What is Media?
Media is all the different messages we receive in our environment that come in many different forms. According to www.understandingmedia.com, we can describe media as "a group that constructs messages with embedded values, and that disseminates those messages to a specific portion of the public in order to achieve a specific goal".Why do we need Media Literacy?
Media literacy is necessary for us to be able to understand and analyze the embedded values and specific goal in order for us to better think critically about the message we receive.In today's world we are bombarded with media messages in many forms all day and it is more important than ever that our youth are able to employ strategies to develop a deeper understanding of all these messages and not be a blind consumer.
What should we teach?
When we look at media literacy, we should consider the following Five Key Concepts:1. Media are constructions
2. Audiences negotiate meaning
3. Media have commercial implications
4. Media have social and political implications
5. Each medium has a unique aesthetic form
If you want to learn more about these concepts, what media literacy is or why we should teach it, go here.
