Digital Literacy Training Program for Canadian Educators
MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit centre for digital and media literacy. Our vision is to ensure that young people have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens.
message boards Chat rooms interactivity E-zines Camera cell phones In Kids the learn digital new media technologies environment, effortlessly, kids have multi-tasking access to through information a complex mix and of entertainment sound, graphics, from text around and the images. world. They have become managers, creators and distributors of information. BLOGS Instant messaging Webcams MP3s email Multi-player videogame s Text messaging The Web Personal Web sites
Many students feel that when they come into school they have to power down to fit into an environment that offers fewer options for learning than are available in the life they live outside of the school. This can erode students perceptions of the relevance of education as they experience it in many schools today. What if: Technology in the 21st Century Classroom
Young people need to develop knowledge, values, critical thinking, communication and information management skills.
WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY? MEDIA LITERACY IS the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and produce media the process of becoming active, rather than passive, consumers of media
WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY?/ KEY CONCEPTS KEY CONCEPTS Media are constructions Audiences negotiate meaning Media have commercial implications Media have social and political implications Each medium has a unique aesthetic form
WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY? MEDIA LITERACY 101
1 WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY THE MEDIA LITERACY SPECTRUM DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE Specific media and genres, production techniques, commercial pressures, industry codes, etc. CRITICAL THINKING Who benefits? Who is shown and who isn t? What attitudes and assumptions did the creators have?
WHAT IS DIGITAL LITERACY? Digital literacy = media literacy plus
2 WHAT IS DIGITAL LITERACY NETWORKED INTERACTIVITY DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE CRITICAL THINKING
WHAT IS DIGITAL LITERACY?/ KEY CONCEPTS KEY CONCEPTS Digital media are networked Digital media are persistent and shareable Digital media have unexpected audiences What happens via digital media is real, but doesn t always feel real Digital media experiences are influenced by the architecture of the platforms
DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED There are no one-way connections in digital media. Follow enough links, and everything and everyone is connected to everyone else
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED Traditional media:
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED Digital media:
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED SAMPLE ACTIVITY: AUTHENTICATING VIRAL VIDEOS GRADE LEVEL: 9-12 CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: English/Media Studies Information & Communications Tech Journalism Social Studies/Social Science World Issues and Civics
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED WHICH ARE FAKE? WHICH ARE REAL? HOW DO YOU KNOW?
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED REAL
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED FAKE
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED FAKE
1 DIGITAL MEDIA ARE NETWORKED REAL
DIGITAL MEDIA ARE PERSISTENT AND SHAREABLE Everything that is transmitted by digital networks is stored somewhere and can be searched for and indexed. It can also be copied, shared and spread.
DIGITAL MEDIA HAVE UNEXPECTED AUDIENCES What you share online may be seen by people you didn t intend or expect to see it including audiences you don t know about.
WHAT HAPPENS VIA DIGITAL MEDIA IS REAL, BUT DOESN T ALWAYS FEEL REAL We respond to things online as though we were really there, but the cues that tell us how people feel are absent.
DIGITAL MEDIA EXPERIENCES ARE INFLUENCED BY THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE PLATFORMS Digital platforms reflect the biases and beliefs of their creators, which affects our experiences and behaviours when we re using them.
GETTING STARTED
OPPORTUNITIES The networked nature of digital media means find Students can information more quickly and easily access Students can the world outside the classroom
OPPORTUNITIES The shareable nature of digital media means publish Students can their work for wider audiences collaborate Students can inside and outside the classroom
OPPORTUNITIES The reality of digital media means Students can as full digital citizens participate contribute Students can to online communities access Students can expert advice, mentorship and feedback