empowering learners

with digital and media

literacy

FeATuRe

12 Knowledge Quest | Turning the Page in Minneapolis

Renee Hobbsrenee.hobbs@temple.edu

Eversincemychildhood,I’veneverbeenableto

distinguishbetweenschoollibrariansandteachers.WhenIwasgrowingup,thetermsweresynonymous.That’sbecausemymother,RosemarieShilcusky,wasasixth-gradeEnglishandsocialstudiesteacherwhoalsobecamethefoundingschoollibrarianatOurLadyofGoodCounselSchoolinPlymouth,Michigan.Intheprocessofgettinghergraduatedegreein1966,shecametorealizethatherstudentsandcolleaguesneededaschoollibrary,soshelobbiedhardforone,petitioningthepriestsinthedioceseandsweet-talkingtheschoolprincipal.Inthegrandlow-budgetRomanCatholictradition,sheeventuallyearnedtherighttobuildthelibraryherself,rightthereinthebasementoftheschool,applyingherownspecialbrandofsweatequitytotheprocessoflearninglibrarianshipwiththehelpoflocalvolunteersandmembersoftheMichiganchapteroftheCatholicLibraryAssociation.

Iremembermanysummersspentprocessingandshelvingandreadingbooks,delightingintheopportunitytobethefirstonetocrackopenthemanytreasuresofchildren’sliteraturethatmymotherwasacquiringfortheschool.Therewerescadsofmagazinesandaudiocassettes,ofcourse.AndwhenVHStapeswereinvented,theybecamepartofthelibrarycollection,too;later,thereweredesktopcomputerswithsoftwareongiantfloppydisks.

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Today,schoollibrariansandteachersareworkingtogetherinanationalmovementtobringdigitalandmedialiteracytoallcitizens.Whenpeoplethinkoftheterm“literacy,”whatgenerallyspringstomindisreadingandwriting,speakingandlistening.Theseareindeedfoundationalelementsofliteracy.Butbecausepeopleusesomanydifferenttypesofexpressionandcommunicationindailylife,theconceptofliteracyisbeginningtobedefinedastheabilitytosharemeaningthroughsymbolsystemstofullyparticipateinsociety.

Similarly,theterm“text”isbeginningtobeunderstoodasanyformofexpressionorcommunicationinfixedandtangibleformthatusessymbolsystems,includinglanguage,stillandmovingimages,graphicdesign,sound,music,andinteractivity.

Newtypesoftextsandnewtypesofliteracieshavebeenemergingoveraperiodofmorethanfiftyyears,andschoollibrariansandteachershavebeencontinuallymovingforwardwiththeseculturalshifts.We’veusedmanycloselyinterrelatedtermstodescribethenewsetofcompetenciesrequiredforsuccessincontemporarysociety.

Inthe1960s,whenarteducatorsandothersstartedtoexplorehowtousephotographytopromote

“newwaysofseeing,”theycalleditvisualliteracy.Whenlibrarydatabaseswerefirstestablished,andpeopleneedednewskillstousekeywordstofindandevaluatesources,wecalleditinformationliteracy.Inthe1980s,whencabletelevisionbroughtafive-hundred-channeluniverseintoourhomes,werecognizedtheneedtoteachcriticalanalysisofpopularcultureandmassmedia,callingitmedialiteracy.Whencomputersfirstbecamecommonplace,weunderstoodcomputerliteracyas

learningtodistinguishbetweenhardwareandsoftware.Todaythetermdigitalcitizenshipmaybeusedtorefertothenewsocialcompetenciesneededtoaddresscyberbullying,privacypreservation,identityprotection,andrespectforauthorship.Thesemanydifferenttermsref lectavarietyofdisciplinaryperspectivesaswellasthetrulywidescopeoftheknowledgeandskillsdemandedbyourincreasinglymediatedsociety.

WhenIusethephrasedigitalandmedialiteracy,Iseektocapturetheessentialfeaturesofallthesenewliteracies.Idefinedigitalandmedialiteracycompetenciesthatinclude(1)theuseoftexts,tools,andtechnologiestoaccessbothinformationandentertainment;(2)theskillsofcriticalthinking,analysis,andevaluation;(3)thepracticeofmessagecompositionandcreativity;(4)theabilitytoengageinref lectionandethicalthinking;aswellas(5)activeparticipationinsocialactionthroughindividualandcollaborativeefforts(seefigure1).

Digital and Media literacy as elements of CitizenshipEasyaccesstosomanyinformationandentertainmentchoicesnowrequiresthatpeopleacquirenewknowledgeandskillstomakewiseandresponsibledecisions.Forpeopletoachievethepersonal,professional,andsocialbenefitsofthrivinginadigitalage,theseskillsarenotjustoptionalordesirable—theyaretheessentialelementsofdigitalcitizenship.

TheKnightCommission’sreportInformingCommunities:SustainingDemocracyintheDigitalAgerecognizedthatpeopleneednewsandinformationtotakeadvantageoflife’sopportunitiesforthemselvesandtheirfamilies.Tobeeffectiveparticipantsincontemporarysociety,peopleneedtobeengagedinthepubliclifeofthecommunity,thenation,andtheworld.Theyneedaccesstorelevantandcredibleinformationthathelpsthemmakedecisions.Asaresult,itwillbenecessarytostrengthenthecapacityofindividualstoparticipateasbothproducersandconsumersinpublicconversationsabouteventsandissuesthatmatter.Mediaand

Act Access

creAte

reflectAnAlyze & evAluAte

Figure1

Digitalandmedialiteracycompetencies.

14 Knowledge Quest | Turning the Page in Minneapolis

digitalliteracyeducationisnowfundamentallyimplicatedinthepracticeofcitizenship.That’swhytheKnightCommissionmadethreerecommendationsthatdirectlyaddresstheissueofdigitalandmedialiteracyeducationinthecontextofformalandinformalpubliceducationsectors:

“recommendation 6:Integratedigitalandmedialiteracyascriticalelementsforeducationatalllevelsthroughcollaborationamongfederal,state,andlocaleducationofficials.

recommendation 7: Fundandsupportpubliclibrariesandothercommunityinstitutionsascentersofdigitalandmediatraining,especiallyforadults.

recommendation 12: Engageyoungpeopleindevelopingthedigitalinformationandcommunicationcapacitiesoflocalcommunities”(2009,XVII–XVIII).

Toturntheserecommendationsintoconcreteactionsteps,IwasdelightedtobeinvitedtoauthorDigitalandMediaLiteracy:APlanofAction,apolicypaperreleasedbyTheAspenInstituteCommunicationsandSocietyProgram,andtheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation.

Teachersandschoollibrarianseverywherearerecognizingtheseskillsasfundamental.AstheCommonCoreStateStandardsInitiativepointsout,“Tobereadyforcollege,workforcetraining,andlifeinatechnologicalsociety,studentsneedtheabilitytogather,comprehend,evaluate,synthesize,reporton,andcreateahighvolumeandextensiverangeofprintandnonprinttextsinmediaformsoldandnew.Theneedtoresearchandtoconsumeandproducemedia

isembeddedintoeveryelementoftoday’scurriculum”(2010).

Buttransformationalchangedoesnotcomeaboutsimplybygeneratingdocumentsordevelopingwrittenstandards.IndevelopingaplanofactiontobringdigitalandmedialiteracytoallAmericans,Ifirstidentifysomechallengesthateducatorsandlibrariansmustaddresswhenimplementingprogramsandservices.Thesechallengesincludethosepresentedbelow.

Moving Beyond a Tool-Focused orientation—Althoughinvestmentsintechnologyhaveincreasedsignificantlyinrecentyears,simplypurchasingthelatestdigitaltechnologiesdoesnotnecessarilyleadtotheacquisitionofdigitalandmedialiteracycompetencies.Unfortunately,manyschoolleadersmistakenlybelievethatsimplyprovidingchildrenandyoungpeoplewithaccesstodigitaltechnologywillautomaticallyenhancelearning.Schoollibrarians,teachers,andeducationaltechnologyleaderscanhelpshiftthefocustoemphasizehowdigitaltoolsareusedtopromotecriticalthinking,creativity,andcommunicationandcollaborationskills.

addressing Digital risks—Digitalandmedialiteracycompetenciesarenotonlyneededtostrengthenpeople’scapacityforengagingwithinformationbutalsoforaddressingthemanypotentialrisksassociatedwithexposuretomassmedia,popularculture,anddigitalmedia.Forexample,theFederalTradeCommissionreportsthattenmillionAmericanswerevictimizedin2009bywillinglygivingpersonalinformationtorobbers,oftenbecausevictimscouldn’tdistinguishane-mail

fromtheirbanksfromane-mailfromapredator(Rothkopf2009).Asignificantnumberofchildrenandyoungpeoplehavebeenvictimsofpornographyandelectronicaggression.Sextingandcyberbullyingareexamplesofhowhumanneedsforpower,intimacy,trust,andrespectintersectwiththeethicalchallengesembeddedinsocialparticipationinadigitalenvironment.Thatiswhybothempowermentandprotectionarebothneededtoaddresstherealitiesofthecurrentmultimedialandscape.

strengthening People’s Capacity to access Message Credibility and Quality—Librariansandresearcherstellusthat,when

Although investments in technology have increased significantly in recent years, simply purchasing the latest digital technologies does not necessarily lead to the acquisition of digital and media literacy competencies. unfor tunately, many school leaders mistakenly believe that simply providing children and young people with access to digital technology will automatically enhance learning.

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lookingforinformationonline,manypeoplegiveupbeforetheyfindwhattheyneed.Peopleuseasmallnumberofsearchstrategiesinarepetitivewayevenwhensearchersdonotgettheinformationtheyareseeking.Theydonottakethetimetodigestandevaluatewhattheyencounter.Inmanycases,students“typicallyuseinformationthatfindsthem,ratherthandecidingwhatinformationtheyneed”(Cheney2010,1).Fewpeopleverifytheinformationtheyfindonline—bothadultsandchildrentendtouncriticallytrustinformationtheyfind,fromwhateversource.

Tojudgethecredibilityofinformation,itisimportanttobeginbyansweringthesethreebasicquestions:Who’stheauthor?What’sthepurposeofthismessage?Howwasthismessageconstructed?Thesesimplebutpowerfulquestionsenablepeopletoassesstherelativecredibilityofamediamessage.Infact,forthesavvyuser,skillfuluseofdigitalinformationcansubstantiallyenhancetheprocessoffactcheckingandsourcecomparison.

Bringing news and Current events into K–12 education—Foroverfiftyyearscivics-orientededucation,withitsuseofeverydaynewsandjournalismresources,hasbeendecliningasacomponentoftheAmericaneducationsystem.Manyteachersareuncomfortablebringingnewsintotheclassroom.RememberwhenPresidentObama’stelevisedback-to-schoolspeechtothenation’sschoolchildrenwasblastedbyconservativecriticswhoaccusedthepresidentoftryingtospreadpropaganda?Inaneraofcompetitionforandfragmentationofthenewsaudience,nosimplisticassumptionscanbemadeaboutthenatureofwhatinformationsourcescountastrustworthyandauthoritative.

Today,youngpeopletellusthatthenewsisasignificantsourceof

stressbecauseitremindsthemoftheperiltheworldisin,andmakesthemfeelunsafeandthreatened.Althoughteensreadthenewsonlyincidentally,whentheydo,theyprefernewsaboutmusic,entertainment,celebrities,andsports(Vahlberg,Peer,andNesbit2008).Still,effortsareunderwaytoexplorethedevelopmentofcurriculumandresourcestoengagestudentsasactiveparticipantsintheprocessofcreatingjournalism.Whiletheseeffortsaremoredevelopedattheuniversitylevel,programsarespringingupatthehighschoollevelandevenatlowerlevels.

Butmuchlessisknownabouthowreading,viewing,anddiscussionofnewsandcurrenteventsaffectthedevelopmentofstudents’knowledgeandskills.Regularengagementwithnewsandcurrenteventsmaysupportthedevelopmentoflearners’backgroundknowledge.Thisengagementmayhelpbuildconnectionsbetweentheclassroomandtheculture.Thisengagementmayalsohelplearnersseehownewsandcurrenteventsareconstructed

bythosewitheconomic,political,andculturalinterestsatstake.Thisengagementmayalsohelppeopleappreciatehowaudiencesunderstandandinterpretmessagesdifferentlybasedontheirlifeexperiences,priorknowledge,andattitudes.

Building a Community education MovementTosupportthedevelopmentofdigitalandmedialiteracycompetenciesforallAmericans,weneedacomprehensivecommunityeducationmovement.Local,regional,state,andnationalinitiativesareessential.Itwilltaketimetobuildtheinfrastructurecapacityandhumanresourcesnecessarytobringdigitalandmedialiteracyeducationtoallcitizens.

Schoollibrarianssupportdigitalandmedialiteracycompetenciesbyservingasleadersintheirschoolsandcommunities,workingasinstructionalpartnerstosupportcolleagues,providingtheservicesofaninformationspecialistandprogramadministratortomanageprograms,aswellasoffering

J u d g e t h e C r e d i b i lt i y o f a M e d i a M e s s a g e b y a n s w e r i n g 3 b a s i C Q u e s t i o n s :

1 . w h o i s t h e a u t h o r ?

2 . w h at ' s t h e p u r p o s e o f t h i s M e s s a g e ?

3 . h o w w a s t h i s M e s s a g e C o n s t r u C t e d ?

16 Knowledge Quest | Turning the Page in Minneapolis

directinstructiontolearners.Toachievethebuy-innecessaryforsuccess,initiativesmustcapitalizeonexistinglocalprogramsandresources,andenrollnewstakeholders,includingeducationalleaders,membersofthebusinesscommunity,andmembersofprofessionalassociationswhoaremotivatedtodevelopandsustainprograms.Toaccomplishthis,Ispecificallycallfortheactionstepsdescribedbelow.

Community level initiatives—Wemustgarnersupportforcommunity-leveldigitalandmedialiteracyinitiatives,includingpromotingcommunitypartnershipsandcreatingaDigitalandMediaLiteracy(DML)YouthCorpstobringdigitalandmedialiteracytounderservedcommunitiesandspecialpopulationsviapubliclibraries,museums,andothercommunitycenters.

Partnerships for Teacher education—Wemustencouragethedevelopmentofuniversity-communitypartnershipsforteacher

educationsoteacherscanbebetterpreparedtoactivatedigitalandmedialiteracycompetenciesinavarietyofeducationalcontexts.

research and assessment—Wemustassesslearningprogressionthroughonlineassessmenttoolsandcarefulvideodocumentationofbestpracticesfordigitalandmedialiteracyinstructionalstrategies.

stakeholder engagement and Visibility—Wemustincreasevisibilityfordigitalandmedialiteracyeducationthroughpublicserviceannouncements,entertainment-educationinitiatives,andanannualeducatorconference.

Allacrossthenationandtheworld,schoollibrariansandteachersaretakingstepstoensurethatdigitalandmedialiteracyeducationoffersthepotentialtomaximizewhatwevaluemostaboutthetrulyempoweringcharacteristicsofmediaandtechnology,whileminimizingitsnegativedimensions.AstheKnightCommissionreportInforming

Communities:SustainingDemocracyintheDigitalAgeexplains,informedandengagedcommunitiesneedcitizenswhoappreciatethevaluesoftransparency,inclusion,participation,empowerment,andthecommonpursuitofthepublicinterest.

Works Cited:

Cheney,Debora.2010.“WhyStudentsNeedNewsandInformationLiteracySkills.”YouthMediaReporter(June24).<www.youthmediareporter.org/2010/06/fuzzy_logic_why_students_need.html>(accessedFebruary26,2011).

CommonCoreStateStandardsInitiative.2010.“EnglishLanguageArtsStandards.<www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards>(accessedFebruary26,2011).

Hobbs,Renee.2010.DigitalandMediaLiteracy:APlanofAction.Washington,DC:AspenInstitute.

KnightCommissionontheInformationNeedsofCommunitiesinaDemocracy.2009.InformingCommunities:SustainingDemocracyintheDigitalAge.Washington,DC:AspenInstitute.

renee hobbs

isaprofessorof

communication

atTemple

University’sSchool

ofCommunicationsandTheater,where

shefoundedtheMediaEducationLab

<www.mediaeducationlab.com>.Sheisthe

authorofDigitalandMediaLiteracy

inGrades7–12:Connecting

CultureandClassroom(Corwin

2011),CopyrightClarity:HowFair

UseSupportsDigitalLearning

(Corwin2010),andReadingthe

Media:MediaLiteracyinHigh

SchoolEnglish(TeachersCollegePress,

ColumbiaUniversity2007).

Rothkopf,Arthur.2009.KeynoteAddress.NationalForumonInformationLiteracy—EmpoweringFutureGenerations:InformationLiteracy.October15–16.Washington,DC.

Vahlberg,Vivian,LimorPeer,andMaryNesbit.2008.IfItCatchesMyEye:AnExplorationofOnlineNewsExperiencesofTeenagers.Evanston,IL:MediaManagementCenter,NorthwesternUniversity.<http://mediamanagementcenter.org/research/teeninternet.pdf>(accessedFebruary26,2011).

all aCross the nation and the world, sChool librarians and teaChers are taking steps to ensure that digital and Media literaCy eduCation offers the potential to MaxiMize what we value Most about the truly eMpowering CharaCteristiCs of Media and teChnology, while MiniMizing its negative diMensions.

17Volume 39, No. 5 | May/June 2011