Remote Control Childhood?: Combating the Hazards of Media Culture (Naeyc (Series), #326.)

Rating:
Summary: An Important Book for Parents and Educators
Review: As a teacher I found many helpful ideas to introduce media literacy to my middle school students in this book. The examples given of ways to get children to consider their TV habits and the things they buy can be used with various age groups. Why four stars? Because I found this book had a very upper middle class, preaching-to-the-converted attitude in places. Levin speaks as a parent and as an educator. This is a very positive and easy to read book. As a parent Levin talks about how to handle the pressures that families and children feel from the media. She also provides guides to lessons for teachers to open discussions by even very young students. This book has tables and questions that can be used at home, in a classroom or with adult groups. There are many concrete suggestions for actions from sample lessons to templates for letters to TV stations. The first part of the book discusses the media culture and its effects on children. The chapters cover legal issues, research, how children experience the media and taking action. The second part deals mainly with classroom learning, but it is easily adaptable for parents. The third part deals with community action. But really the message of all of this text is very empowering, constantly offering suggestions for working towards positive change.