Digital Media Literacy

 This morning's TMC session began with a review of thinking on digital media literacy.  Matthew Johnson of MediaSmarts talked a bit about how we got to the present and made a call for a national strategy for prioritizing and teaching digital media literacy.  There is work being done at a national level but there was a recognition that little is known about how digital media literacy is being taught in schools and what approaches were most effective.  He identified some best practices, specifically this education must include repeated experience making media, it must blend practical and critical approaches, it must start early and must be consistent rather than simply addressing issues when current event demand it.  There is a danger of backlash as there is with any of our teaching.  Preaching and converting students to our perspective is as likely to cause harm as it is in other subjects.  Encouraging students to form their own views and learn tools to effectively reflect on the information that they are being exposed to will make them more educated and self-reliant in their information consumption.

Anita then took us through an activity to work with the ideas of access, use, understand, engage as t relates to digital media literacy.