What is Media Literacy?
Media literacy is “the ability to identify different types of media and understand the messages they’re sending.”
Online content is created for a variety of reasons, and media literacy helps us understand how those reasons might impact the factual content of the information.
Media literacy helps kids learn to think critically, become smart consumers of products and information, recognize and identify biased information, create responsible media, identify the role of media in our culture, and understand the author’s goal.
Why is it important to understand Media Literacy?
“The digital age has made it easy for anyone to create media. We don’t always know who created something, why they made it, and whether it’s credible. This makes media literacy tricky to learn and teach. Nonetheless, media literacy is an essential skill in the digital age.”
How to Spot Fake News – Webwise Checklist
More Videos
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/video/advice/news-and-media-literacy
Supporting Articles
How to Spot Fake News (and Teach Kids to Be Media-Savvy)
How to Help Kids Sort Fact from Fiction About the Coronavirus
Our New Research Shows Where Kids Get Their News and How They Feel About It
Sources
What is media literacy, and Why is it important?, Common Sense Media, 2020, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/news-and-media-literacy/what-is-media-literacy-and-why-is-it-important
“How to Spot Fake News.” Webwise, Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre, 2020.
Filucci, Sierra. How to Spot Fake News (and Teach Kids to Be Media-Savvy), Common Sense Media, March 16, 2020, www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-spot-fake-news-and-teach-kids-to-be-media-savvy
Filucci, Sierra. How to Help Kids Sort Fact from Fiction About the Coronavirus, Common Sense Media, March 25, 2020, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-help-kids-sort-fact-from-fiction-about-the-coronavirus
Elgersma, Christine. News Media 101, Common Sense Media, March 12, 2020, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/news-literacy-101
Robb, Michael. Our New Research Shows Where Kids Get Their News and How They Feel About It. Common Sense Media, March 12, 2017, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/our-new-research-shows-where-kids-get-their-news-and-how-they-feel-about-it