EDT 220 MEDIA LITERACY PRESENTATION OUTLINE 1 BRIEF

EDT 220 ( MEDIA LITERACY )

PRESENTATION OUTLINE; 1. BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA LITERACY. 2. BENEFITS OF MEDIA LITERACY. 3. IMPACTS OF MEDIA LITERACY.

1. BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA LITERACY.

The main feature of the 21 st century is media-saturated culture and provision, and ease of access to different types of media for everybody, particularly the children and adolescents. It builds an understanding on the role and functions of media in the society. In general, mass media are the result of the people’s need to satisfy such requirements as gaining new information and news, entertainment and even, socialization.

However, the media are not the mirror of reality and their content is not always complete, accurate and unbiased (impartial). But the advent or realization of media literacy all over the world, most especially in some countries (e. g; Canada, UK, USA and Australia), where students are learning in and out of school to become critical thinkers and creative producers of media messages.

Furthermore, media literacy is not an attempt to scare people about the ‘DANGERS’ of media. It is about the importance of teaching young people to be critical about and of media, rather than prohibiting some certain types of media outright. Media literacy is defined as the ability to understand, access, analyze, evaluate and to create media messages.

Media literacy training and education increases the individuals’ doubt about the media content and also, effective in reducing risky or anti-social behaviours among the children and youth of all ages. In addition, media literacy focuses on some vital or important topics, such as; Tobacco use, violence and sex. Media literacy interventions had positive effects on almost all outcomes studied or field of humanities or education.

MEDIA LITERACY and MEDIA EDUCATION are used synonymously in most English-speaking nations. ‘Media education is the PROCESS and media literacy is the OUTCOME, but neither term should be confused with EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY’.

The way we do certain things like create document, store, transfer and access it, has changed drastically over the years due to the advancements in technology. Social media is also part of the tools that boosted advancement in this sector, and has also changed the way people reason and relate to one another.

2. BENEFITS OF MEDIA LITERACY

Under listed are the benefits; Develop critical thinking skills. Understand how media messages shape our culture and society. Identify target marketing strategies. (i. e group of people that a business aims to provide services to). Recognize what the media maker wants us to believe or do. Recognize bias, misinformation and lies.

Benefits cont’d; Discover the part of the story that are not being told. Advocate for media justice (Schools, communities, churches, mosques and other organizations formed their own listener guilds, to advise members on quality programs to listen to and advocate for). Create and distribute our media messages. Name the techniques of persuasion used or employed. Evaluate media messages based on our skills, experiences, beliefs and values.

We need to promote media literacy as a key component in education or training of children and youths especially. The necessary corollary to this will be to add media education and information literacy into Teachers’ training curriculum. The dangers of media can be minimized with media literacy intervention. ‘‘To be most effective at protecting and educating their children about media, parents should watch television, talk about it and ask questions about it with their children, in order to highlight positive aspects of media’’.

On July 30 th-31 st, 2008 in Abuja, the 1 st Africa Media Literacy Conference was held and it was billed as the largest gathering of youth media practitioners, editors, publishers and media literacy educators on the continent, for the purpose of engaging more young people in very meaningful ways, as well as to develop and deepen their interest in media. Source; www. google. com

3. IMPACTS OF MEDIA LITERACY.

Below are the impacts; Student Health Intervention: The critical thinking skills that are often the basis of media literacy education can be utilized to decrease substance abuse in adolescents. i. e ability to critically deconstruct media messages.

Impacts cont’d; Violence-Prevention Strategy: Media literacy programs has been a violence-prevention strategy. Media literacy is not a magic wand or silver bullet, it will not instantly solve all of our problems.

Impacts cont’d; New Vocabulary Development: English Language is an important aspect that plays a vital role in media literacy, because it is the widely known and accepted language throughout the globe. (Note : It is the lingua franca or official language in Nigeria, having over 350 other tongues). ü It enabled us to recognize symbols (emoji);

Impacts cont’d; ü It enabled us to deconstruct words written individually or as a combination; E. g ‘POLICE IS YOUR FRIEND’ does that mean that they won’t arrest and prosecute criminals? etc

Impacts cont’d; Citizenship Education: It has been a powerful tool for preparing not only a flexible and proficient workforce, but informed citizens who understand, share in and contribute to the public debate.

Impacts cont’d; Self-paced Learning: Media literacy made it possible for all individuals to take charge of their own learning, empowering them to take an active, rather than passive role in acquiring new knowledge and skills (Thus, enabling flexible learning mode). Most applicable to educational fields.

Conclusively, it has been established that the need to be media literate cannot be over-emphasized, because it is a necessity in the world of today where the mass mediate between us and the rest of the society. We are washed (plagiarism or piracy) with media messages. To be media literate, you must understand the language of the media & the process of message management.

The critical media consumer must know how to access and produce content effectively, using English Language and correct spellings.

On ending note; Alvin Toffler said ‘‘The illiterate of the 21 st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn’’. -THANK YOU-