Media literacy

Activity: Answer the following Questions.

• What is media literacy?

• Why do we need media literacy education?
• What is the importance of Media literacy?
• What are the Media Literacy Skills?
• How examining the media?
In the 21st century, media literacy is an
essential skill.

• Our children live in a world of powerful 24/7 media. There has been a drastic
increase in the amount of time children and youth are spending with media
over the last decade. Children ages 8 to 18 now spend an average of 7 hours
and 38 minutes per day with entertainment media outside of school,
according to recent research.
• Used well, media can entertain and inform our children in positive ways.
However, since most children aren’t taught to use media thoughtfully, many
media messages contribute to public health issues such as obesity, bullying
and aggression, low self-esteem, depression, negative body image, risky
sexual behavior, and substance abuse, among other problems. Additionally,
the rise of the internet and social media has expanded our access to
information, including misinformation.
In the 21st century, media literacy is an
essential skill.

• Media Literacy education – which teaches students to apply critical thinking

to media messages and to use media to create their own messages – is a key
21st century skill.
• Media Literacy is critical to the health and well-being children, as well as to
their future participation in the civic and economic life of our democracy.
Definition: Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to:

• Decode media messages (including the systems in which they

exist);
• Assess the influence of those messages on thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors; and
• Create media thoughtfully and conscientiously.
Why Do We Need Media Literacy Education?

Media literacy education provides us with the tools and skills needed
to be confident and competent media consumers. Media literacy:
• Expands the concept of literacy, as today’s messages come in many
forms and literacy can no longer refer simply to the ability to read
and write.
• Offers a solution to public health issues, such as body image issues
and substance use, exacerbated by toxic media messages.
• Empowers all people to engage in a global media environment.
Media Literacy is the ability to access,
analyze, evaluate and create media in
a variety of forms.

Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education.

It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate,
create and participate with messages in a variety of
forms — from print to video to the Internet. Media
literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in
society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-
expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.