Media literacy for students
Media literacy for students teaches students how to become knowledgeable about the media. A concept from the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is the definition of media literacy. The CLEP is a testing program that measures a student’s knowledge of critical thinking and reasoning. This is a standard test for colleges to see how well they can comprehend and analyze information presented to them in the classroom. Some students are tested on their ability to analyze information presented in various forms; such as print, television, radio, and Internet. Some are tested on their ability to develop an opinion about a topic, using a selected piece of information as a reference.
The term ‘media literacy’ refers to the ability to understand and use various sources of information in everyday life. These sources include local, national, and global news, current events, and culture. Understanding how to interpret and relay this information is part of a broader comprehension of literacy. To help students understand the importance of media literacy, a basic understanding of the concepts behind it is needed.
A common use of media literacy for students is to gain an understanding of how different types of media interact with each other. As an example, some types of information are better received through print than others, while some types of information are better received through one type of media than another. Certain types of information, such as weather reports, are best experienced through physical media such as newspapers and magazines, while non-physical media such as YouTube are better experienced through digital channels such as the internet. In a CLEP test, students are asked to identify which types of information they prefer to receive through a physical medium and which types of information they prefer to receive through a digital channel.
Another method that educators may use to introduce and discuss media literacy to students is through a lesson plan. A lesson plan can be used to cover any number of different topics related to media and its impact on society. However, teachers should make sure that their discussion includes the broad perspectives that comprise a comprehensive lesson plan. One important part of a lesson plan is to incorporate a discussion about how different types of media literacy are related to one another.
Students should learn how to analyze media sources and evaluate their accuracy and value. Learning to critically evaluate media sources is an important part of media literacy, and it is one of the most important components of the social justice framework that many sociologists and psychologists call “social capital.” Critical analysis is a systematic way of looking at different types of sources and determining whether or not they have been accurately depicted or represented. Through this method students begin to understand how different types of representations affect our societal understanding of a given topic or event. This helps students learn how to interpret media reports and form opinions based on facts and evaluation rather than emotions or bias.
An added benefit of incorporating media literacy into a student’s studies is that it helps them connect what they are learning in the classroom to real world events. In this way students begin to understand how the media affects society at large. For example, if a teacher mentions the violence in the Middle East and mentions the effects of violence on children’s lives, the student may know enough about the Middle East to question the statement and determine how media sources have covered the story accurately. By learning to examine media sources critically and analyzing how other people have reacted, students begin to develop an understanding of how various types of representation affect our cultural and political sensibilities.