Unit 10: Media and Informa tion Literate Individual

Unit 10: Media and Information Literate Individual

Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Learning Targets 3

Lesson 1: The Impact of Media and Information 4 Jump Start 4 Learn about It! 5 Check Your Understanding 11 Explore and Create! 12

Let’s Create! 13

Self-Check 15

Wrap Up 16

Bibliography 17

Glossary 18

GRADE 11/12 | Media and Information Literacy

UNIT 10

Literacy in the Modern Era Over the course of human history, society has always valued literacy. While the word “literacy” is rooted in knowledge of reading and writing (from Middle English and Latin for ‘letters’), it has since come to mean the possession of knowledge or competence in a field. As such, there are now many literacies, or types of literacy. Research on education and psychology has broadened the term literacy further by looking at it in action. In 1991, E.H. Hiebert discussed literacy as the ability to actively transform texts, as opposed to the old notion of simply reading them. In the same year, J. A. Langer took that further and viewed literacies as “ways of thinking”. Indeed, new literacies continue to take form to equip people with varied ways of thinking that allow them to navigate today’s quickly-evolving and technologically-driven environment. Media and Information Literacy, thus, is a way of thinking that helps one navigate the evolving, media-rich landscape to maximize its benefits and avoid its pitfalls.

Fig. 1. How many kinds of literacy might be needed to properly use this device?

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Learning Targets

In this unit, you should be able to:

● Synthesize the overall impact of media and information on an individual (personal, professional, educational) and on the society as a whole (economic, social, political, educational).



Lesson 1: The Impact of Media and Information

We see media as just a part of our life. It is a reality we live with, no different from traffic congestion in the streets or the changing cost of goods. However, media is best seen as a living, breathing entity unto itself, that plays a pivotal role in the lives of individuals as well as in the growth of society. This is best seen in the evolution of media itself. New media is currently the most prominent and influential form of media; as its very nature relies on advancements in computing, its reach continues to expand. Hence, people must also expand the ability to harness it intelligently and ethically.

Jump Start

Think-Pair-Share: Find a partner, and take a minute to reflect on this prompt. Then, over the course of five minutes, share and explain your answers.

● What type of media do you use most frequently on a daily basis, and how did you learn to use it?



Learn about It!

Just as computer literacy enables a person to understand how computers work and make use of different systems, information and media literacy empowers a person to properly use media and information. This empowerment comes from the ability to view and create media critically, and the ability to make informed judgments about the information it provides.



How does media and information literacy affect the life of an individual? IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE On an individual level, the impact of media and information literacy on a person’s life cannot be overstated. The fact alone that media, in its many types, is so omnipresent in a person’s life is already an indicator of the impact it must have. The last decade has expanded considerably on the personal nature of “personal computing” because of smartphones and other digital devices. After all, these place the multitude of the Internet’s media outlets literally in the palm of your hand. With an Internet connection, you can access information you need at a moment’s notice, for tasks like doing a web search while preparing a report or paper, checking weather forecasts for a trip, getting up-to-the-minute developments on specific news events, and more. Even without an Internet connection, these digital devices allow you to write, record, and shoot to gather or create information that can then be shared. Media and information literacy thus becomes important on the level of the individual person.

BETTER PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES One of the biggest boons ofmodern media landscape due to the Internet and other digital



advancements is the increased ease with which one can grow professionally. Companies are easier to reach because of corporate social media accounts. Through these, interested parties may discover job openings, follow the company’s activities and accomplishments, and submit inquiries. Likewise, professionals can now post their resumes online and even cultivate a social media persona for themselves so that companies have a very clear idea who they’re hiring. There are other benefits too. The diversity of new media has even made self-employment a more viable option than it was in decades past. A digital artist, for instance, can now put up an electronic portfolio online and receive orders via direct messaging or e-mail, all for little to no extra cost. He or she may even get paid online via online banking portals. These advancements could lead to a profitable self-employed venture that would be much harder to sustain without that kind of easy exposure. Furthermore,classes, training sessions, and seminars are now available online for those seeking continued professional development.

VARIED EDUCATIONAL TOOLS The classroom is one of the first areas that should feel the onset of change with each new media age. Indeed, classrooms today are embracing such changes because young learners have grown up in a world of new media. Many classrooms use digital technology to offer more complex learning experiences that cater to students’ varied learning styles.



In many schools, the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) has supplemented or replaced the venerable card catalog, allowing students a more efficient way to search through their library’s store of information. Physical books have been likewise supplemented by e-books and submissions to online-access academic journals. Schools gladly invest significant sums of money to subscribe to these, to keep their students and faculty up-to-date on academic research. Students also have unprecedented access to information because of access to the Internet. Furthermore, word processors and presentation-making programs are alternatives to the “paper and pen” method of producing outputs for class. A media and information-literate student should know better than to assume that all this information is of equal value or appropriateness, and make wise decisions accordingly. It is worth noting that this does not simply mean knowing “where to look” for information that will complete a class requirement.

How does media and information literacy affect society? GREATER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES Some more personal examples of new media’s impact on the economy would include e-commerce and similar online shopping platforms. However, the impact of media and information affects society on a larger scale. Technology and increased information traffic, including a more sophisticated educational structure, have created a job market uniquely suited to media and information-literate learners as applicants. Media and information literacy equips learners, and thus potential employees, with skills suited to the multifaceted nature of modern, technologically-assisted communication. After



all, this sort of literacy does not merely sharpen one’s skills in understanding and filtering media and information, but in producing it as well. Greater media and information literacy promises a workforce of skilled communicators who can interact effectively and responsibly, especially via new media. This literacy may favor younger, computer-literate learners or those who have been trained in the use of new media, as companies have embraced digital ways of doing business for the many benefits. MORE COHESIVE SOCIAL GROUPS New media and emerging technology have contributed significantly to bridging physical divides, allowing for individuals such as family members to reach out to one another in ways previously unheard of. Previously, OFWs and their families needed to rely on expensive “call cards” to fund calls to each other. Now, Internet-based services like Viber, Skype and FaceTime allow for voice and even video calls at a fraction of the price. One can also communicate with a family member or a friend through text messaging, multimedia messaging, and social media. Local governments and utility companies it simpler and more effective to deliver public service announcements through social media as well. This allows them to keep the public informed of emergencies, response measures, scheduled service interruptions, among others. INCREASED AND ENHANCED POLITICAL PARTICIPATION Social structures have become more tight-knit due to increasing media and information literacy for political education and participation for every citizen. Greater awareness of basic political news and events is made possible through new media and social media. News outlets are able to more effectively keep the public informed of developments thanks to new media’s greater reach. Likewise, the participatory culture of social media allows the general public to create responses to these developments. This results in a more outspoken and informed public. This enhances political participation, as the electorate is more well-versed in the issues and their ideal candidates’ stands on them. However, well-tuned media and information literacy is often needed to filter fact from opinion, which is crucial for citizens who are politically active.



GREATER PUBLIC INFORMATION AND EDUCATION The general public now has more access to information that would allow them to intelligently and appropriately respond to social issues. It is much easier to put events and remarks in context, simply by doing a bit of research on the topic under debate -- whether it is constitutional change, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, or women’s rights. This improved ability to contextualize events allows a person to develop an informed stand on the issue: an opinion that is shaped by facts. That information is not only readily accessible in many forms, but can be passed on and shared via social media and other means. Indeed, media and information-literate citizens would do well to not only keep themselves informed, but also to choose reputable sources of information and be similarly responsible, in sharing information with their fellow citizens.



Check Your Understanding

A. Answer the following questions.

1. What does the term literacy mean, aside from the traditional meaning of knowing how to read and write?

2. What, then, is media and information literacy? 3. What are the individual benefits of media and information literacy? 4. What are the societal benefits of media and information literacy? 5. Which type of media is currently most prominent in making many of these benefits

possible?

B. Answer the following questions.

1. How has technological development changed the way we use media? 2. What features of modern education and classrooms would require media and

information literacy? C. Answer the following questions.

1. How does the modern understanding of literacy, the ability to “transform text instead of merely consuming it”, apply to media and information literacy?

2. Identify a controversy or problem in current social media use. How is it caused by the lack of media and information literacy?



Explore and Create!

Reflect on these questions. 1. Media and information literacy is clearly of critical importance in a world that

practically runs on media and information. Indeed, harnessing these immensely powerful forces can yield many opportunities. However, what are the risks of failing to harness them properly?

2. Why is media and information literacy now taught in schools as its own subject, as well as integrated into other subjects in different ways? Why is this a more appropriate approach than just allowing people to come by this sort of literacy on their own?



Let’s Create!

POSTER PROMOTING MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY

You are a youth representative/consultant of an non-government organization (NGO) that sponsors media seminars for secondary schools. Your NGO is working on a campaign to promote media and information literacy to Senior High School students your age. Thus, you have been tapped to design a poster that will be put up on campus. As part of this project, you must (1) design a full-color poster (with text and graphics) that identifies individual and societal benefits of media and information literacy, and (2) justify your design choices in a short paragraph. Your output must meet the following standards.

● The poster must identify at least one individual benefit and at least one societal benefit of media and information literacy.

● The poster may be in full color or in black and white, and may use existing graphics and images.

● The visual presentation must be clear and easy to follow, with the imagery not obscuring the text and vice versa. Imagery must be striking while text must be intelligible.

● The short paragraph must have a topic sentence that states the overall goal of the poster, and supports that explain (1) the choice of imagery and (2) how the design promotes the cited benefits.



Accordingly, your work will be judged using the following rubric.

Criteria Beginning (0-12 points)

Developing (13-16 points)

Accomplished (17-20 points)

Score

Content (Poster contains imagery as well as text, and promotes one individual and one societal benefit.)

Organization (Imagery and text do not obscure one another).

Conventions (spelling, mechanics, grammar and usage)

Creativity (Design is striking and innovative.)

Substance of explanation (paragraph identifies goal of poster, and justifies design choices.)

Total Score:



Self-Check

How well did you process the ways that media and information literacy can affect us as individuals and as a society?

Skills

I think I need more time and assistance.

I have a minimal understanding of it.

I am confident that I can do this with ease.

I can synthesize the overall impact of media and information on an individual (personal, professional,educational).

I can synthesize the overall impact of media and information on society as a whole (economic, social, political, educational).



Wrap Up

● Literacy refers to the possession of knowledge or competence in a field. ● Media and information literacy has considerable effects on us as individuals, as well as

on us as a society.



Bibliography

"Chapter 10: Media and Information Literate Individual." Amgregorio. February 18, 2017.

Accessed February 02, 2018. https://amgregorio.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/chapter-10-media-and-information-literate-individual/.

"FACT CHECK: Did Beyoncé Say She Is a Descendant of the 'Illuminati'?" Snopes.com. January 17, 2018. Accessed February 04, 2018. https://www.snopes.com/did-beyonce-say-descended-illuminati/. Grizzle, Alton, Penny Moore, Michael Dezuanni, Sanjay Asthana, Carolyn Wilson, Fackson

Banda, and Chido Onumah. Media and information literacy: policy and strategy guidelines. Edited by Alton Grizzle and Maria Carme Torras Calvo. 2013.

Mckee, Madisyn. "6 people who were fired for social media posts." Workopolis. May 04, 2017.

Accessed February 02, 2018. https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/6-people-who-were-fired-for-social-media-posts/.

Ping , Arniel. "Media and Information Literacy (MIL) - 10. Media and Information Lite..."

LinkedIn SlideShare. February 13, 2017. Accessed February 04, 2018. https://www.slideshare.net/arnielping/10-media-and-information-literacy-mil-media-and-information-literate-individual-72069318.

Valenzuela, Julia De. Definitions of Literacy. Accessed February 04, 2018.

http://www.unm.edu/~devalenz/handouts/literacy.html.



https://amgregorio.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/chapter-10-media-and-information-literate-individual/

https://amgregorio.wordpress.com/2017/02/19/chapter-10-media-and-information-literate-individual/

Glossary

Literacy refers to the possession of knowledge or competency in a field. Research has also used the term to refer to ways of thinking, and the ability to transform text rather than merely comprehend it. Media and information literacy is the ability to obtain and produce information via various types of media, as well as the responsible and ethical use of these abilities.



Documents

Unit 10: Media and Informa tion Literate Individual