Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

It is the responsibility of both, parents and educators to teach digital and media literacy skills. Students are introduced to media very early in their youth, in fact I have seen them introduced as early as three years old. Televisions, I-pads, I-pods, apple watches, I-phones, and smartphones are some of the many forms of technology that offer us instant access to view and share media literacy all over the world. According to Scheibe and Rogow (2012) “media literacy is about teaching people to “read” and think critically about the techniques that media makers use to communicate and persuade”. However, digital media literacy also encompasses so much more.

In order to even be able to interpret, analyze and apply media messages, an individual must know how to use media technology and the purpose of it first. In the quick video below, MediaSmarts gives us a short snip bit of what digital media literacy is, how it is shared and the purpose for understanding it (MediaSmarts, 2018). Media smart also has other videos that talk about the implications of digital media literacy, good and bad. This platform would be extremely beneficial for parents who are first introducing technology and media to their children. This is so their children have a foundational understanding of the technology they use and the purpose for it.

For educators, it is their responsibility to review those foundations and build upon them throughout a student’s academic career. This process would look like “integrating media literacy into teaching” and placing “emphasis on inquiry and student reflection” of the media they use (Scheibe & Rogow, 2012). Outlined by Scheibe and Rogow (2012), listed below are some general ways teachers can integrate digital media literacy into their curriculum and help students learn how to navigate it, understand it, analyze it and apply it to their own actions and decisions in life.

1. Replacing generic exercises or questions with media-related examples
2. Identify “teachable moments” and pursue student discussions about media
3. Model using non print with print media as information sources
4. Have students apply Key Questions to their writing and creative projects
5. Develop a “media literacy toolbox”
6. Discuss advantages/disadvantages of different communication formats students might use to present their work
7. Critique visual presentations
8. Use video/audio visual as part of parent-teacher conferences and open houses
9. Identify ways in which students can publish or share their work with a wider audience using new media technologies (this will keep students and teachers up to date on current and evolving technology)

With these techniques’ educators can help students make sense of the information that the world presents around them to make informed decisions. To further my point, In this TEDx Talk (2013) Andrea Quijada talks about how media impacts every aspect of our lives and the importance of why creating critical thinkers through digital media literacy is so beneficial.

Although teaching digital media literacy is a big responsibility, it comes with challenges. For parents and educators to be able to create and build upon digital media literacy, they themselves need to understand digital media literacy and effectively communicate that to their children or students. However, they too are influenced in their everyday lives are they not? I would say the biggest challenges parents and educators face is bias.

One example of this would be the uses and gratifications theory, which states “that consumers use the media to satisfy specific needs or desires” (n.d., 2017). We all use technology to seek out media that gratifies a specific need and then that determines how we interpret and use media. Parents and educators can choose the type of media they present to their children and students based on the experiences they themselves have had with media which then influences the choices and attitudes of their children and students. However, shouldn’t a person be given the opportunity to learn about all forms of media and technology to discern for themselves how and if they want to utilize it in their lives? This is a challenge; I think many educators and parents face.  

References:

MediaSmarts [Screen name]. (2018, May 31). Introduction to digital literacy: Digital literacy 101 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o96ey4jCgE&feature=youtu.be

n.d. (2016, March 22). 2.2 media effects theories. Retrieved from https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/2-2-media-effects-theories/

Scheibe, C, & Rogow, F. (2012). General approaches to teaching media literacy across the whole curriculum. The Teachers Guide to Media Literacy: Critical Thinking in a Multimedia World. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

TEDx Talks [Screen name]. (2013, February 19). Creating critical thinkers through media literacy [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAApvHZ6XE&feature=youtu.be