Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Media Literacy in a Media Driven World



I recently read a really good book called Master the Media by Julie Smith.  In her book she talks about all the different kinds of media from the basics of TV, radio and newspaper (that seem to be not nearly as popular) to social media and the internet.

I guess I am (along with probably a few others) one that remembers radio, TV and newspaper as being the only "trusted" source of news and information years ago.  The proliferation of all of the new sources of news available today sometimes seems to put me in overload.  One of the things I've noticed is news today is much more sound bite oriented than it used to be.  We have become a society and culture where that is all we seem to have time for.  Going wide and never digging deep doesn't give you the full story, nor do you often see the slant or bias the media source puts on the information and who the news source is serving.  The author does a nice job of dissecting each of the different media sources, both good and bad and helps the reader understand the implications and effects of them.

This is a great book for teachers to use in their classrooms as well as for parents at home.  I don't often recommend books to parents, however this one I did because I think it is important for kids today today to be "media smart" in a time where there is so much being put out there and the line between reality and fiction continues to blur.  It is our responsibility as educators and adults to make sure our kids understand and are able to "master the media".

For more information you can follow the author Julie Smith on Twitter at @julnilsmith or #medialiteracy

What are your thoughts?  Feel free to share.