You're a Winner: An Exploratory Study of the Influence of Exposure on Teachers' Awareness of Media Literacy

Pre-service teachers who use the Internet both for course preparation and student resources need to be aware of and also help their future students understand the influences under which the Internet operates. In this paper, the authors explore pre-service teachers' awareness of Internet hegemonies and investigate whether and how this awareness changes after a classroom lesson, activity, and practice focused on media literacy. Qualitative methods were chosen to deeply explore the teacher education students' ideas about, perceptions of, and process for considering the issues raised. Seventy teacher education students participated, and the data indicate that even brief exposure to media literacy principles might make a difference in the ways that teachers perceive and use computer-based media. Implications and suggestions for teacher education are noted and proposals for further research included.