Why Media Literacy is Not Just for Kids | Edutopia - 0 views
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The solutions Hobbs outlines are worth considering at the local level, as well. Is your school ready to think critically about the learning potential of social networks, games, and other popular media that many students use only outside of school? What is your community doing to close the digital divide for underserved groups such as juvenile offenders, recent immigrants, or the elderly? Are you making effective use of local technology resources -- or do you even know where to find them?
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Your students may be able to update their Facebook status in a heartbeat, but can they also write a thoughtful letter to the editor, voice their opinion on a call-in radio show, or access local media to advocate for community action? How well would parents or teachers in your community do at those tasks? In Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action, media literacy expert Renee Hobbs makes a strong case for deepening digital literacy -- not only for youth but for Americans of all ages. Improving our digital and media literacy will require nothing less than a national community education effort, Hobbs argues in a position paper recently published by the Aspen Institute and Knight Foundation. Sorting through the flood of information most of us encounter daily requires new knowledge and critical-thinking skills, she says.
