How many communication tool were you using for the past few days and weeks? According to Statistica.com (2020) report, an average Filipino has 2 or 3 gadgets at hand used for varies reason – primarily, to communicate.

The pool of communication technologies in the 21st century era paved way to a wide range of channel in sending, receiving, storing, and editing information even in a snap. But the bigger story is how we use them properly? The United Nations on Educational, scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) welcomed the idea of the dramatic increase in the access of information and communication.

Before we go further, let us familiarize ourselves with basic terms and concepts associated in communication. Definition of Terms( please provide the source!)

Communication: pertains to a purposeful exchange of information and messages between people or groups of people by speaking, writing, gestures, and signs.

Messages: refer to any form of communication (information, feelings, and ideas) passed or transmitted using a channel. Turow (2007) described them(messages) as a collection of symbols that appear purposefully organized (meaningful) to those sending or receiving them.

Media: are the methods or tools in which information can be exchanged and communication can be facilitated.

Communication : a systematic process of using symbols in exchanging thoughts and ideas.

Interpersonal Communication: refers to the communication between two persons, whether they are verbal or non-verbal.

Mediated Interpersonal Communication: refers to the process where technology stands in between the parties communicating and becomes the channel by which the message is sent or received.

Mass Communication: refers to communication systems used to create, produce, and disseminate media texts to mass audiences.

Traditional forms of mass communication consist of newspaper, radio, television, and film, it is also 6 understood that in mass communication, there is no immediate feedback between the source and the receiver.

Organizational Communication: refers to communication useds in the business environments

Media and Information Literacy: refers to the essential competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes) that allow citizens to engage with media and other information providers effectively, and develop critical thinking and life-long learning skills for socializing and becoming active citizens.

Following are various terms associated with Media Information and Literacy.

1. LITERACY: The ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning, wherein individuals are able to achieve their goals, develop their knowledge and potential, and participate fully in their community and wider society.

2. MEDIA: The physical objects used to communicate with, or the mass communication through physical objects such as radio, television, computers, film, etc. It also refers to any physical object used to communicate messages.

3. MEDIA LITERACY: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms. It aims to empower citizens by providing them with the competencies (knowledge and skills) necessary to engage with traditional media and new technologies.

4. INFORMATION: A broad term that covers processed data, knowledge derived from study, experience, instruction, signals or symbols.

5. INFORMATION LITERACY: The ability to recognize when information is needed, and to locate, evaluate, and effectively communicate information in its various formats.

6. TECHNOLOGY LITERACY: The ability of an individual, either working independently or with others, to responsibly, appropriately, and effectively use technological tools. Using these tools an individual can access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information.

7. MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY: The essential skills and competencies that allow individuals to engage with media and other information providers effectively, as well as develop critical thinking and life-long learning skills to socialize and become active citizens.

There are issues surrounding our society today due to misuse of media. Here are some but not limited to the following

1. COPYRIGHT - a legal device that gives the creator of a literary, artistic, musical, or other creative work the sole right to publish and sell that work.

2. PLAGIARISM - an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization; the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author

. 3. CYBER BULLYING - bullying that takes place online, or using electronic technology such as cell phones, computers, and tablets over communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites.

4. COMPUTER ADDICTION - the excessive use of computers to the extent that it interferes with daily life.

5. DIGITAL DIVIDE - an economic inequality between groups in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of ICT.

Here are the 10 Core netiques

by Virginia Shea (2017), you can access the whole content at www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

Rule 1: Remember the human. Media users have feelings and emotion as you are.

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

The three basic communication models: Linear Model, Transactional Model, and Interactive Model. Below is an illustration that shows the descriptions as well as the pros and coms of each model.

Click this for the diagram >> https://www.businesstopia.net/communication

Linear Model of Communication

Linear model of communication is a simple one way communication model. The message flows in a straight line from sender to the receiver. There is no concept of feedback. The only task that a receiver does here is to receive the message. Different models that follow linear model of communication are:

• Lasswell’s Model

• Aristotle’s Model

• Shannon Weaver Model

• Berlo’s S-M-C-R Model

Transactional Model of Communication

In transactional model, senders and receivers both are known as communicators and both play equally important role in communication. Transactional model relates communication with social reality, cultural up-bringing and relational context (relationships). Non-verbal feedback like gestures, body language, is also considered as feedback in this model. Different models that follow transactional model of communication are:

• Barnlund’s Transactional Model

• Helical Model

• Becker’s Mosaic Model

Interactive Model of Communication

Interactive model or convergence model is similar to transactional model as they are both two way communication model. But, interactive model is mostly used for new media like internet. Here, people can respond to any mass communications like videos, news, etc. People can exchange their views and ideas. Different models that follow interactive model of communication are:

• Schramm’s Interactive Model

There are four imporatant ages in the evolution of media: the Prehistoric Age (also called the pre-industrial age), the Industrial Age, The electronic Age, and the New Media Age.

Watch the video ex plainer (TAGALOG) on the evolution of media >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzA5kiReT7o&t=182s

The following are the terms you need to know:

Roles – According to Websters, roles are socially expected behavior patterns usually determined by an individual’s status in a particular status; a function or part performed especially in a particular process.

These are few of the roles and functions of media and information in a democratic society

1. Channel - provides opportunities for people to communicate, share ideas, speculate, tell stories and give information.

2. Watchdog - exposes corrupt practices of the government and the private sector. Creating a space wherein governance is challenged or scrutinized by the governed. It also guarantees free and fair elections

3. Resource center - acts as a gateway of information for the society’s consumption. Also, it becomes a keeper of memories of the community, preserver of heritage and source of academic knowledge.

4. Advocate - through its diverse sources or formats, it bridges the gap of digital divide, and suggests social change as advocate to society.

The term news Media refers to the groups that communicate information and news to people. As noted, the majority of the people obtain information from the news media. The increasing reliance on this media has encouraged media outlets to respond to such demands of the time by making the news available through television and the Internet. As this develops, three main types of news media emerged: print media, broadcast media, and the Internet.

PRINT MEDIA

These print media include Newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, and other printed material serve as the oldest media forms. . The influence of print media is therefore significant. Regular readers of print media tend to be more likely to be politically active. The print media is responsible for more reporting than other news sources. Many news reports on television are merely follow-up stories about news that first appeared in newspapers.

The Newspaper of Record

The New York Times is known as the newspaper of record due to its history of excellence and influence. If a story is not in the Times, it is not important. In 2003, however, the newspaper lost its popularity and credibility when Times journalist Jayson Blair admitted he had fabricated some of his stories. Hence, some readers have lost trust in the paper.

BROADCAST MEDIA

Broadcast Media are news reports broadcast via radio and television. Television news is considered as vital in every country. Most people largely rely in getting their news from television broadcasts than from any other source.

Television News

News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio, or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network. It may also include additional material such as sports coverage, weather forecasts, traffic reports, commentary, and other material the broadcaster feels is relevant to their audience.

Radio News

Radio is the other type of broadcast media. Before the advent of television in the 1950s, most Americans relied on radio broadcasts for their news. Many people listened to radio news every day, especially during morning and evening commutes.

Talk Radio

Since the 1980s, talk radio has emerged as a major force in broadcasting. It has a radio format in which the hosts mix interviews with political commentary. As a result, many talk radio shows are highly partisan. .

THE INTERNET

Relying on online sources of news instead of traditional print and broadcast media, the use Internet gains popularity among individuals. It easily captures the needs of the times. Although Americans surf the sites of more traditional media outlets, such as NBC and CNN, but later turn to unique online news sources such as weblogs for easy access to information. Websites can provide text, audio, and video information, all of the ways traditional media are transmitted. The web also permits for a more interactive approach by allowing people to personally tailor the news they receive via personalized web portals, newsgroups, podcasts, and RSS feeds.

Weblogs

Blogs have become very influential since the start of the twenty-first century. Thousands of people viably respond to the message boards the leading bloggers have written regarding their opinions on a variety of issues. Worthy to note, many blogs are highly partisan and inaccurate, however, a few have been instrumental in breaking big stories.

Film / Cinema

The term ‘Film’ is commonly applied to movies of an artistic or educational nature. Hence, it is not expected to have broad, commercial appeal--for it is just created by photographing actual scenes with a motion picture camera; by photographing drawings or miniature models using traditional animation techniques; by means of computer animation; or by a combination of some or all of these techniques and other visual effects. It is a series of images, which when displayed on screen, create an illusion of moving images by the phi phenomenon.

Video Games / Digital Games

They refer to various interactive games played using a specialized electronic gaming device or a computer or mobile device and a television or other display screen, along with a means to control graphic images.

Information Literacy: includes the ability to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively. Thus, students are trained to evaluate the quality, credibility, and validity of websites.

THREE TYPES OF RESOURCES

There are three types of resources or sources of information: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

PRIMARY SOURCES: original materials on which other research is based, including: original written works – poems, diaries, court records, interviews, surveys, and original research/fieldwork, and research published in scholarly/academic journals.

SECONDARY SOURCES: those that describe or analyze primary sources, including: reference materials – dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, and books and articles that interpret, review, or synthesize original research/fieldwork.

TERTIARY SOURCES: Those used to organize and locate secondary and primary sources. Indexes – provide citations that fully identify a work with information such as author, titles of a book, article, and/or journal, publisher and publication date, volume and issue number and page numbers.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

a. Abstracts – summarize the primary or secondary sources.

b. Databases – are online indexes that usually include abstracts for each primary or secondary resource, and may also include a digital copy of the resource

SOME OF THE MAIN SOURCES OF INFORMATION YOU WILL USE ARE:

1. Reference Material

-consists of a range of different types of material providing you with background information. This material can either be general or related to specific subject areas.

2. Dictionaries

- are good source of information relevant to the functions of word based on how they are used in context. In addition, they provide synonyms/antonyms of words so that learners would be able to use them appropriately.

3. Encyclopedias

-provide more details on the functions of words than dictionaries.

4. Other Reference Material

-depending on subject area, there are many other types of reference material.

5. Books

-may be textbooks at school or university level or more-detailed monographs.

6. e-Books

-many books are now available in electronic format as e-books.

7. Journals

-also known as periodicals or serials are published at regular intervals throughout the year.

8. Websites

- are reliable sources of information available on the Internet, except information found in Wikipedia and YouTube.

9. Newspapers

-can be good sources of information for primary research.

10. Conference Proceedings

-consist of a collection of paper presentations or posters delivered at conferences, seminars or workshops. They are sources of primary research as this may be the first place the information has been made public.

11. Reports

-are produced by agencies and departments on specific topics or issues. These agencies include Government departments, research establishments, charitable foundations and more.

12. Standards

-are consensus agreements drawn up by representative collections of people who have an interest in the subject. These might be manufacturers, users, research organizations, or government departments.

13. Manuscripts and Special Collections

Manuscripts and archives are unique items created or collected by a person or organization in the course of their ordinary business, and retained by them as evidence of their activities.

14. Theses

-are major sources of primary research output.

15. Social Media

-serve as an avenue in establishing social interaction with other individuals.

THE LIBRARY

The word "library" is used in many different aspects: from the brick-and-mortar public library to the digital library. Public libraries serve as the best source of information whether it's a book, a web site, or database entry.

Indigenous knowledge is the unique knowledge confined to a culture or society. It is also known as local knowledge, folk knowledge, people's knowledge, traditional wisdom or traditional science.

Indigenous communication is a transmission of information through local channels or forms. It is a means by which culture is preserved, handed down, and adapted.

Indigenous media and information is an original information created by a local group of people. This also refers to content about indigenous peoples that may be distributed through dominant forms of media or through forms of communication unique to their people group.

THE INTERNET

History of the Internet

In 1982 the word internet started. In 1986, first “freenet” created in Case Western Reserve University; in 1991, the US government allowed business agencies to connect to internet. Now all peoples can connect to internet and improve their life and work quality. The internet support various aspects in our life.

The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. It represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure.

GENRES, CODES, AND CONVENTIONS

Genre comes from the French word which means type or class. It can be recognized by its common set of distinguishing features, such as codes and conventions. Horror, comedy, action-comedy, sci-fi, action, inspirational or family are some of the genre in film, which are also applicable to TV shows.

Media codes and conventions are like building blocks of all the media around us. Media codes generally have an agreed meaning or connotation to their audience. Codes are the system of signs which create meaning. There are three types of media codes: symbolic codes, technical codes, and written codes. On the other hand, conventions are generally the accepted ways of doing something.

TYPES OF CODES

1. Technical Code- the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story (camera techniques, framing, depth of fields, lighting, etc.). It includes:

a. Editing

It is the process of choosing, manipulating, and arranging images and sound. Editing is generally done for four different reasons:

· Graphic edits

· Rhythmic edits

· Spatial edits

· Temporal edits

b. Audio

It is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. Audio can be diegetic or non-diegetic. The three aspects of audio are:

· dialogue

· sound effects

· music

c. Lighting

It is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to selectively highlight specific elements of the scene. Elements of lighting include:

· Quality

· Direction

· Source

· Color

2.. Symbolic Code- it shows what is beneath the surface of what we see (objects, setting, body language, clothing, color, etc.).

3. Written Code- it is the use of language style and textual layout (headlines, captions, speech bubbles, language style, etc.).

TYPES OF CONVENTION

1. Form Convention- are the certain ways we expect types of media codes to be arranged. For instance, an audience expects to have a title of the film at the beginning, and then credits at the end. Newspapers will have a masthead, the most important news on the front page and sports news on the back page. Video games usually start with a tutorial to explain the mechanics of how the game works.

Another example would be continuity editing. Most video forms follow a set of editing rules and techniques called continuity editing which allows for the audience to easily understand what is going on in a scene and who is talking to who.

2. Story Convention- are common narrative structures and understandings that are common in story telling media products. Examples of story conventions include:

· Narrative structures

· Cause and effect

· Character construction

· Point of View

3. Genre Convention- point to the common use of tropes, characters, settings, or themes in a medium. Genre conventions are intricately linked with audience expectations. Genre conventions can be formal or thematic.