Media diversity and technology

Have students browse New American Media. NAM is a network of ethnic media. Its headquarters is in California, where NAM estimates a third of the state’s residents consume ethnic media.

Discuss one or more of these batches of questions:

Flashlight: How do you define ethnic media? Do ethnic media exist in your community? If so, are they digital? What communities do they represent? If there are no ethnic media, are there groups in your community that speak predominantly in a language other than English? How do they get their news?

Spotlight: Do people in your community consume national or international ethnic media? What examples can you find? (Spanish-language radio and television networks, for example.) How would you find out if immigrants are consuming significant amounts of media from websites in their home countries?

Searchlight: Some public schools favor Bring Your Own Device policies. Others have 1:1 laptop initiatives. Have students research the pros and cons of these movements. Will they deepen or lessen the Digital Divide? Why? Have students prioritize strategies for closing the divide and present findings in class.

Extra credit: E-books are becoming the norm for those who can afford electronic “e-readers.” Share the New York Times article, “E-Books and Democracy,” by Anthony W. Marx, president of the New York Public Library. He states, “The challenge is to ensure that the information revolution provides more, not less, access for the public…” How do we accomplish that task as journalists and citizens? Have students research and/or discuss.