Blog Post 8

Blog Post 8

Prompts

• What is media literacy?
• Why is it important?
• Why is it dismissed?
• Why should you aim for varied views but factual consensus in your PLN?
• Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?
• What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash

In week nine, we focused mainly on introducing what media literacy is and why it matters in our PLN specifically. From our course material, Trilling and Fadel state that media literacy can be defined as “the medium of delivering messages, the crafting of the message for a particular media, and the impacts the media message has on audience” (Trilling & Fadel, 2012). The form of media includes graphics, audio, videos, news, web sites, animation, etc. Also, as they described that media literacy skills provide “a framework to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms, build an understanding of the role of media in society, as well as the skills of inquiry and self-expression” (Trilling & Fadel, 2012). Therefore, in my opinion, media literacy plays a quite important and meaning role in today’s world because it can not only help people have a much better and clearer understanding of media in today’ world, such as how media works, why media messages are constructed, and how it can influence our beliefs, but also help us understand how to use the most appropriate media tools and conventions. By knowing more about media literacy, people will be able to have their own perspectives or beliefs in what they have read or seen in media instead of believing fake news or information in media easily. However, from the perspective of business, the open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict because news is a business and it always prefer to give audience what they want rather than they actually need. From the communication between Professor Miller and Smith Julie, I realize that it will be quite difficult about educating media literacy when people does not accept facts.

Moreover, as Trilling and Fadel stated in our course material, it is important and meaningful for people to know how to best apply the media resources available for learning, and how to utilize media creation tools to create effective communication projects (i.e. videos, audio podcasts, and web sites). There are many benefits of having a PLN that values media literacy. For instance, first, media literacy focused mainly on process skills rather than content knowledge (CML). Therefore, having a PLN that values media literacy will help people gain the ability to analyze messages in any media specifically. Second, media literacy will increase the ability of people to communicate or express their thoughts in a wide range of media forms and encourage them to share their ideas with other people directly. Third, media literacy will “meets the needs of people to be wise consumers of media” (CML). Therefore, have a PLN that values media literacy will help people know how to manage information wisely and how to create media products responsibly. Also, in our PLN, we also need to aim for varied views but factual consensus because it can help us get more ideas from others so that we can judge fake or biased news.

References

10 Benefits of Media Literacy Eduction. Center for Media Literacy (CML). Retrieved from: https://www.medialit.org/reading-room/10-benefits-media-literacy-education

Trilling, B. & Fadel, C. (2012). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in our Times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Miller, J. (2020). EDCI 338 A01 – Smith Julie. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T9RghwJlI&feature=youtu.be