trick to keep an eye on her, and is best friends with Hale, his Light Fae detective partner. In "Blood Lines", he involuntarily sacrificed his love for Bo when he offered his wolf to the Norn in return for her giving Bo the strength to defeat her maniacal mother, Aife; but the Norn, who demanded his wolf the first time he supplicated her intervention, realized that his wolf was no longer what he valued most and instead took Dyson's love for Bo and ability to love anyone else; leaving him with the memory of their relationship but unable to feel his passion for her. He made efforts to remain friends with Bo, which was initially awkward when Bo couldn't understand why he had become distant. After being reunited with his old love, Ciara, in "BrotherFae of the Wolves", the two enter into a relationship that was hampered by Dyson's reluctance to reveal his encounter with the Norn and what he had lost in the exchange; however, he eventually admitted to her that he had offered his wolf but it had cost him his being able to love anyone. His ability to love was restored by the Norn in "Into the Dark", after Kenzi threatened to mutilate and cut down her Ancient Tree with a chainsaw. In the first two seasons he showed disdain towards Lauren and there was rivalry between them over Bo, but Bo chose to be in a committed monogamous relationship with Lauren in "Caged Fae" (even though it eventually wasn't feasible because of her succubus feeding needs). After this, the few times Dyson was sexual with Bo was when she needed sexual chi to heal or gain strength — but her being "in love" with Dyson was no longer an element in their relationship. In "Here Comes the Night", the Oracles are sent by the Ancients to find Bo's truth about her blood. To extract truth from someone, Oracles must also deliver truth to them. In order to accomplish this, they try to seduce their targets by appearing as the individual their heart desires most. The Oracle appeared as Dyson and said to Bo, "You chose me first for a reason. Everything we've gone through, everything we've sacrificed ... that was love. And it's still there. It doesn't go away." To which Bo replied "No, it doesn't. But it changes." Their connection settled into friendship, with Dyson willing to sexually accommodate Bo when she needed chi energy. It is revealed in Season 5 that Dyson has a son named Mark, a black panther shapeshifter.
Lauren Lewis[edit]
A Human owned by the Ash as his property, she serves as a doctor and scientist for the Light Fae. She was seduced by Bo during their first meeting and hence fell in love with her. She has extensive knowledge of the different types of Fae and their abilities. Lauren helped Bo learn how to control her powers so that she could have sex with both Fae and humans without hurting or killing them. It is later revealed that she had a human girlfriend, Nadia, who had fallen into a coma five years earlier after contracting a mysterious virus while in the Congo with her. In exchange for her servitude, The Ash offered Lauren access to the Light Fae's laboratory and resources to find a cure for Nadia's condition. Lauren learned from Lachlan in "Masks" that she was tricked by the previous Ash: he ordered a Dark Fae Shaman to curse Nadia into a coma to insure that Lauren would do everything in her power to find an antidote to the fever that was killing Fae, and then pulled her into the Light clan's fold. After Bo (unbeknownst to Lauren) removed the curse, Lauren and Nadia reunited; but their relationship was soon shattered when it was revealed that Nadia had been infected by the Garuda and he could control her mind and body. Bo was forced to kill Nadia when she threatened Lauren's life leaving Lauren devastated. Grieving, Lauren seeks comfort in Bo and the two grow closer emotionally. In the Season 2 finale, Lauren relinquishes her chance for freedom from the Light Fae to stay with Bo, despite encouragement from Dyson to leave while she can.
In "Caged Fae", Bo asks Lauren to be together in a committed relationship. However, in "Delinquents", Tamsin visits Lauren to furtively carry out one of her mercenary tasks, and intentionally provokes Lauren by telling her that she and Bo kissed without Bo feeding from her (not knowing that the kiss was caused by Trick and Stella touching the Dawning invitation machine at the moment they shared a first kiss in "Fae-ge Against The Machine", which made the machine spark, and propelled Tamsin towards Bo to kiss her). Overwhelmed by the all the stress and loss she had experienced, and feeling inadequate in satisfying Bo's succubus nature, Lauren tells Bo that she needs to take a "break" from the relationship. As time passes, however, Bo becomes concerned that it might not be a temporary separation. In "Adventures In Fae-bysitting", a part of Lauren's past is disclosed and we learn that her real name is Karen Beattie and that she is a fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Offences and Criminal Intelligence Bureau. In addition to English she is also fluent in Spanish, French and Swahili. In "Those Who Wander" Lauren feigns being through with Bo in the presence of Dr. Isaac Taft and rejects her to protect Bo, and herself, from him. After this encounter, Bo and Lauren go their separate ways. Lauren then sabotages Taft's plan to extract Dyson's DNA and transfer the cells into him so as to become a Wolf-Shapeshifter, and turns Taft into a human/Cabbit hybrid instead, making him an easy kill for Dyson. She goes missing thereafter. (The conversation that she and Dyson had during a phone call in "Sleeping Beauty School" showed that Dyson was aware of Lauren's motives for subjecting him to the deceptive procedure.) In "Turn to Stone", Lauren reveals to Crystal that she has a brother, they had been inseparable, and decided together "to change the world", but their cause had turned into blowing up pipelines. Lauren knew how to build pipe bombs and made them for her brother to position; however, one location was supposed to have been deserted but wasn't, and eleven people were killed in the explosion. This led Lauren (Karen Beattie) to go on the run, change her identity, and keep running ever since. Lauren confesses that not a day goes by that she doesn't hate herself for what happened. (By the details in the ICOCIB wanted poster, the incident occurred in 1998, when Lauren was 17 or 18 years old.) In "Let the Dark Times Roll", Bo and Lauren are reunited at a Dark Fae party after the passage of a month, during which Lauren's memory of Bo was removed by The Wanderer. They jump into each other's arms and kiss passionately. Lauren told Bo that she had fled for her life after the Una Mens began to kill humans. The Dark Fae (i.e. The Morrigan) came looking for her, offering refuge, protection, and freedom to come and go as she pleased in exchange for working for the clan. When Bo tells Lauren that she can offer her protection by claiming her, Lauren turns her down. After being owned by The Ash for over five years, Lauren doesn't want to be owned by anyone, even Bo. Bo walks away, stunned and bewildered by Lauren's response. In "Dark Horse", Bo and Lauren reconciled after Bo saved Lauren from Massimo. Lauren saw that Bo was wearing the necklace gift from Lauren she had found in "Turn to Stone". When a defiant Lauren tells Bo that she's not afraid of the Fae, Bo admiringly told her, "You really are Dark"; to which Lauren replied, "No, Bo. I'm yours." Bo starts to leave, but turns around and walks back to Lauren and kisses her.
At the start of Season 5, Bo and Lauren have remained good friends, putting behind their previous tensions. In Big in Japan, when Bo felt that she was alone, following Kenzi's departure, Lauren was among those who reassured Bo that she would never be alone, because she stole her heart. In Here Comes the Night, Bo and Lauren made love again since their breakup in Season 3. They were seen by Tamsin, who had initiated a sexual relationship with Bo and thought the two were now "girlfriends". When Bo realized their 'friends with benefits' had been misunderstood she told Tamsin that she did love her, but not in a romantic way. In "End of Faes", Tamsin told Bo that it didn't matter where her body was, because her heart will always be with Lauren; that she and Lauren will always be a couple, even when they were not. Afterwards, Bo stopped Lauren to talk about what happened between them the day before and told her, "There's always going to be a reason for us not to be together. And I don't want to put this off any longer." Bewildered, Lauren simply says, "Oh, Boy." Bo asks, "'Oh, Boy', No. Or 'Oh, Boy', Yes?" Tamsin later tells Lauren that she and Bo should get back together. Tamsin told Lauren "I entered the game and I lost. That's life. The best woman won. I'm over it. You should be, too." Later, Bo, Lauren and Dyson are searching for Mark, Dyson's son. Bo had to leave to find one of the Ancient Fae, Iris, while Lauren and Dyson search for Mark, but before they went different ways, Lauren tells Bo, "Oh, Boy, Yes"; letting her know that she, too, wanted to resume their relationship. In "Rise", as the series comes to an end, Lauren tells Bo that she wants to spend the rest of her life with her, acknowledging mistakes that she would never make again. Both admit their relationship is messy and complicated, but after Lauren assures Bo that she is willing to weather the inevitable complications of their lives, Bo, gladdened, accepts her proposal. They embrace and kiss, this time forever.
Kenzi[edit]
A young human woman who becomes Bo’s best friend and sidekick after Bo saved her from a rapist who had surreptitiously drugged her with a "roofie" in her drink. A pickpocket and scam artist with a long rap sheet, she can speak Russian fluently, possesses excellent street-smarts, and has family connections in organized crime. Kenzi ran away from home and lived on the streets and underground for a long time before meeting Bo. During the "trial" by the local Fae leaders to choose alignment with either the Light or Dark, Bo chose to side with humanity after Kenzi risked her life to discover where Bo had been taken by force and what they were doing to her, and called out to Bo to help her break out of a spell she had been put under during the trial. Kenzi suggested to Bo that she should take advantage of her bewitching powers and neutrality to become a private investigator, with her as partner. She was declared Bo's "property" and pet to allow her to participate within Fae society. Kenzi does not care about fae politics.
Fitzpatrick "Trick" McCorrigan[edit]
The bartender and owner of the only Fae pub in town, the Dal Riata (aka "The Dal"), which is neutral ground where Light and Dark Fae can freely socialize and find sanctuary. Trick is very powerful: he is a Blood Sage and can alter fate by writing it with his blood. Once known as the Blood King, he forced the truce and wrote the decrees that ended the war between Light and Dark Fae; and though few are now aware of his former position in the Fae hierarchy, he is on equal terms with the Fae Elders. Compared to other Fae, who have contempt for humans, he is tolerant and often fond of humans, even trading away his most prized possession to help save Kenzi's life after she was infected with a lethal Fae virus. He respects Lauren and when necessary seeks her opinion and expertise with matters involving Fae. Trick is extremely reluctant to use his blood powers as it can have unforeseen consequences; for example, his writing a culmination where Aife’s maternal instincts emerge and stop her from hurting and killing Bo not only left him weakened and wounded from the loss of blood, but also signaled his whereabouts to an ancient enemy of the Fae, the Garuda. Near the end of the second season, it was revealed that Trick is Bo's maternal grandfather.
Hale Santiago[edit]
A Siren and Dyson's colleague as another Light Fae undercover agent in the human police force. He can pacify, control, and kill humans and Fae alike with his whistling; in addition, he can cure pain and heal wounds with it. He is the son of the leader of one of the three most powerful Light Fae clans, the Clan Zamora, but despite his family's high social status he disdains their social contacts and makes his own way in life (although Bo and Kenzi used his contacts when they needed to infiltrate a high-class Fae event). Hale is good friends with Kenzi, with an undercurrent of mutual attraction gradually developing between them. He helped save Kenzi's life by using his siren's whistle to cauterize her wound in the Season Two finale. In the third season, he became the acting Ash after Lachlan's death.
Tamsin[edit]
A Valkyrie and Dark Fae bounty hunter introduced in Season 3. She creates doubt and intimidation in her victims, can awaken a comatose person, senses from a cadaver the fear someone experienced before death, kills with mental power, and reincarnates into several life cycles until the last one. In "SubterrFaenean", Tamsin was sent by The Morrigan and Hale (as acting Ash) to work together with Dyson in a Fae clan exchange program. Their mission was to solve the murder of a Dark Fae that was drained of his chi outside the Dal Riata. At first determined to find Bo responsible, Tamsin becomes friendly towards her and defies The Morrigan. However, she had secretly accepted a contract by The Wanderer to find Bo and bring her to him. To capture her, Tamsin procured one hair from someone Bo loved (Lauren), two from someone she trusted (Dyson), and three from Bo's own head, and mixed them in a rune glass to create a special elixir that, when Tamsin threw the vial at Bo's feet and it shattered, the liquid marked Bo so that she could be "collected" by The Wanderer's agents and transported through transcending planes. Tamsin seduces Dyson in "End Of A Line" when he becomes low-spirited about Bo's questionable relationship with Rainer. As time passes, Tamsin becomes Bo's roommate in Season 5 and falls in love with her. In "It's Your Lucky Fae", she offers herself sexually to Bo as a birthday gift and Bo accepts her. However, later in "Here Comes the Night", when Tamsin tells Bo that she knows Bo's heart lies with her and that she is in love with her, Bo tells Tamsin that she did care about her and loved her, but "not like that".
See also[edit]
List of Lost Girl characters
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Vann, Helena. "Interview with Michelle Lovretta". The Watercooler. 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-07-09.
Jump up ^ Syfy PR, @SyfyPR (March 18, 2013). "That's our Bo Dennis: serving + protecting fae/humans alike". Twitter.
Jump up ^ "There's Bo Place Like Home". Lost Girl. Season 3. Episode 7. 01:13 minutes in. I, Bo Dennis
Jump up ^ Lost Girl: Prologue. 2011. p. 7. "Ysabeau", or Bo for short, was born of Fae and is a rarity in their world.
Jump up ^ drsquid (September 30, 2010). "Nine Questions with Lost Girl Creator and Writer Michelle Lovretta". RGB Filter. Bo is a succubus, a grown woman, and bisexual....
Jump up ^ "Syfy Lost Girl Producer Jay Firestone Discusses New Season and Show Origins (VIDEO)". YouTube. GamerLiveTV. July 23, 2012. The basic premise when we started, my basic pitch was: she’s good, she’s bad, she’s bi.
Jump up ^ Landau, Emily (February 2013). "The Erotic Education of Anna Silk: the Lost Girl star on playing a bisexual succubus". Toronto Life Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
Jump up ^ Huddleston, Kathie (January 10, 2012). "Meet Anna Silk, sexy succubus of Lost Girl, Syfy's newest series". Blastr.
Jump up ^ "The Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters". AfterEllen. February 27, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012. 35. Bo Dennis (Anna Silk), Lost Girl
Jump up ^ "The Top 65 Kick-Ass Female Fantasy Characters". AfterEllen. August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013. 10. Bo Dennis, Lost Girl
Jump up ^ BFI (December 19, 2014). "The Best Sci-Fi Characters of All Time: the verdict". British Film Institute. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
Jump up ^ Stinson, Scott (November 7, 2013). "Stinson: The not-so-bizarre love triangle in Lost Girl". National Post. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
Jump up ^ Jancelewicz, Chris (31 October 2013). "'Lost Girl' Season 4: The Love Triangle Endures (VIDEO)". HuffPost. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
Jump up ^ Wilder, Dash (April 22, 2015). "Anna Silk on the Final Season of Lost Girl". Legion of Leia. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
Jump up ^ Igarashi, Hayley (March 25, 2014). "The ABCs of Doccubus, TV's Steamy Succubus Romance". Zimbio. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
Jump up ^ Liszewski, Bridget (March 12, 2018). "Lost Girl's Anna Silk is Eager to Reunite with Cast Mates and Meet Fans at ClexaCon 2018". The TV Junkies. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
External links[edit]
Official website
Lost Girl at Prodigy Pictures Inc.
Lost Girl at Syfy (U.S.)
Lost Girl at Canada Media Fund
Lost Girl official Twitter
Lost Girl official page on Facebook
Lost Girl at Lost Girl Writers Twitter
Lost Girl on IMDb
Lost Girl at Lost Girl Official Merchandise (Gold Label)
Lost Girl at BO SERIES INC. (Giant Ape Media)
Lost Girl at Lost Girl: The Official Site (FUNimation)
Lost Girl at Funimation: Take Lost Girl Home
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Information and media literacy
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Information and media literacy
Since the 1990s, the primary focus of information literacy has been research skills.[1] Media literacy, a study that emerges around the 1970s traditionally focuses on the analysis and the delivery of information through various forms of media.[2] Nowadays, the study of Information Literacy has been extended to include the study of Media Literacy in many countries like UK,[3] Australia and New Zealand.[4] The term Information and Media Literacy is used by UNESCO[5] to differentiate the combined study from the existing study of Information Literacy. It is also defined as Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the United States.[6][7] Educators, such as Gregory Ulmer, has also defined the field as electracy.
IML is a combination of information literacy and media literacy. The purpose of being information and media literate is to engage in a digital society; one needs to be able to use, understand, inquire, create, communicate and think critically. It is important to have capacity to effectively access, organize, analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms.[8] The transformative nature of IML includes creative works and creating new knowledge; to publish and collaborate responsibly requires ethical, cultural and social understanding.
Contents
[hide]
1 21st-century students
2 Teaching and learning in the 21st century
3 Students' struggle
4 In the curriculum
4.1 UK
4.2 US
4.3 Canada
4.4 ARAB World
4.5 Asia
5 Barriers
6 Notes
7 References
21st-century students[edit]
The IML learning capacities prepare students to be 21st century literate. According to Jeff Wilhelm (2000), "technology has everything to do with literacy. And being able to use the latest electronic technologies has everything to do with being literate."[9] He supports his argument with J. David Bolter's statement "that if our students are not reading and composing with various electronic technologies, then they are illiterate. They are not just unprepared for the future; they are illiterate right now, in our current time and context". (Wilhelm, 2000, p. 4)
Wilhelm's statement is supported by the 2005 Wired World Phase II (YCWW II) survey conducted by the Media Awareness Network of Canada[10] on 5000 Grade 4 – 11 students.[11] The key findings of the survey are:
62% of Grade 4 students prefer the Internet
38% of Grade 4 students choose the library.
91% of Grade 11 students prefer the Internet,
9% of Grade 11 students prefer the library (YCWW II, 2005a, para. 28).
Mc Walter Melendez (2001) uses the term digital native to describe the individuals, who have been brought up in a digital world.[12] The Internet has been a pervasive element of young people's home lives. Ninety-four percent of kids report that they have Internet access at home, and a significant majority of them (61 percent) enjoy a high-speed connection.
By the time kids hit Grade 11, half of them (51 percent) have their own Internet-connected computer, separate and apart from the family computer (YCWW II, 2005b, p. 6). The survey has also showed that young Canadians are now among the most wired in the world. But contrary to the earlier stereotype of the isolated and awkward computer nerd, today's wired kid is a social kid (YCWW II, 2005b, p. 8).
In general, many students are better networked through the use of technology than most teachers and parents. Teachers and parents may not understand the abilities of technology. Students are no longer limited to the desktop computer. Students use mobile technologies to graph a mathematical problem, research a question for Social Studies, text message an expert for information as well as send homework to a drop box.[13] Students are accessing information by using MSN, personal Web pages, Weblogs and social networking sites.
Teaching and learning in the 21st century[edit]
Many teachers continue the tradition of teaching the way from the past 50 years. Traditionally teachers have been the experts downloading their knowledge to the open minds of children. Technology and the learning tools it provides access to forces us to change to being facilitators of learning. We have to change the stereotype of teacher as the expert who delivers information and students as consumers of information in order to meet the needs of digital students. Teachers not only need to learn to speak digital, but also to embrace the language of Digital Natives.
Language is generally defined as a system used to communicate in which symbols convey information. Digital Natives can communicate fluently with digital devices and convey information in a way that was impossible without digital devices. People born prior to 1988 are generally referred to as Digital Immigrants. They speak with accents and experience difficulty programming simple devices like a VCR. Digital Immigrants do not start pushing buttons to make things work.
Learning a language is best done early in a child's development.
In acquiring a [second language], Hyltenstam (1992, as cited in Wikipedia, 2007) found that around the age of 6 and 7 seemed to be a cut-off point for bilinguals to achieve native-like proficiency. After that age, [second language] learners could get near-native-like-ness but their language would, while consisting of very few actual errors, have enough errors that would set them apart from the [first language] group (para. 4).
Kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2 are critical to student success as Digital Natives because not all students have "Digital" rich childhood. Students learning "Digital" before Grade 3 can become equivalently bilingual. "Language-minority students who cannot read and write proficiently in English cannot participate fully in American schools, workplaces, or society. They face limited job opportunities and earning power." (August 2006, p. 1) Speaking "Digital" is as important as being literate in order to participate fully in society and have full options to life's opportunities within North America.
When teachers are aware of the IML capacities that are needed to grow in students, they are seeking to meet the diverse learning needs of students. 21st century classrooms could look like this: read an email from Flat Stanley, a fictional character, look up the weather channel, synchronize calendar time with another class via webcam, practice math concepts at home with virtual manipulative, and use digital microscopes to meet the Kindergarten science PLO to "describe properties of materials, including colour, shape, texture, size and weight." (BC MoE, 2005a, p 27)
Another free resource for students is the online story of Inanimate Alice. Alice grows up in this new age and the episodes combine music, images and text to stimulate the imagination and involve the learner in her digital world.[14]
Students' struggle[edit]
Many students are considered illiterate in media and information because of various reasons. They may not see the value media and information literacy in the 21st century classroom. Others are not aware of the emergence of the new form of information. Educators need to introduce IML to these students to help them become media and information literate. Very little changes would be made if the educators are not supporting Information and Media Literacy in their own classrooms.
Performance standards, the foundation to support them, and tools to implement them are readily available. Success will come when there is full implementation and equitable access are established. Shared vision and goals that focus on strategic actions with measurable results are also necessary.
When [the staff] and community, working together, identify and clarify their values, beliefs, assumptions, and perceptions about what they want children to know and be able to do, an important next step will be to discover which of these values and expectations will be achieved (Lambert, 1998, p. 6). Using the capacity tools to assess IML will allow students, staff and the community to reflect on how well students are meeting learning needs as related to technology.
The IML Performance standards allow data collection and analysis to evidence that student-learning needs are being met. After assessing student IML, three questions can be asked:
What does each student need to learn?
How does one know whether students have met the capacities?
How does one respond when students have difficulty in learning?
Teachers can use classroom assessment for learning to identify areas that might need increased focus and support. Students can use classroom assessment to set learning goals for themselves.
In the curriculum[edit]
This integration of technology across the curriculum is a positive shift from computers being viewed as boxes to be learned to computers being used as technical communication tools. In addition, recent learning pedagogy recognizes the inclusion for students to be creators of knowledge through technology (November 2006). International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)[15] has been developing a standard IML curriculum for the US and other countries by implementing the National Educational Technology Standards ('NETS')[16]
UK[edit]
In the UK, IML has been promoted among educators through an Information Literacy website developed by several organizations that have been involved in the field.
US[edit]
IML has been included in the Partnership for the 21st Century program sponsored by the US Department of Education.[17] Special mandates have been provided to Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin[18] Individual school district, such as the Clarkstown Central School District[19] has also developed its own information literacy curriculum. ISTE – The International Society for Technology in Education has also produced the National Educational Technology Standards for Students, Teachers and Administrators.[20]
Canada[edit]
In British Columbia (BC) of Canada, its Ministry of Education has de-listed the Information Technology K to 7 IRP (1996)[21] as a stand-alone course. It is still expected that all the prescribed learning outcomes (PLOs) continue to be integrated.
This integration of technology across the curriculum is a positive shift from computers being viewed as boxes to be learned to computers being used as technical communication tools. In addition, recent learning pedagogy recognizes the inclusion for students to be creators of knowledge through technology (November 2006). Unfortunately, there has been no clear direction to implement IML.
The BC Ministry of Education published The Information and Communications Technology Integration Performance Standards, Grades 5 to 10 ICTI (2005).[22] These standards provide performance standards expectations for Grade 5 to 10; however, they do not provide guidance for other grades and the expectation for a Grade 5 and Grade 10 student are the same.
ARAB World[edit]
In the Arab region, media and information literacy was largely ignored up until 2011, when the Media Studiesrogram at the American University of Beirut, the Open Society Foundations and the Arab-US Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE) launched a regional conference themed "New Directions: Digital and Media Literacy". The conference attracted significant attention from Arab universities and scholars, who discussed obstacles and needs to advance media literacy in the Arab region, including developing curricula in Arabic, training faculty and promoting the field. Following up on that recommendation, the Media Studies Program at AUB and the Open Society Foundations in collaboration with the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change launched in 2013 the first regional initiative to develop, vitalize, and advance media literacy education in the Arab region: The Media and Digital Literacy Academy of Beirut (MDLAB) offered an annual two-week summer training program in addition to working year-round to develop media literacy curricula and programs. The academy is conducted in Arabic and English and brings pioneering international instructors and professionals to teach advanced digital and media literacy concepts to young Arab academics and graduate students from various fields. MDLAB hopes that the participating Arab academics will carry what they learned to their countries and institutions and offers free curricular material in Arabic and English, including media literacy syllabi, lectures, exercises, lesson plans, and multi-media material, to assist and encourage the integration of digital and media literacy into Arab university and school curricula. In recognition of MDLAB's accomplishments in advancing media literacy education in the Arab region, the founder of MDLAB received the 2015 UNESCO-UNAOC International Media and Information Literacy Award. Prior to 2013, only two Arab universities offered media literacy courses: the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS). Three years after the launch of MDLAB, over two dozen Arab universities incorporated media literacy education into their curricula, both as stand-alone courses or as modules injected into their existing media courses. Among the universities who have full-fledged media literacy courses (as of 2015) are: Lebanese American University (Lebanon), Birzeit University (Palestine), University of Balamand (Lebanon), Damascus University (Syria), Rafik Hariri University (Lebanon), Notre Dame University (Lebanon), Ahram Canadian University (Egypt), American University of Beirut (Lebanon), American University of Sharjah (UAE), and Al Azm University (Lebanon). The first Arab school to adopt media literacy as part of its strategic plan is the International College (IC) in Lebanon. Efforts to introduce media literacy to the region's other universities and schools continues with the help of other international organizations, such as UNESCO, UNAOC, AREACORE, DAAD, and OSF.
Asia[edit]
In Singapore[23] and Hong Kong,[24] Information Literacy or Information Technology was listed as a formal curriculum.
Barriers[edit]
The barrier to learning to read is the lack of textbooks and novels while the barrier to learning IML is the lack of technology access. Highlighting the value of IML helps to identify existing barriers within the school infrastructure, the staff development, and the support systems. While there is a continued need to work on the foundations to provide a sustainable and equitable access, the biggest obstacle will be school climate.
Marc Prensky (2006, para. 25) identifies one barrier as teachers viewing digital devices as distractions by stating, "Let's admit the real reason that we ban cell phones is that, given the opportunity to use them, students would vote with their attention, just as adults would 'vote with their feet' by leaving the room when a presentation is not compelling."
The mindset of banning new technology, fearing all bad things that can and sometimes do happen can affect educational decisions. The decision to ban digital devices impacts students for the rest of their lives.
Any tool that is used poorly or incorrectly can be unsafe. Safety lessons are mandatory in Industrial Technology and Science. Yet safety or ethical lessons are not mandatory to use technology.
Not all decisions in schools are measured by common ground beliefs. One school district in Ontario banned digital devices from their schools. Local schools have been looking at doing the same. These kinds of reactions are often about immediate actions and not about teaching, learning or creating solutions. Many barriers to IML exist and we need to remove them.
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090422143339/http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Information_Literacy. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
Jump up ^ "About CML | Center for Media Literacy". Medialit.org. Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
Jump up ^ [1] Archived July 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-30. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
Jump up ^ "Media and Information Literacy". Portal.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
Jump up ^ [2] Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/ICTREPORT.pdf
Jump up ^ [3] Archived February 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Literacy by Design: Why is all This Technology so Important? Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "MediaSmarts". Media-awareness.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
Jump up ^ "MediaSmarts". Media-awareness.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
Jump up ^ http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Jump up ^ [4][dead link]
Jump up ^ [5]
Jump up ^ http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About_ISTE
Jump up ^ "NETS Implementation - home". Nets-implementation.iste.wikispaces.net. 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2013-07-28. [permanent dead link]
Jump up ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-14. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-13. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
Jump up ^ National Educational Technology Standards
Jump up ^ Information Technology K to 7 IRP (1996)
Jump up ^ Information and Communications Technology Integration Performance Standards, Grades 5 to 10 ICTI (2005)
Jump up ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090108150824/http://www.moe.gov.sg/edumall/mpite/overview/index.html. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
Jump up ^ "HONG KONG 2004 - Education". Yearbook.gov.hk. 2005-09-16. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
References[edit]
August, Diane. (2006). Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2007 from
BC Ministry of Education. (2006). Information and Communication Technology Integration. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/icti/.
BC Ministry of Education. (2005). Science K to 7: Integrated Resource Package 2005. 32. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/scik7.pdf
BC Ministry of Education. (1996). Information Technology K to 7: Integrated Resource Package. Retrieved December 1, 2006, from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/resdocs/itk7.pdf
DuFour, R., Burnette, B. (2002) Pull out negativity by its roots. [electronic version] Journal of Staff Development. 23 (2), para. 23.
Fedorov, A. (2008). On Media Education. Moscow: ICOS UNESCO 'Information for All'.
International Society of Technology Educators. (2004). National Education Testing Standards – Students. Retrieved November 15, 2006
Lambert, L. (1998). Building Leadership Capacity. ASCD. Alexandria, Virginia 6, 23.
Media Awareness Network. (2003). Young Canadians in a wired world; The Students' View. Retrieved on May 11, 2007 from
Media Awareness Network. (2005a). Young Canadians in a wired world Phase II: Trends and Recommendations. Valerie Steeves. Retrieved on March 19, 2007
upload/YCWWII_trends_recomm.pdf. Media Awareness Network. (2005b). Young Canadians in a wired world phase ii. ERIN Research Inc. 6. Retrieved on March 19, 2007
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. [electronic version] On the Horizon. 9 (5), 1.
Prensky, M. (2006). Listen to the Natives. [electronic version] Educational Leadership. 63 (4) 8 -13.
Surrey School District No. 36 (Surrey). (2005) Vision 2010 Strategic Plan. 1 – 4. Retrieved May 8, 2007
Surrey School District No. 36 (Surrey). (2007) Quick Facts. 1. Retrieved May 10, 2007
Wilhelm, J. (2000). Literacy by Design. Voices from the middle, A publication of the national council of teachers of English. 7 (3). 4 – 14. Retrieved May 11, 2007
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