Teaching the Ecomedia Mind/footprint
This workshop introduces students to the concepts of the ecomedia mindprint and footprint, enabling them to critically analyze the environmental impacts of media technologies and explore how media shapes perceptions and actions regarding the environment.
Exploring the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Through Ecomedia Literacy
This multi-session workshop helps students analyze how media portrays environmental issues in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through discussions, media analysis, and hands-on creation, the workshop builds critical thinking, scientific understanding, and persuasive communication skills for environmental sustainability.
Make a One-minute Eco-film
In this activity, students are encouraged to produce a one-minute eco-film using the “remoscope” technique, capturing a static view of something in nature. This creative exercise prompts students to contemplate how the media portrays “nature” while embracing the concept of “slow media,” fostering a deeper connection with their subject.
Toys R Us vs. Outdoor Education
This 2013 “mockumentary” ad for Toys R Us shows a group of school kids being taken on a field trip to the forest. The kids are shown to be bored and disinterested until the trip leader announces that they are actually going to Toys R Us. This provides a rich discussion for how different environments are portrayed. You can can compare the framing of the natural world versus the the environment of the toy store and how they are represented as distinct. You can also discuss which provides more education, excitement, and fulfillment, according to Toys R Us and our own lived experience. This can also be used to discuss the issue of nature deficit disorder.
Outdoor Education – Toys R Us Parody
This should be shown along with the Toys R Us ad. This short grassroots video responds to Toys R Us by showing the benefits of outdoor education. The discourses around the benefits of outdoor education can be compared to how it is represented in the Toys R Us ad.