Our babies are raised in a world where they have access to media and technology before they even celebrate their first birthdays. Babies who are “bathed in bits [of technology] from birth” (Trilling, 2012) develop quickly into humans who are fluent in the use of technology and who use that technology daily. That being said, we cannot simply allow these tech savvy humans to dive into the world of media and technology to read, view and curate blindly, without developing their critical thinking skills and their ability to assess what they are seeing or what they are doing. This notion applies to people from all generations who surround these savvy humans as well. When we educate all, the fear of technology and media decreases and the ability to use technologies for greater learning purposes increases.
Trust me, as an educator and a parent I have experienced all the feelings and the fears behind my learners’ and my children’s use of technology and would, at times, rather it did not exist or to simply choose to not to use it in my spaces. I see my kindergarteners making youtube videos of who knows what and I wonder if they even know the possible consequences of posting these videos or the actual reason behind posting it. I see the content that can appear when we don’t apply the right security measures. I have heard parents talk about gorey video games and the fear of a potential predator entering the game. I have worried about how my son and daughter might think of themselves when they view certain media; Should I look like that? Am I beautiful/strong enough? Am I smart enough? Am I enough? I also worry about if they will view/use/post images that might harm them in the present or in their future. These fears are legitimate and worth thinking about. However, they are not worth discounting all the beneficial uses of tech and media. In the following paragraph, I will share an account of what changed my fear of false/skewed information into an opportunity to teach. An opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, abilities to make sound judgement, and an understanding of potential consequences when reading, viewing and posting media.
One day in the computer lab, we were using a safe site to search for interesting animals which lived in the countries we originated from. Two of the students working on England were ecstatic to learn that there was a signing fish that originated there. These students immediately began sharing this detail with the rest of the class and wrote it down on their information sheet. When I heard the conversation, I felt the need to add to it. “Wait a minute, a signing fish? Do we all think this is true? Why/Why not? How can we find out? Can we find other sources to support/disprove this? This fish does not, in fact, exist, but my class certainly wanted it to and believed it did. I was shocked by how my students would simply absorb and believe that this information was true from one source. This moment truly helped me better understand my fears behind my children’s and learners’ use of technology and media viewing/ sharing. It made me realize that it is not solely the technology or the media creating the problem, it is the lack of instruction and skills behind the use that is the culprit. This is where media literacy steps in.
Being media literate is one’s ability to recognize different forms of media such as TV, internet, newspapers or radio, and comprehend the messages they’re conveying. It is, “asking questions about every message. Who is the sender? What is their motive or intent? How is it created? Who profits? What information is left out? Who is the target audience? [It is the] constant critical questioning of media” (Smith, 2020). It is imperative for potential users and producers of media to develop media literacy skills, so that they are as informed as possible and are presenting the most factual and unbiased information possible. If users can ask the right questions, they can confirm the accuracy of the information they are receiving through the media and make their own judgments if something is reliable or safe. If children and students can assess media for safety and reliability, media and technology will become less feared because the onus lies on the capable user, rather than the media itself. The user then holds the power and the autonomy to make an informed choice. If I teach my children how to analyze the media presented to them, I will trust that they will be able to decipher between someone selling a product and fact. From there I will trust that they will be able to make educated/objective decisions behind their next actions/choices. We cannot avoid or escape the presence of the media because it is ever present in our lives. Therefore we need to become literate in it, rather than avoid it or wish it never existed.
Media is all around us and we present it continuously to our friends, family and colleagues through our PLN. If we make sure to critically analyze information as it comes in and before we present it ourselves, we ensure that the information we present is unbiased. The more perspectives one’s PLN takes on, the more objective they become. Therefore, having multiple perspectives enhances inclusion in your PLN. Smith mentions how she reads both the National Review and the Atlantic review which hold differing views and that she does not always agree with all that is in either. She takes bits and pieces of it all to make her own informed decisions so that she can come across as well rounded (Smith, 2020). Not only do we need to see both sides like Smith, we sometimes have to “put ourselves in uncomfortable exposures to make sure that we don’t live in an echo chamber of affirmation” (Miller, 2020). That means getting out of the mindset that we need to be affirmed in everything. It means embracing challenging ideas and difficult conversations because it is not always about giving people what they want, rather, it is about giving them what is right or what is fact. I know we all want to think the singing fish is real, but that does not help us in the long run. We need to know the truth so that we can be informed on how the media can affect our culture and so that we can make informed judgement calls and share information responsibly. We need to know the truth so we can recognize other points of view and so that we can slow down the cycle of biased information sharing. When we are informed we know the truth and the truth will break down the impossible expectations and skewed information that the media can present. Once you break down those walls, we are given the gift of objectivity and the ability to vote, curate and choose responsibly/respectfully.
When I think of it, media literacy is like a super power that I want to give my children, my learners and myself. Media literacy is the power to see media as it is, a source of information that can be manipulated to influence human behaviour in order to make a profit or swing a judgement. It is the power to realize that we are in control of what we put out there and what we choose to take in. With this power, we can provide others with facts and become analytic, educated and contributing members of society who can make sound judgment calls and who can understand the potential future consequences of using certain media for themselves, others and for society as a whole.
Citation:
EDCI 338 (2020, Nov 1). A01 Smith, Julie [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T9RghwJlI&feature=youtu.be
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2012). Digital Literacy Skills. In 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Jayne, Once again your blog is soo good. I love the comparison of a super power to media Literacy! Embracing challenging ideas and having difficult conversations with people is so much more than just telling people what they want to hear. I think this confidence only comes from experience and it should be something that everyone strives to do.
As always, you did a good job in your blog post. I enjoyed reading your work not only because I find it relatable but also because you were able to tackle the issues extensively. With regard to the fear of using media, I would say that the parent and educator’s paranoia is valid because people are afraid of things that they are not familiar with. I believe that the best solution to this fear is to make the parents and educators familiar on the positive uses of media. If parents and educators are well aware of the positive and negative sides of media, they would not fear media but instead, they would come up with different strategies to lessen or prevent the negative effects of media.