Media Literacy

     Although the meaning of media has greatly expanded, the basic concept of media literacy has remained fairly constant. Whether the media is print, televised, images, or web based, it remains imperative to remember that whoever the media might be, they control the message. The consumer of media needs to develop the skills and habit to analyze the media and interpret its message. This includes reflecting on the purpose of the media, the audience it is directed at, and the creator of the media. The main difference in the current world is the amount of media that is available to people and the increase in exposure to multiple forms of media.
    It is important for educators to teach and model analytical media skills. The pervasiveness of media in our lives is likely to continue to increase, making media literacy all the more important. I think a recognition of this has entered schools. Recently at my school I have noticed flyers promoting media literacy and awareness. These flyers focused on gender, gender roles, and stereotypes. In order to reach more students social media is used as an avenue for discussion of these topics. I think media literacy should be taught directly as part of the curriculum and indirectly within class instruction. I also think it is a topic that needs to be addressed every year in order to help students improve their skills and incorporate any new media that emerge. Media literacy is a skill that students will need to continue to improve throughout their lives, and it is competency that will serve them well in all aspects of life.
     I think the most striking detail from the media literacy presentation is how little the portrayal of women has changed in the past 50 years or so. In fact, the negative portrayal of women is even more maddening now because it has become embedded in so many games, videos, advertisements and songs. It seems even more difficult in the present-day to teach our children about the media because there are so many more avenues for the media to reach people. The internet has brought the world to our fingertips, but this means that families no longer watch, listen to, or read the same media. Parents have to make even more of an effort just to be aware of what their children are exposed to.

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