What is media literacy?

“Media literacy” in this context refers to the medium of delivering messages (print, graphics, animation, audio, video, Web sites, and so on), the crafting of the message for a particular medium—the graphic “look and feel” of a Web site, for example, and the impacts the media message has on audiences.

Trilling, B & Fadel, C

Media literacy is an ability to identify and recognize the types of media. And to understand the reason why people create those media. Furthermore, it refers to the ability to create media.


Why is it important?

Media literacy not only helps people to be able to identify the author’s view quickly but helps to recognize fake news. People with good media literacy are usually good at critical thinking and efficient in information consumption. Also, media literacy plays an important role in media production, it’s hard to create good media if you don’t even know much about media.


Why is it dismissed?

Because few people know about media literacy as our guest Julie Smith said in the video. The name of this term looks so professional that ordinary people will normally dismiss it. And when people search about media literacy, they think that these skills will naturally be learned by people in the digital age. So there is no need to learn about it additionally.


Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?

Different opinions help build a creative PLN. And only after heated discussion from varied views, there could form a factual consensus. Most people don’t have their own firm opinion, so they would follow a person that seems authoritative. If there are no different views, it won’t make any improvement. A consensus is not necessarily a constant truth, it might be wrong.

References

Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. John Wiley & Sons.