(617) REAL OR NOT REAL: DECONSTRUCTING MESSAGES IN THE MEDIA ARENA WITH STUDENTS IN OMAN

摘要

The practice of critical thinking is considered a necessary skill in media-rich societies and no less so in the Sultanate of Oman. As part of the curriculum for an introductory course in Educational Technology, students at Sultan Qaboos University utilized the production of infographics to think critically about media information. Research was conducted using instructional design and media literacy rubrics with reflective narratives to determine students’ abilities to design and develop instructionally sound infographics that reflect critical thought toward their respective topics. Rubric and reflective evaluation revealed that students, given carefully structured opportunities to deconstruct and construct meaning of media messages, were found to score relatively high in identifying their understanding of opinioned text and present the information in a persuasive style to convince others.