BLOG#8

1. What is media literacy?
2. Why is it important?
3. Why is it dismissed?
4. Why should you aim for varied views but factual consensus in your PLN?

Media literacy 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” (Charles and Trilling, 2009).

Media literacy is important because, “In the 21st century, everyone’s level of information literacy and fluency will need to rise. Whether at work, in school, at home, or in the community, there will be increasing demands on our ability to access information efficiently and effectively, evaluate information critically and competently, and use information accurately and creatively” (Charles and Trilling, 2009).

Media literacy is important because, As humans, we like to be affirmed and to be told that you are right. So we will choose the news media that can meet our needs. We rarely listen to news that we disagree with (Smith, 2020). We need to enable people to listen to different perspectives and understand very complex (and in many ways incredible) information patterns. We cannot simply assume that information intermediaries can solve problems for us, whether they are traditional news media or social media.

Because in PLN, different perspectives can trigger some new ideas and ideas. If we have richer and more diverse views in our PLN, our audience will be greatly improved. And when we have accepted some new viewpoints and reached a consensus, we will be recognized by the audience. This means that we can have more learning opportunities in different fields and perspectives, and we can also cooperate. Society is full of people with different backgrounds and different viewpoints, and the consensus that everyone has on different viewpoints can attract each other, thus having more audiences.

• 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?

Public dialogue between media literacy and factual information can create conflicts. Because many people have not received media literacy education, they may not understand its importance in our daily lives. They always want to be affirmed and considered to be correct. They only choose news media that can meet their needs and refuse to listen to news they disagree with (Smith, 2020).

The advantages of having a PLN that values media literacy are:

• It taught me how to verify the information and identify other points of view.
• It encourages critical thinking.
• It encourages me to share other media sources in a responsible way.
• It tells readers how the media affects our culture.
• It taught me how to create my own content.
• It encourages me to actively participate in public affairs as a citizen.

Resources：

21st Century Skills – Learning for Life In Our Times Trilling, B & Fadel, C – Digital Literacy Skills – Media Literacy pp.66 https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/21st+Century+Skills:+Learning+for+Life+in+Our+times/9780470475386/fade_9780470475386_oeb_c04_r1.html#h2

Media Literacy – Course YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/Z_T9RghwJlI