Media Literacy
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Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
Definition:
Media Literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms.
Synonym: Literacy Fluency
Description:
"Media literacy, then, is an expanded information and communication skill that is responsive to the changing nature of information in our society. It addresses the skills students need to be taught in school, the competencies citizens must have as we consume information in our homes and living rooms, and the abilities workers must have as we move toward the 21st century and the challenges of a global economy. Like traditional literacy it includes the ability to both read (comprehend) and write (create, design, produce). Further, it moves from merely recognizing and comprehending information to the higher order critical thinking skills implicit in questioning, analyzing and evaluating that information: (http://www.ced.appstate.edu).
The following information refers to the amount of money spent on advertising per year. Companies would not put forth this much money without a plan for a return on their investment. Media literacy asks: What is it, that is being sold? Is it worth the cost?
2005 Ad Spending (Billions of dollars)
Source of data TNS Media Intelligence
- Newspapers $25.1
- Network TV $22.4
- Consumer magazines $21.7
- Cable TV $15.9
- Spot TV $15.5
- Internet $ 8.3
- Local Radio $ 7.4
- Business magazines $ 4.5
- Syndicated TV $ 4.2
- Outdoor $ 3.5
- National Newspaper $ 3.5
- Network Radio $ 1.
(http:www1.medialiteracy.com)
"All media are careully assembled, edited, selected and designed constructions. They show us a world but is a selected and often unrepresentative view even though it seems to be true." (http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia) It is no coincidence when posters, toys, t-shirts, and other paraphernalia are introduced into stores at just the moment a new movie opens at the theater. For instance at the time of this writing, one can find various memorabilia for the currently playing movies: "Cars", "Pirates of the Caribbean II", and "Super Man". Theodore Sizer, a leading educator is quoted as saying "television has become the biggest school system, the principal shaper of culture...powerfully influencing the young on what it is to be American" (http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia). To this end, educators need to equip students with skills to negotiate their own meanings from materials that are being viewed.
Application in classrooms
There are many reasons that media literacy is important to teach in the classroom. A sample fluency model can be viewed, to show the basic needs for media literacy. This particular chart is for digital information, however the process is necessary for all materials used in research. Students need to know where to find needed information. Once that information is found the student must verify whether the information is valid and if it pertains to the subject at hand. After the needed information is found and validated, the student has a responsibility to cite it and give credit to the source. This is the very basic purpose of media literacy.
Because media is everywhere it is also important for students to be able to analyze the messages that are being sent. Some of the topics media brings to the forefornt directly and indirectly should be closely watched are alcohol and tobacco abuse, body image, eating disorders, teen sexual behavior, and violence (www.medialit.org). Hobbs reports that the most successful media literacy programs include teachers, parents and students. She also states the staff development can take up to two years in order to gain a clear understanding of the concept and its applicability to students in the classroom. There are conflicting reports regarding media literacy taught through the core subjects or as a seperate subject. Some feel it would provide real world evaluation if taught through the core subjects. While others state not all teachers would bring media literacy to the forefront, or worse would do a poor job with the subject. As a seperate subject, media literacy might not allow students to transfer the skills learned to real world applications. By teaching media literacy as a seperate subject, the teacher and students would be more focused on media and valuable information would not be skipped over due to lack of interest or time constraints.
Five Key Questions of Media Literacy
- 1) Who created this message?
- 2) What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
- 3) How might different people understand this message differently than me?
- 4) What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
- 5) Why is this message being sent?
Some classroom applications include:
Involve students with looking for groups that are not protrayed or misrepresented through tv, movies and other media. Record various commercials to replay for students to determine the underlying message, by paying close attention to visuals, sounds and words, and music. Look to see if the message is different when listening and not viewing. Have students count the violent scenes in a children's cartoon (http:;www.medialit.org). Gather a variety of tabloid newspapers, allow students to view these, then move to a computer with image manipulation software and allow students to alter various pictures (Summers). These are just a few ideas. Media literacy can be an entertaining learning experience when real life applications are brought to the forefront. Check out the many web sites in the resources below and a hugh assortment available through the web. Remember to validate the source in which you choose to use and determine whether your media literacy goals can be met through the assigments given.
Evidence of effectiveness
The following information came straight from the Key Facts: Media Literacy by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2003.
Critical Thinking and Literacy Skills
- The first large scale empirical study measuring the acquisition of media literacy skills in the United States concluded that incorporating media message analysis into secondary level English language arts curriculum can enhance the development of literacy skills. When 11th grade students who received year-long media literacy instruction as part of their English course were compared to a control group enrolled in the same level course without the media literacy component, the media literate students outperformed the other students on the same assessment. Media literacy instruction improved students' reading, viewing and listening comprehension of print, audio and video texts, message analysis and interpretation, and writing skills. The media literacy lessons were designed and integrated into existing curriculum by the classroom English teachers, an approach previous research suggests may be a more successful technique than using off-the-shelf curriculum.
Media Violence, Aggression and Anti-social Behavior
- Several studies have indicated that media literacy lessons incorporated into standard curriculum can help reduce potentially harmful effects of TV violence on young viewers. In one study, 3rd and 4th graders given a course in media literacy decreased their time spent watching TV and playing video games and reduced their use of verbal and physical aggression as judged by their peers. Another study of a year-long critical viewing curriculum found that children in the early grades watched less violent TV and identified less with aggressive characters after the intervention.
- Other studies have concluded that media literacy interventions can help high-risk youth develop more responsible decision-making skills in their own lives. According to an evaluation of Flash-point, implemented by the Massachusetts Juvenile Justice System, learning to deconstruct media messages helped juvenile offenders think critically about the consequences of risky behaviors and develop strategies to resist impulses that may lead them to engage in these behaviors, particularly during stressful moments or "flashpoints" in their lives. Another evaluation of a program instituted in the New York State Office of Children and Family had similar findings and found there were benefits of involving high-risk youth at an early age in media literacy training.
Body Image, Nutrition and Fitness
- An evaluation of GO GIRLS! a media education program created by the National Eating Disorders Association, found that media literacy skills can help high school girls enhance their sense of self-acceptance and empowerment regarding media images of women's bodies. Other studies have found that even brief peer-guided workshops can be effective in counteracting messages that perpetuate unrealistic body images and promote unhealthy eating.
- A study of the effectiveness of ATLAS, a teamcentered media literacy intervention for high school male athletes, found that the program helped develop skepticism about steroids and supplements while building knowledge about strength-training. After one year, male teen athletes reported less intention to use steroids and a reduction in their use of illicit drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, and narcotics. Other long-term health effects included less supplement use, improved nutrition behaviors, and fewer reports of drinking and driving.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs
- An evaluation of a classroom-based intervention found that media literacy education increased children's understanding of the persuasive intent of alcohol ads and influenced their decision-making about drinking alcohol. Participants were less likely to expect positive consequences from drinking, choose alcohol-related products, and desire to be like characters that drank.
- An evaluation of a comprehensive curriculum for high school students, developed and taught by teen leaders under the guidance of adult coaches, indicated that media literacy education influenced tobacco use at different stages of the decision-making process. Teens who had never tried tobacco became more aware of the persuasive tactics of tobacco advertising and developed skills to resist it and dissuade peers from smoking. Teens who had tried tobacco increased their awareness of how tobacco messages affect themselves and other teens, were less likely to identify with people in ads who smoke, and felt that they were less susceptible to peer pressure to smoke. Other studies suggest that even a single media literacy intervention can help children and adolescents understand the persuasive appeals of tobacco advertising messages and make a difference in their intention to use tobacco, at least in the short-term.
- Government agencies such as The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) endorse media literacy as a component of youth drug prevention strategies and have sponsored curricula that have been widely implemented but not formally evaluated. Teacher evaluations of one of them, Media Literacy for Drug Prevention, indicated that the curriculum achieved certain objectives: instilled the belief that most young people do not do drugs; enhanced the perception that using drugs can lead to negative consequences and that a drug-free lifestyle is more likely to lead to positive consequences, increased personal and social skills that promote positive lifestyle choices, including resistance to drug use; reinforced positive uses of time as behavioral alternatives to drug use; and improved academic skills.
Critics and their rationale
There are some discrepancies in the intended result of media literacy. The question lies in whether media literacy is anti-media or an educational tool to translate the meaning of media. There is also a broad array of approaches that media literacy is delivered, these approaches have caused tension and conflicts (Hobbs). During the 1993 Media Literacy National Leadership Conference the following goals for appropriate instruction were established by educators:
- (1)media messages are constructed;
- (2)media messages are produced within economic, social, political, historical and aesthetic contexts;
- (3)the interpretative meaning-making processes involved in message reception consist of an interaction between the reader, the text and the culture;
- (4)media have unique "languages," characteristics which typify various forms, genres and symbol systems of communication;
- (5)media representation play a role in people's understanding of social reality.
These goals reduced some tensions, but not all. Most conflict and tension regarding media literacy comes from educators, activists and scholars that are involved in educating other about media literacy (Hobbs). The issues against media literacy according to Hobbs include; the inability to protect students from all media, young people become emotionally engaged with media and media literacy would take away the pleasure received from media. Some educators want to use classical/historical media to teach media literacy rather than popular culture. Others feel the responsibility of educators is already too high without adding more tasks. Still some critiques feel that media literacy is "media bashing" and shouldn't be taught. Although not everyone agrees, the following are possible solutions to the conflict and tension. Media is everywhere, it would be impossible to protect agains all media. This is why it is important that students have the skills required to evaluate and analyze the messages that are being sent through the media. If students are literate in media they may choose different types of media in which to be entertained. They will be smarter consumers of all forms of media. Students that can apply media literacy skills to popular culture will have the ability to transfer lessons from school into life.
One big issue is regarding media companies sponsoring media literacy curriculum. TV, radio, magazines are getting in on the action, but the question has been asked regarding the agenda of such programs. "The media industry is cleverly taking advantage of educators who are so underfunded and desperate for materials that they will jump at anything that is provided free of charge" (Hobbs). "Renee Hobbs, a early critic of the advertising industry's in-school news network (Channel One), has now joined the network and is developing media literacy curriculum" (McLaren). Some advertisers don't mind the critiquing of their material. "In the words of historian Daniel Boorstin, 'an image...becomes all the more interesting with our every effort to debunk it" (McLaren). In other words, the more you bash my product the more some people will buy it or pay attention to it. This would be considered free advertising.
Another issue is the constant bombardment of commercial media everywhere including the school environment. Schools advertise for various soda companies by allowing the machines inside the school. Big money is paid for exclusive coverage by such companies. Many school have scoreboards that have been given by the soda company, with the name of the company prominently displayed. A high percentage of schools have Channel One televisions throughout the school. Channel One offers free televisions for each classroom to a school district, in return for daily viewing of a short news broadcast. The issue is the many commercials that are shown throughout the news broadcast.
Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
"We filter media content and messages through a complex nexus of our own nature and needs including our existing beliefs and value systems. Significantly, different ethnic groups exposed to the same media content, select, reject, recall and comprehend quite different components of the same content. Exploring the different perceptions and perspectives students have about programs offers an important opportunity for young people to understand the differences and commonalities between them" (http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia).
Signed “life experiences”, testimonies and stories
The first time I learned about media literacy was when I was in college. Specifically, in my women's studies classes I learned about how the media portrays women and their bodies. I think that I should have been taught about media literacy much earlier, perhaps even in middle school. It is such an important topic that I think it should definitely be implemented into middle school curriculums. B. Harnden
Teachers need to integrate media literacy in the curriculum. PBS has a great video called, "The Merchants of Cool" that explains how teenagers are the target of most ad campaigns. If we start advocating media literacy in school, then future generations may be a little more savvy to sales and persuasive campaigns.
Visual/Media Literacy is a concept that definitely needs to be added to every curriculum. Students need to be able to understand and decode what they are viewing every day in their lives through ads, television, videos, etc. If students would understand what advertising is trying to do in order to make them want the product, then maybe they will be coerced in the future to really think about what they are buying and why they are buying it. -C. McCulley
I think that media literacy is extremely important in today's world. Students are bombarded with all kinds of information, from YouTube videos, to websites, to television. Sadly, I think that many teachers feel that their schedules are crowded enough, without having to integrate media literacy into their instruction. As a librarian, I do extensive work on evaluation of websites, but even my work with evaluation is often incomplete. We are now trying to include other types of online sources, other than websites, for students to evaluate. This includes wikis (such as this one!), blogs, forums, YouTube videos, streaming audio, and even Twitter! -A. Peso
Literacy of any kind is of extreme importance in today's world, and of especially rising importance is Media Literacy. Students obviously need to know how to read, and know how to decipher visual images and codes, but they also need to have a good grasp on media literacy. Students need to learn about various types of media, how they are introduced to it, and how it affects them in their learning. In the art room, I try to incorporate various types of media when teaching my classes- things like websites, animations, books, videos and so on all help their understanding of different types of media. E. Bostrom
References and other links of interest
Center for Media Literacy. 2006. 30 June 2006 <http://www.medialit.org>.
Curriculum and Instruction Dept. - Media Literacy. Reich College of Education. 30 June 2006 <http://www.ced.appstate.edu/departments/ci/programs/edmedia>.
Hobbs, Renee. "The Seven Great Debates in the Media literacy Movement." The Journal of Communication. 48 (1998): 16-32.
"Key Facts: Media Literacy." The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Fall 2003: 30 June 2006 <http://www.kff.org/entmedia/Media-Literacy.cfm>.
McLaren, Carrie. "Media Literacy Sells Out." Stay Free Magazine.org. Summer/Fall 2000. 30 June 2006. <http://www.stayfreemagazine.org>.
Media Literacy.com. 2004. 30 June 2006 <http://www1.medialiteracy.com/stats_advertising.jsp>.
Public Broadcasting Service.org 1995-2006. Public Broadcasting Service. 30 June 2006 <http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/media_lit/media_lit.shtm>.
Summers, Sue Lockwood. "Get Them Thinking!" Library Media Connection 23:7 (2005): 20-23.
