Teaching Media Literacy Skills

 The Importance of Teaching Media Literacy Skills

                                                        image source: thefulcram.ca


    What is media literacy? Why is it important?

According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, media literacy can be defined as "...the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication"(PBS). Media literacy skills have always been important, but are even more essential with the increase of media available through social networking websites and apps and the Internet. Teaching media literacy skills can help students to identify misinformation and seek out information supported by facts and evidence. 

    Renee Hobbes and the 5 Communication Competencies 

Renee Hobbes, an educator, author, and media literacy advocate, developed the idea of the 5 communication competencies that can be implemented across content areas in school to teach students about media literacy. These competencies include:

1. Access: Students need to be able to use tools to find and share reliable and relevant information.

2. Analyze: Students must learn to think about the messages they are consuming from digital media, including the purpose, credibility, target audience, credibility, and effects of the messages. 

3. Create: Students are able to create content and not only consume it. When creating content, students must consider the audience, purpose, and composition techniques, as well as use creativity when developing their own content.

4. Reflect: Students can examine the impact of messages consumed and sent through digital media. Students reflect on how these messages impact themselves and the people around them.

5. Act: Students participate in communities, both local and global, to connect with others and use their digital media skills.

Watch the video below to learn more about these 5 competencies.

                                                            video source: DW Akademie

All of the 5 competencies are important, because they are intertwined. It is difficult to do one of the steps without knowledge of the others. For example, if students can not use tools to access reliable or relevant information, it would be difficult for them to participate in local and global communities, create their own content, and reflect on the information they are sharing and consuming. These competencies are related to Marshall McLuhan's idea of "the media is the message." This is because being competent and understanding digital media helps a user to then reflect on the message. If users cannot even identify the message being sent to them, it is because they don't understand how the media works. Deconstructing messages is the only way to formulate an opinion and feeling about that message. 

How Can the 5 Competencies be Taught to Students?

As an educator, it is important to implement these digital media competencies in any subject that you teach. No matter the content being studied, students should be able to access and practice digital media skills in school and beyond.

1. Access: How do we give students the skills to access relevant information?

Many students are still learning how to use databases and search engines. Teaching students the specifics of online searches can narrow down the results, giving them better information. Topics to cover include key words, making lists of possible search terms, and troubleshooting (spelling a term wrong, etc.) Consider these tips for better online searches.

2. Analyze: How do we teach students to analyze media?

With the rise of AI, students might be tempted to not fact check sources. It is possible for AI to reference biased or inaccurate sources, leading students to take in and share misinformation. One way to teach students how to access reliable information is the CRAPP test.

image source: cademic-englishuk.com

This quick test can help students to identify relevant sources before using them in an assignment or sharing them with others. Students can be taught how to use the test by evaluating example websites and determining if they are trustworthy or relevant. 

3. Create: How do we encourage students to create?

According to NearPod, having students become content creators rather than just consumers "...helps learning become more engaging, relevant, and authentic." NearPod's post, 5 Ways to Empower Students as Content Creators, gives teachers ideas to provide students with this opportunity. Suggestions include presentations, blogging, podcasting, storytelling through photos and videos, and student created online course content. 

4. Reflect: How do we provide space for reflection? 

Students should reflect on how messages sent through media can impact others. This is a great opportunity to teach class discussion skills and reflect on how digital media impacts students and the people they know. One resource for teaching students to reflect on these impacts is Common Sense Education's lesson: Social Media and How You Feel. This lesson encourages students to reflect on their social media use and ways to increase their positive feelings when engaging with social media. 

5. Act: How do we teach students to connect with others?

There are so many opportunities for students to participate in communities within their school, local town, or globally. Once students learn to access, analyze, create, and reflect on media content, they are ready to. be an active participant and share media with others. Tools like Flip, Google Earth, and Global Read Aloud can connect students with people around the world and provide a space for them to share their ideas and receive feedback. This is also possible through social media and blogging. 

Overall, all of the 5 competencies are mandatory knowledge and work together for students to become a well-rounded consumer and creator of digital media. 

Resources

Burns, M. (2022, November 15). 5 tips for teaching students to improve their online searches. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-tips-for-teaching-students-to-improve-their-online-searches/ 

Kreiness, D. (2023, October 9). 5 ways to empower students as content creators. Nearpod Blog. https://nearpod.com/blog/5-ways-to-empower-students-as-content-creators/ 

Lonergan, M. K. (2024, February 20). What is media literacy and how can simple shifts center it. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/what-is-media-literacy-and-how-can-simple-shifts-center-it 

MindShift. (2022, November 10). 7 Edtech Tools to connect students to a global community. https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60090/7-edtech-tools-to-connect-students-to-a-global-community 

Muir, T. (2023, April 20). Teaching students how to identify credible sources. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/students-identify-credible-research-sources/ 

Robinson, J. (n.d.-a). Digital and Media Literacy Education. Digital and Media Literacy Education | Media Education Lab. https://mediaeducationlab.com/digital-and-media-literacy-education 

Robinson, J. (n.d.-b). Digital and Media Literacy Education. Digital and Media Literacy Education | Media Education Lab. https://mediaeducationlab.com/digital-and-media-literacy-education 

Social Media and How You Feel. Common Sense Education. (n.d.). https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/social-media-and-how-you-feel 


Comments

  1. OboubeApril 21, 2024 at 6:12 PM

    Hi Kate: Thank you for your post! At the end of the day, we are trying to teach our students how to think. What is great about the 5 communication competenties is that they adhere to any media. You must learn to anlyze information given to you and find out what people want from you at anytime. I love that media literacy teaches to think and not just to consume what reaches us through TV, advertisements, written ads or social media. I actually would advocate that we also take time off from devices. Less time on your device means less opportunity for you to be bombarbed with messages subtle or not. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  2. RfrevilleApril 23, 2024 at 10:21 AM

    Hi Kate! I enjoyed reading through your blog posts. It was very informative and explained the five competencies very well and in an organized manner. What caught my attention most was on the last section ACT. Teaching students to connect with others is very different in this era. Because many kids grow up with technology at their finger tips, connecting with people online is not the challenge; it is getting those children to transfer that connection to the physical world and within their community.

    ReplyDelete
  3. NMZumpanoApril 23, 2024 at 2:01 PM

    Thank you for the wealth of resources to explore, Kate!

    ReplyDelete

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