Media literacy is a not whole new dimension. Media is defined as a way, or manner, of communication through various channels such as television, radio, videos, the internet, and more. Literacy is competency, education, and learning on a subject. Media literacy involves the use of television and computer screens. Thus Barish (2002) dubbed it as the language of screens.
Media literacy is thinking critically about the communcations that we receive, and send. Thoughtful consideration and discernment of information is essential to making sense of the information available on the web today. Potentially ridiculous as well as remarkably researched material is available. The humongous amount of data would be an amazingly awesome sight if it were presented in front of us in the form of a library filled with books! Imagine the massive building(s), myriad of books, and endless rows of shelving that would be required to hold that many texts! [Follow this link to a very clearly detailed definition of Media literacy by the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).]
My father used to say that when he was in high school he had made a list of things he didn't think he needed to know. He marked things off the list when he found that there was a use for them. By the time he graduated, there was nothing left on his "don't need to know" list. I've often thought about what he said. Simply by making that list, he was evaluating and categorizing information. He used his judgement and experiences to determine the value of each skill. Those same skills are needed today as we access new information. The value, relevance, and reliability of messages must be determined critically to be successful.
My own media literacy is currently growing. I am becoming more educated, competent and skilled at expressing myself with various forms of media such as videos, podcasts and blogs. Although I have used the computer in a Web 1.0 sense, as a word processor and a source of information, for some time now, the transition into the Web 2.0 world has required some expert guidance.
Facebook became a friend of mine in January of this year, 2009. My first Twitter account was opened in June. My first collaborative document on GoogleDocs was in August. Margaret Campbell, Devin Bryant, Bonita Blair and I started our first Ning in August, too. This month, I started using Delicious to bookmark websites to share. Today I spent hours adding and editing my Netvibes page. This blog is another new endeavor into 21st century skills.
Web 2.0 has been a delightfully dangerous discovery for me. Dangerous only because I have basically become addicted. I'm having more fun than I have in years! If Web 2.0 can sweep me out of the doldrums I was experiencing, then it can do the same for others.
How do you measure media literacy? Take this PBS Teacher's Quiz. My score was dismal but not hopless. Obviously, my studies on this subject are not complete. The PBS Teacher's site is an excellent place to start. They have provided activities, research, and links to other organizations to be more informed. Check out the following ideas for media activities. All subject areas are included:
Media is not new, but the presentation of media by the common man really is new. Modern media is interactive. Media literacy is simply using this new language of screens to communicate clearly, effectively, and with intelligence.
There is more to explore in the above definition of how modern media literacy contributes to the need for self-expression in a democracy...something to think about.
References
Barish, S. Edwards, R. Anderson, S. Fron, J. (2002) Innovative Pedagogies for 21st Century Multimedia Education: An Introduction to the USC Annenberg Center for Communication Multimedia Literacy Program Information Visualization, 2002. Proceedings. Sixth International Conference on Volume , Issue , Pgs. 617 - 621
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