MEDIA LITERACY AND IT'S IMPORTANCE

Media literacy involves not only knowledge but also critical thinking, linguistic, visual and film literacy. Media communication has become quite a force in society today, allowing for consumption of loads of information. And today's digital consumers are masters of media multitasking, which involves simultaneous contact with two or more other forms of media. As consumers of media, it is important to have the ability to understand, translate and use the information we receive.

Decoding Media

Now that we know what media literacy is and how it is ingrained into our lives, let's talk about how we, as the consumers, can decipher all the messages being sent our way. There are five key questions to ask of any media:

1.   Who created the message that is being sent?

2.   What techniques were used to attract my attention?

3.   How might other people understand or interpret this message differently from me?

4.   Are there any lifestyles, values or points of view that are not represented or are omitted from this message?

5.   Why was this message sent?

Media literacy requires questioning and inquiry in order to interpret the message

By asking these 5 simple questions, you have empowered yourself with media literacy! If you have the necessary awareness of the media, you can analyze the media, reflect on the media, and then take action... if you decide.

Why Is Media Literacy Important?

1   By focusing on process skills rather than content knowledge, students gain the ability to analyze any message in any media and thus are empowered for living all their lives in a media-saturated culture.

2.   Meets the needs of students to be wise consumers of media, managers of information and responsible producers of their ideas using the powerful multimedia tools of a global media culture.

3.   Engages students. . . bringing the world of media into the classroom connects learning with "real life" and validates their media culture as a rich environment for learning.

4.   Gives students and teachers alike a common approach to critical thinking that, when internalized, becomes second nature for life.

5.   Increases the ability and proficiency of students to communicate (express) and disseminate their thoughts and ideas in a wide (and growing) range of print and electronic media forms - and even international venues.

6.   Media literacy's "inquiry process" transforms teaching and frees the teacher to learn along with students -- becoming a "guide on the side" rather than a "sage on the stage."

Therefore as a teacher in this 21^st century, I am challenged to look at media literacy critically and I plan to equip my students with the skills to be able to use Media profitably.

And I plan to integrate Media literacy in my teaching in the following ways; 

•Encouraging students to follow (and write about) current events. including tracking a single story across diverse media sources.

• By making my own decision-making process transparent by explaining how i assess credibility of sources and why i  choose the media that i use in class.

 • Pointing out ways in which media messages might be interpreted differently by people from different backgrounds or groups.

• Beginning discussions of media “texts” or documents (not only print, but also image- or sound-based “texts”) by asking students what they notice.

• Allowing students to go beyond the curricular issue at hand to identify and comment on incidental aspects of a media message (e.g., the characteristics of the people presenting the material, the techniques used to attract attention, and the ways in which advertising and product messages intrude into other types of media content).

• Fostering communication skills and creativity by encouraging the production of media messages about a topic.

• Being flexible in assignments, allowing students to choose which media formats are the most effective way for them to communicate the required information or complete the required task.

·      Teaching students to routinely ask the kinds of questions that will help them think critically about information presented in media (including the information from their textbooks or the popular media they use at home); see the end of this booklet for sample questions. 

. “In the 21st Century, the century our children will live in — the century they will, in fact, shape — media literacy will not be a luxury; it will be a necessity.”
Linda Ellerbee, journalist, television producer.

"While young people have more access to the internet and other media than any generation in history, they do not necessarily possess the ethics, the intellectual skills, or the predisposition to critically analyze and evaluate their relationship with these technologies or the information they encounter. Good hand/eye co-ordination and the ability to multitask are not substitutes for critical thinking"