Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability of identifying different types of media from a wide range of sources and being able to understand the messages these sources convey. Media literacy involves being able to create, reflect, find and observe media messages with the presence of cognitive and affective structures. Click here for the definition of media literacy . In this modern age, digital technologies and media carryout important roles in our everyday life. The digital age requires individuals to have new literacy skills and critical awareness to read, write and make use of technology and media correctly. Being media literate prepares individuals for the digital workplace. It is important for both teachers and students to be media literate due to media being integrated as an educational resource in schools. Teachers should always encourage their learners to be good digital citizens. Teaching and learning is made easy through media approaches, but it would be easier if all become media literate. Media literacy can increase or decrease opportunities for one depending if one is media literate or illiterate. If both learners and teachers are media literate it will reduce the chances of them being caught up in social media risks. Learners who are media literate will be able to safely explore the online environment without being at risk. This will also enable learners to be responsible towards other social media users' when creating their own posts. Social media literacy conceptualizes reciprocal, conditional and different learning procedures. Teachers should provide information to learners that will assist them to interact with media in a healthy and responsible manner. When learners are media literate, teachers will have an advantage that allows them to use online platforms as tools to conduct assessments and to proceed with teaching and learning using various media platforms. Social media is used by a high number of young people daily and may impose important impact on the user's personal well-being. Media literate individuals acknowledge that it is their responsibility to avoid posting or engaging with biased posts. Media literate learners and teachers will help reduce negative media effects and increase those that are positive. " Through applying a critical media literacy framework, students at grades can learn to critically analyze the messages and create their own alternative media",Rasi, P., Vuojärvi, H., & Ruokamo, H. (2019) . Media literacy education can maximize media knowledge and minimize realism, it can also help recede the influence of desirable media portraits. It is important for teachers and learners to be media literate for online collaboration purposes, for example, if a teacher decides that a group discussion will be held on their twitter page, she should create the post in an effective manner and the learners should also add their  responses in a way that is unobjectionable avoiding discriminatory, biased and offensive comments, learners and the teacher should make sure that the information they post is proven and accurate. To access more examples click here