The word “literacy” usually describes the power to read and write. Reading literacy and media literacy have plenty in common. Reading starts with recognizing letters. Pretty soon, readers can identify words — and, most significantly, understand what those words mean. Readers then become writers.
Media literacy is that the ability to spot differing types of media and understand the messages they’re sending. Kids absorb a large amount of knowledge from a good array of sources, far beyond the normal media (TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines) of most parents’ youth. And it had been created for a reason. Understanding that reason is that the basis of media literacy.
The digital age has made it easy for anyone to form media. we do not always know who created something, why they made it, and whether it’s credible. This makes media literacy tricky to be told and teach. Nonetheless, media literacy is an important skill within the digital age.
Specifically, it helps kids:
- Learn to think critically. As kids evaluate media, they decide whether the messages add up, why certain information was included, what wasn’t included, and what the key ideas are. Then they will conjure their own minds about the knowledge supported by the knowledge they have already got.
- Become a sensible consumer of products and knowledge. Media literacy helps kids find out how to work out whether something is credible.
- Recognize the purpose of view. Every creator contains a perspective. It also helps put information within the context of what they already know — or think they know.
- Create media responsibly. Recognizing your own point of view, saying what you would like to mention how you wish to mention it, and understanding that your messages have sway is vital to effective communication.
- Identify the role of media in our culture. From celebrity gossip to magazine covers to memes, media is telling us something, shaping our understanding of the globe, and even compelling us to act or think in certain ways.
- Understand the author’s goal. What does the author want you to require off from a chunk of media? Is it purely informative, is it trying to vary your mind, or is it introducing you to new ideas you’ve never heard of? When kids understand what sort of influence something has, they’ll make informed choices.
You will likely find yourself learning the maximum amount from your kids as they learn from you.
What is media literacy, and why is it important?