What is media literacy?

In this week’s reading, Learning for Life in Our Times, media literacy is described as having the skills “to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms, build an understanding of the role of media in society, as well as [develop] the essential skills of inquiry and self-expression.” Julie Smith in her interview defines media literacy as “there’s always the factual information that we can assess but then there’s also the key pieces that we don’t know”, so one has to be able to analyze it.

Why is it important?

Media literacy is important for many reasons especially for educators. First, as Julie Smith said, by being able to use and connect with your PLN effectively through social media channels, you can choose and filter your PLN to those who you really benefit from having a connection with. Second, if one feels competent with media literacy then he will more likely encourage students and parents to explore safely and educate themselves about media. Lastly, I think nowadays it’s essential for everyone to learn media literacy skills in order to stay connected with their community and to access and analyze the myriad of information through media.

Why is it dismissed?

I think one reason why media literacy is dismissed is because of the fear of unknown and/or some of the misinformation that circulates in online communities. As Julie Smith mentioned about parents asking for advice to stop their teen playing on Fortnite because of the effects on their children, she would suggest to educate oneself on the program instead of dismissing it completely. As a parent myself, I am not sure if I completely agree with her as there are plenty of online platforms and games nowadays that are appealing for children; however, they can be highly addictive and children could easily connect with strangers through them.

Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?

Trilling, B. & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Miller, J. & Smith, J.(2021, June 6). EDCI 338 – media literacy with Julie Smith. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0.