Literacy

1. Literacy is defined by dictionaries as the state of being able to read and write. 2. Although it is
ultimate thesis of this lesson that such traditional definition no longer suffices in the information
age, a thorough understanding of literacy and its past nuances will give us a solid foundation in
exploring and discussing the “new” literacies of the 21st century and why possessing them is
now mandatory for both teachers and students in all levels of education.

Miller (1973) divides the conventional

concept of literacy into three categories:
1. Basic Literacy – It is the ability to correspond visual shapes to spoken sounds in order to
decode written materials and translate them into oral language. Simply put, it is the ability to
recognize letters and words.
2. Comprehension Literacy – It is the ability to understand the meaning of what is being read. 3.
Functional or Practical Literacy – It is the ability to read (i.e., decode and comprehend) written
materials needed to perform everyday vocational tasks.
Based on the conventional view of literacy, we notice two things for reading (and
therefore literacy) to exist:
1. A text (consisting of symbols and grammar)
to be read;
2. A meaning or message being communicated
by the text for the reader to extract.

Without a text, there would be nothing to read; without meaning, the text is reduced to a series
of incomprehensible doodles.

Expanded View of Literacy

Despite the popularity of American films in the Philippines, many Filipinos cannot follow the
actors’ dialogue and thus resort to guessing the overall story based on the actions on screen.

Despite the ubiquity of the traditional view of literacy, Roberts (1995) notes that “in the past fifty
years, hundreds of definitions of literacy have been advanced by scholars, adult literacy
workers, and programme planners, with even the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2006) acknowledging that literacy as a concept has proven to
be complex and dynamic, it being continually defined and interpreted in multiple ways.

In 2004, UNESCO formally defined literacy as “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 in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to
develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider
society.
Note that “reading” does not appear in UNESCO’s definition of literacy. Instead, literacy has
taken on a definition more akin to “knowing about something and what to do with it.”
Mkandawire (2018) more succinctly posits that literacy is “a form of knowledge, competence and
skills in a particular field or area,: being supported by UNESCO (2006). Barton (2007) and
Mkandawire, Simooya-Mudenda & Cheelo (2017), which acknowledged that – as we have just
pointed out – modern views appear to equate literacy with knowledge.

The shift in the definition of literacy from “reading and writing” to “knowledge” is especially
important as we explore the “new” literacies of the 21st century that seem far- removed from the
contexts upon which conventional literacy is based.

Factors that contributed to the rise of new literacies

Increased Reach
We are communicating with more people, from more diverse cultures, across vast distances
than ever before.

Increased means of Communication

We are communicating in more ways and at faster speed than ever before.

Increased Breadth of Content

We are communicating about more things than ever before.

New Literacies

● Globalization & Multicultural Literacy

● Financial Literacy
● Social Literacy
● Media & Cyber Literacy
● Ecoliteracy Artistic & Creative Literacy

GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURAL AND MULTICULTURAL LITERACIES Globalization is the

process of interaction and integration between people, business entities, governments and
cultures from other nations.

Effects of Globalization
Meyer (2000) summarizes the effects of globalization as follows:
• economic, political, and military dependence and interdependence between nations;
• Expanded flow of individual people among societies;
• Interdependence of expressive culture among nations; and
• Expanded flow of instrumental culture around the world.

Effects of Globalization in Education

1. Shifting classroom demographics

2. A need for competitive job skills
3. teaching trends to prepare students to compete globally

Cultural Literacy

It is a term coined by Hirsch (1983), referring to the ability to understand the signs and symbols
of a given culture and being able to participate in its activities and customs as opposed to simply
being a passive ( and outside) observer.

The signs and symbols of a culture include both its formal and informal languages, its idioms
and forms of expression, entertainment, values, customs, traditions, and the like – most of which
are assumed and unstated. Thus, they are learned by being part of the culture, rather than by
any formal means.

By its very definition, cultural literacy is culture-specific, but it is not limited to national cultures,
contrary to what many people assume. The culture of one workplace can be very different from
another, just as the culture of a particular school can differ widely from another school nearby.
Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is the government body tasked with
the documentation, preservation and dissemination of Philippine culture, both locally and
abroad.
Part of how the NCCA is addressing this and related matters is through the establishment of the
Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP), which ”envisions a nation of culturally literate
and empowered Filipinos” (NCCA, 2015).
Designed to make cultural education accessible to all sectors of Philippine society, the PCEP
held national consultative meetings, conferences, workshops, art camps and festivals on culture-
based teaching and good governance from 2003 to 2007.

As a result of Republic Act of 10066 (2010), PCEP has been designated as the body, together
with the Department of Education (DepEd), tasked to “formulate the cultural heritage education
program both for local and overseas Filipinos” that are to be an integral part of Philippine
education in all its aspects.
Cultural Education – and thus cultural literacy – in the Philippines is quite a challenge, given that
Philippine culture is a complex blend of many indigenous and colonial cultures and varies widely
across regions, and the average citizen is almost as ignorant of other Philippine cultures as
foreigners are. To point out, consider the question, ``What makes something or someone
Filipino?”
The question is somehow difficult to answer because a great number of Filipinos look at our
culture and themselves through Western lenses as the Dona Victorina Syndrome, a kind of
inferiority complex wherein anything and everything natively
Filipinos are considered by the Filipinos themselves as being inferior, backward and worthless in
comparison to their Western counterparts, and therefore a source of embarrassment and
unease. Our low self-esteem borders on self- contempt, the results of which are doubt in the
Filipino capacity for achievement, perverse delight in belittling ourselves, lack of respect and
even outright contempt for one another, and blind dependence on foreign goods, concepts,
techniques, approaches, and expertise (De Leon, 2011).

Challenge
The greatest challenge is the deconstruction of the negative self-images and notions of
ourselves that we have imbibed over generations through “a workable, effective program of
education that can make Filipinos more responsive and sensitive to Filipino dignity, needs,
values and cultural potentials and assets.”

Challenges for Cultural Literacy in the Philippines

As Applebee (1987) observes, interesting discussions on cultural literacy give rise to some very
difficult questions which are particularly important to a multicultural and multilingual nation like
the Philippines.
CULTURAL LITERACY
It is the knowledge and understanding of the life of a culture to the point where one can fluently
participate in the activities of the said culture. This includes, but is not limited to its languages,
traditions, values, beliefs, forms of entertainment and worldviews.
MULTI CULTURAL LITERACY
It is the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that any communication with a culture
different from our own is clear, productive and respectful such that their differences are
celebrated and neither culture demeaned or treated as inferior.

The skills and knowledge required to be multi-culturally literate are:

● Selflessness
● Knowledge that good and useful things can (and do) come from those different from us ●
Willingness to compromise
● Acceptance that there are limits

Issues in Teaching and Learning Multicultural Literacy

● Conflicting Requirements for Peace

● Nationalistic/Regional Pushback
● Persistence of the problem
● Question of Value

Multicultural Pedagogies
● Learn about other cultures
● Familiarize yourself with how discrimination and prejudice appear in your own culture
● As you are, so will you behave.

Ways to Implement Multicultural Education in the Classroom

● Identify their strengths and weaknesses
● Understand the students
● Encourage them to share real-life experiences
● Organize open discussions
● Plan group activities
● Cultural food swap
● Encourage cultural storytelling
● Hold multicultural seminars and events

What is Social Literacy and why is it important?

Social Literacy is a students’ successful performance and understanding of social Skills,

organizational skills, and communication skills. It is the students’ ability to connect effectively
with those around them. Social literacy spans across interacting with peers, family, coworkers,
teachers, and even people we may not have met face to face. Social literacy is so crucial in a
person’s success. The ability to communicate and voice opinions and thoughts, as well as
listening to opinions and thoughts of others, is essential in learning. Firmly grasping social cues
and norms is extremely beneficial. In literally every single setting of our lives : school, home,
work, clubs and activities, interacting with people(whether face to face or behind technology), we
use our social literacy. We play so many roles every day and socially we need to understand
how to play those roles appropriately. For example: I would speak differently with my friends
than I would my mother, or I would chat on facebook differently than I would while emailing a
professor. Without an understanding of this communication, one cannot function with success in
society.
The Role of Parents in Teaching Social Skills to Children

Social and emotional skills are critical to our children’s success. Research shows that these
skills can be learned and taught, and they can have an important impact on students’ ability to
thrive in school and in life. While schools are beginning to recognize the importance of strong
social and emotional skills, parents and other caregivers play an important role in setting a
foundation to help their children develop these skills. The following are tips on how parents can
incorporate social and emotional learning at home.

1. What are Social Skills and Why are They Important?

When we talk about the social skills needed for a child’s success in school and life, it’s not about
popularity or getting a child to be socially outgoing. Developing strong social and emotional
skills
is really about teaching the child how to have meaningful relationships with others, how to
develop
a sense of empathy, and how to be able to adapt to stressful situations.
Here is a list of some of the most important social skills that a child will need to be able to thrive
in school and life:

● Be responsible for their behavior

● Follow rules
● Get along with others
● Accept differences in others
● Have patience
 ● Stay calm when interacting with others
● Listen to others
● Take turns
● Do nice things for others
● Ask for help

2. Model
The best way to teach appropriate behaviors is by setting a good example for the child. What
what parents do is just as (or more!) important as what they say. For example, if the parents’ first
reaction to their child’s misbehavior is to lose temper and shout, then the child will learn to shout
and throw a tantrum when faced with a stressful situation. Instead, parents need to try to stay
calm and explain to the child why they want a certain behavior. Of course, children are experts
at pushing parents’ buttons, and all parents will likely lose their temper at times. This is natural,
but if this is always the parents’ first reaction, then it will likely become the child's first reaction as
well.
3. Practice
An important step to teaching a child social and emotional skills is to practice these skills on a
regular basis. There are many ways to practice these skills, and it can be as simple as doing
something nice for a friend or sibling, for example (i.e. “Let’s surprise your brother and make his
favorite meal for dinner”). Reading stories is another great way to teach social and emotional
skills.

The Teacher's Role in Developing Social Skills

Types of Social Skills

These are the types of social skills that teachers can demonstrate among students to attain
harmonious relationship with them.
1. Effective Communication – It is the ability to communicate effectively and share
thoughts and ideas with students through group conversations, discussions, etc. 2.
Conflict Resolution – It is the ability to get to the source of the problem and find a
workable solution by weighing both sides from those involved with a goal of mediating
for reconciliation.
3. Active listening – It is the ability to pay close attention to a student in times of counseling,
introspection and consultation.
4. Empathy – It is the ability to understand and identify the feelings of students in times of
difficulty and trouble.
5. Relationship management – It is the ability to maintain relationships and build key
connections with school stakeholders for the students’ development.
6. Respect – It can be done by knowing when to initiate communication and respond during
interactions or even in times of heated arguments and confrontations.
7. Problem-solving skills – These involve seeking help, making effective decisions, and
accepting consequences to derive better solutions to the problem.
8. Interpersonal Skills – These include the abilities of sharing, joining activities, asking for
permission and waiting for one’s turn in every facet of school undertakings.
The effective educator must be ever mindful of the simple fact that children go to school for a
living. School is their job, their livelihood, their identity. Therefore, the critical role that school
plays in the child's social development and self-concept must be recognized. Even if a child is
enjoying academic success in the classroom, his attitude about school will be determined by the
degree of social success that he experiences. There is much that the teacher can do to foster
and promote social development in the student.

Children tend to fall into four basic social categories in the school setting:

REJECTED - Students who are consistently subjected to ridicule, bullying and

harassment by classmates.
ISOLATED - Students who, although not openly rejected, are ignored by classmates and
are uninvolved in the social aspects of school.
CONTROVERSIAL - Students who have established a circle of friends based upon
common interests or proximity but seldom move beyond that circle.
POPULAR - Students who have successfully established positive relationships within a
variety of groups.
Many students with learning disabilities find themselves in the rejected or isolated subgroups.
Their reputations as "low status" individuals plague them throughout their school careers. It is
important for the teacher to assist the students' classmates in changing their view of this child.
Punishment is an extremely ineffective method of modifying bullying or rejecting behavior. If you
punish Billy for rejecting Joey, you only increase Billy's resentment of his classmate. However,
you can increase a child's level of acceptance in several ways.

First, the teacher must become a "talent scout." Attempt to determine specific interests, hobbies
or strengths of the rejected child. This can be accomplished via discussions, interviews or
surveys. Once you have identified the child's strengths, celebrate it in a very public manner. For
example, if the student has a particular interest in citizen band radios, seek out a read-aloud
adventure story in which a short-wave radio plays an important role in the plot. Encourage the
child to bring his CB into class and conduct a demonstration of its use. By playing the expert
role, a rejected or isolated child can greatly increase his status.

Assign the isolated child to a leadership position in the classroom wherein his classmates
become dependent upon him. This can also serve to increase his status and acceptance among
his peers. Be mindful of the fact that this may be an unfamiliar role for him and he may require
some guidance from you in order to ensure his success.

Most important, the teacher must clearly demonstrate acceptance of and affection for the
isolated or rejected child. This conveys the constant message that the child is worthy of
attention. The teacher should use her status as a leader to increase the status of the child.
The teacher can assist the child by making him aware of the traits that are widely-accepted and
admired by his peers. Among these traits are:

● Smiles/laughs
● Greets others
 ● Extends invitations
● Converses
● Shares
● Gives compliments

It is important that the teacher recognize the crucial role that the child's parents and siblings can
play in the development of social competence. Ask his parents to visit school for a conference to
discuss the child's social status and needs. School and home must work in concert to ensure
that target skills are reinforced and monitored. Social goals should be listed and prioritized. It is
important to focus upon a small group of skills such as sharing and taking turns, rather than
attempting to deal simultaneously with the entire inventory of social skills.

Working with preschoolers

Early childhood educators are in a particularly good position to foster the acceptance of the
socially incompetent child. By demonstrating acceptance of the child despite his behavioral or
language weaknesses, the teacher generally finds that this attitude is mirrored by the child's
classmates. The teacher's goals should focus on promoting age-appropriate
language/communication skills for the child. This instruction should be provided in a positive,
supportive and accepting manner.

Working with elementary school children

Assign the troubled child to work in pairs with a high-status child who will be accepting and
supportive. Cooperative education activities can be particularly effective in this effort to include
the rejected child in the classroom. These activities enable the child to use his academic
strengths while simultaneously developing his social skills.

The teacher must constantly search for opportunities to promote and encourage appropriate
social interactions for the socially inept child (e.g. "Andrew, would you please go over to Sally's
desk and tell her that I would like her to bring me her math folder?") Have students work in pairs
to complete experiments, bulletin boards and peer tutoring

The student with social skill deficits invariably experiences rejection in any activity that requires
students to select classmates for teams or groups. This selection process generally finds the
rejected child in the painful position of being the "last one picked." Avoid these humiliating and
destructive situations by pre-selecting the teams or drawing names from a hat. An option is to
intervene at the point when six or eight students remain unselected. Arbitrarily assign half of the
students to one team and the remaining students to another. This prevents any one student
from being in the damaging position of being "last picked".
Board games and card games can be used effectively to monitor and foster social development
in the classroom. Such activities require students to utilize a variety of social skills (voice
modulation, taking turns, sportsmanship, dealing with competition, etc.). These enjoyable
activities can also be used to promote academic skills. Because games are often motivating for
students, these activities can be used as positive reinforcement. This setting also provides an
opportunity to conduct effective social autopsies. However, these activities should be limited to a
few times each week.

Working with secondary school students

Teachers at the high school level must be particularly aware of the student who is being ignored
or rejected by peers. During adolescence, it is critically important that the student be accepted
by his classmates. The rejection suffered by adolescents with social skill deficits often places the
student at risk for emotional problems. It may be unrealistic to expect an overworked algebra
teacher to conduct social skill activities but the professional should, at a minimum, be willing and
able to refer the child to appropriate resources in the school administration or guidance
department.

The socially incompetent child often experiences isolation and rejection in his neighborhood, on
the school bus and in group social activities. The teacher can provide this student with a
classroom setting wherein he can feel comfortable, accepted and welcome. In the words of
Robert DeBruyn, "Coming to school every day can become a hopeless task for some children
unless they succeed at what they do. We teachers are sentries against that
hopelessness". How can we incorporate social literacy into the classroom?

Ways to incorporate social literacy online:

Blogging: Through blogging, students learn how to effectively use the internet and share their
thoughts and knowledge appropriately. Reading classmates blog posts and responding helps
students learn from others and gives them access to others ideas, as well as a chance to
constructively respond.
Class website: A class website is extremely useful in teaching students how to use and
navigate on the internet. Keeping students updated on class happenings, as well as giving
students opportunity to write and contribute on the class website will teach them useful skills in
communicating on the internet.
Video conferencing: Video conferencing has endless possibilities. Whether it is Conferencing
with a professional in the community, or students from a culture across the world, opens up a
realm of social interaction that can teach students so much about people in the world around
them.
Social Networking Sites: social networking gives students opportunities to know and learn
about people all over the world in a matter of seconds. Encouraging students to meet people of
other cultures and learn about social issues around the world is a priceless opportunity-and we
are so blessed to have sites like these to make it happen.
Ways to incorporate social literacy in a face to face environment:

Group projects: group projects give students opportunities to interact face to face and
experience
social interactions. It is so crucial that students learn to interact with people effectively and
contribute their part. ,
Peer reviewing: Peer reviewing teaches students how to give constructive advice and
communicate their thoughts well. To be able to give constructive criticism and view
another a person's ideas are an important ability.
Field trips: taking students to a museum or to volunteer in an area in need could help students
open their eyes and learn about different societies. On any field trip, even learning how to travel
in groups, communicate with people in charge, and work together as a group will be effective in
teaching students to be socially literate.

MEDIA LITERACY

What is media?
• It refers to all electronic or digital means and print or artistic visuals used to transmit messages
through reading (print media), seeing (visual media), hearing (audio media), or charging and
playing with (Interactive media), or some combinations of each (Lynch, 2018). • Media can be a
component of active learning strategies, such as group discussions or case studies (Mateer and
Ghent).
What is Media Literacy?
● It is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media (Firestone, 1993). ● Media
Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze,
evaluate and create messages in a variety of forms – from print to video to the Internet.
Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential
skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy. It is the
ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms. ● Media
literacy is about helping students become competent, critical and literate in all media forms
so that they control the interpretation of what they see or hear rather than letting the
interpretation control them.
To become media literate is not to memorize facts or statistics about the media, but
rather to learn to raise the right questions about what you are watching, reading or
listening to. Len Masterman, the acclaimed author of Teaching the Media, calls it “critical
autonomy” or the ability to think for oneself.
● Media literacy is the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and use the codes and
conventions of a wide variety of media forms and genres appropriately, healthily,
effectively and ethically.
● Media literacy educators worldwide use frameworks of varying form and sophistication to
scaffold student learning. Without this fundamental ability, an individual cannot have
full dignity as a human person or exercise citizenship in a democratic society where to be a
citizen is to both understand and contribute to the debates of the time. 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.”

Other Meanings / Definitions of Media Literacy

● In Gutenberg’s age and the subsequent modern era, literacy—the ability to read and write
—was a concern not only of educators, but also of politicians, social reformers, and
philosophers. A literate population, many reasoned, would be able to seek out
information, stay informed about the news of the day, communicate effectively, and make
 informed decisions in many spheres of life. Because of this, literate people made better
citizens, parents, and workers. Several centuries later, as global literacy rates continued
to grow, there was a new sense that merely being able to read and write was not
enough. In a media-saturated world, individuals needed to be able to sort through and
analyze the information they were bombarded with every day. In the second half of the
20th century, the skill of being able to decode and process the messages and symbols
transmitted via media was named media literacy.
● According to the nonprofit National Association for Media Literacy Education
(NAMLE), a person who is media literate can access, analyze, evaluate, and
communicate information. Put another way by John Culkin, a pioneering
Advocate for media literacy education, “The new mass media—film, radio,
TV—are new languages, their grammar as yet unknown (Moody, 1993).”
Media literacy seeks to give media consumers the ability to understand this
new language.

● According to the Center for Media Literacy, a leading advocacy organization,

media literacy “provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create,
and participate with messages in a variety of forms—from print to video to the
internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society
as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens
of a democracy.” In other words, media literacy is the ability to apply critical
thinking skills to the messages, signs, and symbols transmitted through mass
media.

Concepts of Media Literacy

Below are eight key concepts of media literacy that can be used to support the understanding
and use of media. Each is accompanied by a brief discussion and questions that might help
teachers operationalize the statements for student discussion. ( Note: These Key Concepts of
Media Literacy are neither finite nor immutable. In fact, a current AML initiative is the re-
examination and potential revision of these statements to support teachers in evolving media
environments.)

1. Media constructs reality

All media are constructions. This is arguably the most important concept. The media do not
simply reflect external reality. Rather, they present carefully crafted constructions that reflect
many decisions and are the result of many determining factors. Media Literacy works towards
deconstructing these constructions (i.e., to taking them apart to show how they are made). It
focuses on how the media represent subsets of real experiences that are made to seem like
accurate representations of life. ( E.g., photographs are realistic, representing objects as seen
from a distance, angle and perspective, but are subsets of reality because they are not three-
dimensional and do not move.)

2. Media constructs version of reality

The media constructs reality. The media are responsible for the majority of the observations and
experiences from which we build up our personal understanding of the world and how it works.
Much of our view of reality is based on media messages that have been reconstructed and have
attitudes, interpretations, and conclusions already built in. Thus the media, to a great extent,
gives us our sense of reality. It means that each message is biased in two ways: reflecting the
biases of its medium and the biases of its creator. A bias of a medium might be a photograph’s
reduction of three to two dimensions and its freezing of one moment in time. A bias of a creator
might be a photographer’s decision to omit an element from a photo or to
photograph it from a high or low angle. These biases combine to influence the ways an
audience makes meaning from the text.

3. Audience negotiate the meaning

Audiences negotiate meaning in the media. If the media provides us with much of the material
upon which we build our picture of reality, each of us finds or “negotiates” meaning according to
individual factors: personal needs and anxieties, the pleasures or troubles of the day, racial and
sexual attitudes, family and cultural background, moral standpoint, and so forth. The audience’s
role in the meaning-making process. Prior knowledge of form and content are critical in the
meaning-making process. Activating content prior knowledge is important because it will
facilitate new information being synthesized with existing information. Activating form prior
knowledge is equally important because it will optimize a consumer’s ability to glean
information from the text.

4. Media has economic implications

Media messages have commercial implications. Media literacy aims to encourage awareness of
how the media are influenced by commercial considerations, and how they impinge on content,
technique, and distribution.” Most media production is a business, and so must make a profit.
Questions of ownership and control are central: a relatively small number of individuals
control what we watch, read and hear in the media. The gradual democratization of media
production technologies has also had a significant impact on the home and the workplace, and
therefore on the education that prepares students for their home and working lives. Where once
students might have learned media production in order to enter a media industry, they
now must learn media production to succeed in almost any job and to enrich their personal
lives. Media production is fast becoming a standard part of many jobs: insurance adjusters must
know how to take high-quality photos of damage, then transmit those photos, with their
interpretations, to the appropriate agencies; sales people must know how to create effective
multi- media presentations to complement their sales meetings and client relations; Even funeral
directors have to know how to scan old photos, edit them, sequence them, and select and add
music to them, produce multimedia presentations that are shown during funeral services, then
distributed to family members afterwards. The important idea in these examples is that the term
‘media industry’ is changing and broadening to become a crucial aspect of
most jobs and personal lives.

5. Media Communicate values messages

Media messages contain ideological and value messages. All media products are advertising in
some sense proclaiming values and ways of life. The mainstream media convey, explicitly or
implicitly, ideological messages about such issues as the nature of the good life and the virtue of
consumerism, the role of women, the acceptance of authority, and unquestioning patriotism.
Dominant and subordinate social groups have become aware of the values that texts
communicate. This is evidenced by the creation of and loyalty to creators that serve subordinate
social groups. Immigrant, Native, female and Trans-gendered, Gay, Lesbian and Bi-sexual
communities have all sought opportunities for self-expression and assertion of
their values through media texts and media communities.

6. Media Communicate Political and Social Messages

Helps students understand that because media messages are shared, discussed and
sometimes emulated, they need to be explored within a sociopolitical context to assess how they
are influencing—or are influenced by—consumers. Political parties are utilizing social networking
and other web resources extensively. Marketers are pursuing potential customers ever more
persistently. People are often making buying and life decisions within virtual social contexts
rather than through face-to-face contacts. It is possible to shop online for books, movies,
appliances, airline tickets etc. and to not only see the ratings provided by commercial ratings
services, but also ratings provided by other consumers. This means that consumers can make
purchasing, and possibly voting, decisions in a social environment comprised of people they
have never met, nor will ever meet, yet with whom they are (temporarily)
working towards common goals. Cyber-bullying is an ongoing preoccupation in many quarters.
Each of these issues can be informed using this key concept.

7. Form and Content are Closely Related in Each Medium

Form and content are closely related in media messages. As Marshall McLuhan noted, each
medium has its own grammar and codifies reality in its own particular way. Different media will
report the same event, but create different impressions and messages. It is particularly
important in the production of media texts because it refers to the fact that the unique codes
and conventions of each medium influence—and are influenced by—the content of the
messages. It is also an important concept because it acknowledges the unique language of
each medium.

8. Each Medium has an Aesthetic Form

Acknowledges the pleasures that media texts provide, either through their entertainment value
or their effectiveness. It may be easier to consider aesthetics in media forms or texts that are
purposefully artistic or entertaining: music, movies, TV shows. It is important, however, to help
students understand and appreciate the aesthetics that might occur in news reports,
advertisements, blogs and podcasts. There can even be aesthetic qualities in their own
assignments. It is unfortunate that this is the last concept, because it is not the least important,
though readers might infer so from its position. Being last, it also is vulnerable to neglect or
omission when time constraints occur. Teachers might choose to begin with this key concept, as
it invites students to discover and share their own pleasures—a good place to start for
affective reasons—and aesthetics can implicate all the other key concepts.

Importance of Social Media Literacy

● It is important to understand that media literacy is not about “protecting” kids from
unwanted messages. Although some groups urge families to just turn the TV off, the fact
 is, media are so ingrained in our cultural milieu that even if you turn off the set, you still
cannot escape today’s media culture. Media no longer just influences our culture. They
are our culture.

● Culkin called the pervasiveness of media “the unnoticed fact of our present,”
noting that media information was as omnipresent and easy to overlook as the
air we breathe (and, he noted, “some would add that it is just as polluted”)
(Moody, 1993).
● Our exposure to media starts early—a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation
found that 68 percent of children ages 2 and younger spend an average of 2
hours in front of a screen (either computer or television) each day, while
children under 6 spend as much time in front of a screen as they do play
outside (Lewin). U.S. teenagers are spending an average of 7.5 hours with
media daily, nearly as long as they spend in school. Media literacy isn’t
merely a skill for young people, however. Today’s Americans get much of
their information from various media sources—but not all that information is
created equal. One crucial role of media literacy education is to enable us to
skeptically examine the often-conflicting media messages we receive every
day.

Roles of Media Literacy

It becomes easy to create media, however, it is difficult to know the creator of

this, his/her reason, and its credibility. Specifically, it helps individuals to:
1. Learn to think critically. When people evaluate media, they decide if the messages make
sense, including the key ideas before being convinced of the information that they get from it.
2. Become a smart consumer of products and information. Media literacy helps individuals
learn how to determine whether something is credible, especially the advertising before they can
be persuaded with the products on sale.
3. Recognize point of view. Identifying an author’s perspective helps individuals appreciate
different ideas in the context of what they already know.
4. Create media responsibly. Recognizing one’s ideas and appropriately expressing one’s
thoughts lead to effective communication.
5. Identifying the role of media in our culture. Media conveys something, shapes
understanding of the world, and makes an individual act or think in certain ways. 6. Understand
the author’s goal. Understanding and recognizing the type of influence something has,
people can make better choices.

Media Literacy

Is the ability to identify different types of media and understand the messages they
communicating, including who is the intended audience and what is the motivation behind the
message
Digital/Cyber Literacy

► Is a subset of media literacy; the ability to locate, evaluate, create, and communicate
information on various digital platforms.
► This includes the ability to verify information as factual as well as identify and avoid
communication with deceitful, malicious, and exploitative content

Information Literacy

► Is a subset of media literacy

► It is the ability to locate, access, and evaluate information from a variety of media sources.
Of utmost importance to both literacies (media and digital) is the ability to analyze and think
critically about what is being communicated.

This means making value judgments about the message (i.e. identifying truth from falsehood,
right from wrong, etc.), and goes beyond simply comprehending what is being said.

Despite the challenges posed by the broad and fluid nature of media (and therefore digital),
educators in the Philippines can spearhead literacy efforts by doubling-down on those concepts
and principles of Media Literacy that are of utmost importance, namely, critical thinking and the
grounding of critical thought in a moral framework.

Challenges to Digital Literacy Education

► Teach media and digital literacy integrally
► Master your subject matter
► Think “multidisciplinary”
► Explore motivations, not just messages
► Leverage skills that students already have

Integrate Digital/Cyber Literacy into the Curriculum

► Allow students to maintain blogs, wikis, web pages related to their learning
► Engage in email/video chat exchanges with students

► Utilize storytelling media to allow students to create and publish stories

► Engage students in discussions about how and why various media work well to showcase
learning and why others do not
► Require e-portfolio that would compile their outputs, projects, messages and
photo-documents of group activities and investigations online
► Allow students to use digital tools, such as mobile phones, Ipad and netbooks for google
search, dictionary apps, YouTube, Podcast and Spotify applications in class to
complement their learning, especially during group works and concept reporting