Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. Media literate youth and adults are better able to understand the complex messages we receive from television, radio, Internet, newspapers, magazines, books, billboards, video games, music, and all other forms of media. The Media Literacy Project

According to The National Association of Media Literacy Education . . .

The term "media literacy" is often used interchangeably with other terms related to media and media technologies.

Media refers to all electronic or digital means and print or artistic visuals used to transmit messages.
Literacy is the ability to encode and decode symbols and to synthesize and analyze messages.
Media literacy is the ability to encode and decode the symbols transmitted via media and the ability to synthesize, analyze and produce mediated messages.
Media education is the study of media, including ‘hands on' experiences and media production.
Media literacy education is the educational field dedicated to teaching the skills associated with media literacy.

Article by Anne Shaw - Media Literacy - a Critical 21st Century Skill - specific strategies and activities to help students develop media literacy.

Media Literacy Concepts

Core Principles of Media Literacy Education in the United States

Deconstructing Media Messages

Language of Persuasion

Creating Counter-Ads

Making Media

Michael Wesch videos

Advertising

Analyzing TV Commercials

Cereal Facts - Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score

Children as Consumers - Advertising and Marketing, Princeton University Study

TV Bombards Children With Commercials For High-Fat And High-Sugar Foods

Children, Adolescents and Advertising

Cereal F.A.C.T.S report and the accompanying ABC news video

The Breakfast Battle: Consumers May Not Be Making Smart Choices After All

FDA Takes Aim at Misleading Food Labels, Hoping to Push Through One Simple Label

Classrooms in Action with Media Literacy

Multimedia Serves Youths' Desire to Express Themselves - article and video

From Curriculum to Communication, a School Immerses Itself in Tech - article and video

Kids With Cameras: Student Filmmakers Do Documentaries - article

Film School: Making Movies from Storyboard to Screen - article (also related - How to Use Digital Storytelling in Your Classroom)

Media Smarts: Kids Learn How to Navigate the Multimedia World - video

Students Evolve from Consumers to Critics and Creators - article

Curriculum Integration - Developing Media Literacy

12 Basic Ways to Integrate Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into Any Curriculum
at Project Look Sharp

Co-Co's AdverSmarts: An Interactive Unit on Food Marketing on the Web - for 5 to 8-year-olds

Lesson plan for analyzing television commericials

Deconstructing Media Messages

Questioning Video

Analyzing television commercials

Project Look Sharp - Evaluating web sites

Media Hoaxes

One cannot discuss deconstruction of media messages without viewing the following. Each claims to be real, and does an excellent job of seeming real. In fact, many people thought they were real.

I. Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus - a very realistic web site.

II. The Spaghetti Harvest - an April Fool's Day Hoax played on the British people in 1957, on BBC

III. War of the Worlds radio broadcast by H. G. Wells, 1938

This is Part I of the entire radio broadcast. You also conduct searches on YouTube
which have shorter segments. I recommend playing the entire broadcast for
your class. I played the recording (with no video as we have here) for my
class of fourth graders on Halloween; the students each had a large sheet
of paper, pencils and markers. They could just listen and draw - great focusing
and visualizing, not to mention personal creativity and interpretation!

Notice all the special sound effects created by the radio team. See more
War of the Worlds resources on our Curriculum Resources web site.