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Media Literacy Guide

This Guide will support Media Literacy education with the intention to promote awareness of media influence and take an active stance towards both consuming and creating media.

Media/Digital Literacy

What is Media Literacy?Word Cloud of words connected to Media Literacy

Definition:

Media literacy is the ability to confidently access, analyze, evaluate, and create media.

"Media literacy refers to the ability to interpret and understand how various forms of media operate, and the impact those media can have on one’s perspective on people, events or issues. To be media literate is to understand that media are constructions, that audiences negotiate meaning, that all media have commercial, social and political implications, and that the content of media depends in part on the nature of the medium. Media literacy involves thinking critically and actively deconstructing the media one consumes. It also involves understanding one’s role as a consumer and creator of media and understanding the ways in which governments regulate media" (The Canadian Encyclopedia).

According to MediaSmarts, "Media are powerful forces in the lives of youth. Music, TV, video games, magazines and other media all have a strong influence on how we see the world, an influence that often begins in infancy. To be engaged and critical media consumers, kids need to develop skills and habits of media literacy. These skills include being able to access media on a basic level, to analyze it in a critical way based on certain key concepts, to evaluate it based on that analysis, and, finally, to produce media oneself. This process of learning media literacy skills is media education". The five themes being explored by MediaSmarts this year are: Use, Understand, Engage, Access, and Verify.

Online Resources to Learn More About Media Literacy


 


 


 


Welcome to the Digital Citizenship Hub. Are you conducting yourself in a safe and respectful way in our information world? Try the modules below to test your knowledge. Modules include information on: Social Media, Net Neutrality, Fake News, Copyright, Security, Privacy, Defamation, Harassment, Health & Wellness, and the Digital Divide. 

While collecting content from your library and from around the web, you should also be evaluating the information for quality. Keep in mind that not all the information you find online is credible, reliable, or even appropriate for your topic, so it is important to take a closer look at what you are reading. Use the tips below to determine if you should use a particular source for your research assignment.