Media Literacy and Competency

Media Competencies

Media expert, Renee Hobbs, has coined 5 core competencies that students need to have to be proficient in digital and media literacy. They are as follows:

1. Access: involves finding and sharing appropriate and relevant information using media texts and technology tools. 
2. Analyze: involves using critical thinking skills to analyze purpose, audience, and credibility (among other things) of the media that is consumed.
3. Create: involves learning to be effective content creators
   
4. Reflect: involves reflecting on how media and technology impact day to day life.
5. Act: involves participating in local or global communities.

 

Image Source: Renee Hobbs via Twitter

Is the Medium in the Message?

The phrase "the medium is the message" was coined by famous Canadian professor, Marshall McLuhan. His theory argues that the medium in which something is presented should be regarded as more important as the message itself. This idea was heavily portrayed in the famous presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. The debate was presented to audiences through broadcasts on national television and the radio-- those who watched the debate on TV believed that Kennedy won the debate, while those who listened to the debate on the radio believed that Nixon had won. While the content was the same, the media was different, and thus it was interpreted differently. 

I feel that this idea can tie in with Hobbs's third competency, Analyze, and fourth competency, Reflect. These competencies require individuals to analyze and reflect on media that is consumed; in analyzing and reflecting, people must consider not only the content that they consumed, but also the manner in which it was presented. For example, if two people were reading about the same topic, but one person got their information from a platform like Facebook and the other got their information from a platform like Twitter, their opinions could differ; Twitter limits posts to 280 characters, so the message could come across differently because of the constraints of the platform.

Classroom Applications

Why are Hobbs's competencies relevant today? Simply put, students today must be both functionally and digitally literate in order to adequately participate as a 21st century learner. In an interview printed by Society for Media Psychology & Technology, Dr. Hobbs is quoted as saying that "digital and media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy". Without being competent in these 5 core areas, teachers and students alike cannot truly consider themselves fully literate. Luckily, as students and teachers strive to be lifelong learners, they can acquire these concepts over time. 

As many districts are one-to-one with devices for students to use throughout the school day, I feel that acquiring these competencies should be something that can be easily integrated into instruction. For example, I feel that the majority of the ideas discussed in the five competencies go hand in hand with various Common Core Standards for both ELA and Social Studies; giving students opportunities to practice skills outlined in the various competencies, such as researching, assessing a source's credibility/validity, and creating media for others to consume is likely already happening in many classrooms. In teaching 21st century learners, teachers need to be mindful of using 21st century practices to create digitally competent individuals!

Protecting Students Online

Internet Privacy Laws

There are several laws that exist to protect student privacy and data on the internet. As teachers, it is important that we understand these laws so that we can ensure that our students are safe when using the internet. The main laws that protect student privacy are CIPA and COPPA.

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a law that protects children's access to harmful things on the internet. Under this law, libraries and schools must use web filters, monitors, and other security measures to protect children from inappropriate content. According to the Prey Project, to be in compliance with CIPA, schools and libraries must meet the following requirements to be eligible for discounts on internet access (e-rate discounts):

• Must show proof of an internet safety policy.
• Must publicize internet compliance policies.
• Must hold one public meeting to discuss internet safety policy.  

Image Source: NuEDUSEC

Similar to CIPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) protects the data of students under 13 years old when they use websites, apps, and social media platforms. This law applies to all online applications and websites that may be accessed by people younger than 13, including those accessed for educational purposes. For those people under 13 that want to use certain platforms, parent permission must be obtained. Since this law directly relates to how schools approach students using online platforms, it is vital that staff understand this law and ways to stay in compliance to protect student data. Schools should focus on the following measures to remain COPPA compliant, as outlined by Infosec in their article "How To Comply with COPPA":

• Determine if the websites used in the classroom are COPPA compliant.
• Post a COPPA-compliant privacy policy. 
• Obtain parental consent and notify parents about information-collecting practices. Honor parents' rights in respect to their child's information.
• Implement sound security procedures to protect information. 

Image Source: Termly

Concerns about CIPA and COPPA

Does COPPA encourage kids to lie? No, not intentionally. However, I do believe that it encourages people under 13 to find other ways to access information or age-inappropriate platforms. For example, many of my 3rd grade students are on TikTok. When I asked them how they were able to get on the app because they were too young, one said to me "well, all you have to do is click the box!". Clearly, they do not understand what they are agreeing to or confirming when signing up for social media platforms, nor do parents read through the agreements and policies before letting their kids on to the platforms (and that is if the students are even seeking parent permission!). 

While CIPA and COPPA are important laws for the protection of minors on the internet, I feel that there is more that can be done to make these laws more effective. First, I feel that the proper age that these laws should target should be older than 13 years old. Research shows that the brain doesn't fully develop until the mid-twenties; in the teenage years, I feel that students still do not have a full understanding of the lasting impact that their decisions can have. Therefore, I propose that the age for COPPA be increased to 16 years old. Having protections for students extended until they are closer to legal adulthood may prevent issues that are occuring as a result of poor judgement or lack of knowledge about the internet in the teenage years!

Furthermore, I feel that we as teachers do our students and families an incredible disservice if we neglect to fully teach them about digital literacy and digital citizenship. The requirement of holding "one public meeting to discuss internet safety policy" to be in compliance with CIPA is simply not enough. I feel that CIPA should mandate digital citizenship curriculum for all students grade K-12; there are so many topics that need to be fully investigated to help students maintain safety and security as they navigate the digital world. Technology will only continue to grow and become more present, so it's only right that we do our part (with parents carrying the lessons through at home) to help produce students who are knowledgable about their rights as digital citizens.

Mining for Gold: Data Mining and Digital Tattoos

Digital Tattoos 

Digital footprints are records of your online activity. As these records are things that can never really go away, I think a more accurate term would be digital tattoo. This video from Common Sense Education outlines the importance of being mindful about what you do while on the internet and thinking about what kind of digital footprint/tattoo you want to create for yourself.  

Image Source: SafeSitter

Growing up with technology being used more widely in schools, I remember adults in my life constantly warning myself and my friends about being mindful about safe searching and surfing the internet. Particularly in middle school, the phrase "once you put it out there, you can never get it back" was being thrown at us in regards to posting on social media. I remember thinking to myself, "what's the big deal?"; I was just a kid and didn't think that what I posted mattered. That lesson came back to bite me and, I believe, had a large impact on why I'm so private on social media now as an adult. While I am private while using the internet, I was sure that there was still some sort of information about me somewhere, so I decided to do some detective work and investigate.

Data Mining My Life 

As a person who has several tattoos, I remember being very careful and thoughtful when deciding on the "what" and "where" of getting ink. As both of my tattoos are in more "hidden" spots, so too is my digital tattoo-- or so I thought. Through engaging in some data mining about myself, I found out that a lot of my information is out there on various websites, ready for the taking! 

To conduct this data dive on myself, I started with different people searching websites, like as Radaris, Nuwber, and Spezify. While I didn't find anything about myself on Nuwber and Spezify, Radaris had information containing my full name and people who were potential relatives of me. I wanted to go a little deeper on what personal information could be out there, so I also decided to check out True People Search-- the floodgates broke right open! This site had almost every piece of personal information on me from my age and birth month/year to my current and previous addresses. It even somehow knew my childhood phone number and had a list of known associates that included the majority of my aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides! This was right about the point where I started to get a little unsettled. I finished up my short data dive by searching my name via Google on both the Safari and Chrome browsers to see if I would get any different information. The top result on both Safari and Chrome's Google pages was my Teacher Page with my name, picture, job title, and professional contact information. Additionally, Google on the Chrome browser showed me different pictures and articles from when I was a high school and collegiate athlete, while Google on the Safari browser brought up my Instagram account and Facebook accounts of other people who are also named Kelly Barker. 

Image Source: Just Total Tech

While going through this process was very informative and eye-opening, it also caused me a lot of anxiety. I have always tried to protect my privacy online because it makes me feel more secure to browse the internet inconspicuously. It's unsettling to know that some of my private information is out there without my permission!

Student Impact

So, what does this all mean for our students? How can we prepare them and educate them to be cognizant of their digital tattoos? The short answer is teaching digital literacy and etiquette. Finding resources from reputable sites like Common Sense Education and taking time to teach about Digital Citizenship can go a long way. Maybe consider starting with this video on social media oversharing and your digital footprint! Unless we take the time to have these conversations with our students and educate them on why it is important now and long-term, they won't fully understand the importance of monitoring their online presence. Rather than having them learn the hard way (like many of us did growing up and experimenting with technology), we need to be giving them the tools to use the internet and social media safely so that they can lead successful digital lives.

Lock and Key

Our Digital World

Growing up, there were few times in my life where I don't remember some sort of technology being present. One of my earliest memories of using technology was probably around 4 or 5 years old; when I would get my "technology time" on our old Dell computer, my mom would sit next to me, help boot up the CD-ROM for "Disney Princess Magical Dress Up", and watch as I created different dress designs to print and hang up in my room. When I was older, I was allowed to explore different age-appropriate websites after a lengthy talk about how I needed to ask permission to visit the websites before doing so. Such websites included the Disney Channel games website, as well as Webkinz and Club Penguin. By the time I was in my early teens, I was itching to get my own Facebook like all of the other "cool" kids who were in my class. Imagine my frustration when I was told no, over and over again! My mom didn't like the idea of me being able to post anything and everything for people to see and I was too naive to understand why. Now that I'm much older, I fully understand her concerns-- the internet is a scary and unpredictable place that can be dangerous if you're not careful.

Image Source: Internet Society

Internet Safety

Have you ever heard the phrase "the only constant is change"? This statement holds true for the state of the internet. From the early 2000s until now, the internet has exploded with different technologies that have changed the way we interact with the world around us. As the platform evolves, so should security. However, it seems as though hackers always seem to be one step ahead. Especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime seems to be on the rise, particularly in schools. This interactive map visualizes the number of cybersecurity incidents in schools across the United States since 2016. While I expected the number of incidents to be higher than the 1,331 reported problems, I suppose that a number that "low" in comparison to the number of schools across the United States should give me some hope. When looking at the reported cases in the areas around my school district, I was surprised to see that there were two attacks that occurred in a neighboring district in 2020, involving ransomware that exposed student and teacher information. There were also incidents in other Illinois districts that were E-learning in 2020 and 2021 where hackers were targeting Zoom meetings in a variety of ways. 

I suppose it can happen to anyone if you're not paying attention! Earlier this year, my school also experienced a data breach because a student somehow got access to the master list of student usernames and passwords; every student in grades 2 through 5 had to change their passwords because of this situation. 

Image Source: Elmhurst University

Acceptable Use Policies in Schools

Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) are documents that outline rules for how members of a particular organization should use technology; members must agree to the AUP in order to have access to the organization's systems and technology. AUPs are created with the safety of the organization in mind, so it is important that they are read and understood to protect everyone involved. In schools, AUPs are agreements that all staff and students must follow to safely use school technology and safely access the internet. 

If the goal is for an AUP to be followed by both staff and students, it needs to be written in a way that is easy to understand and follow. I'm sure that this is a challenge that most districts face- what does our AUP actually mean and require us to do? In this article, authors outline that there are six essential components to a successful AUP:

• Introduction: Why the policy is needed, goals, and an explanation of the process for creating this AUP.
• Definitions: Key words used in the AUP.
• Policy Statement: Explains which computer services are covered by the AUP and the circumstances students can use those services (i.e. students must complete a “computer responsibility” course before accessing these services).
• Acceptable Uses: Define appropriate student use of the computer, such as “educational purposes”.
• Unacceptable Uses: Gives clear, specific examples of what constitutes unacceptable use.
• Violations/Sanctions: Tells students how to report AUP violations and defines how violations will be handled (typically the same as the school’s general student disciplinary code).

Yet, the question still remains: even if staff understand the complex language of an AUP, how can we expect students to follow the policy if they don't understand what it means? Boston Public Schools saw this as such an issue that they created their own student-friendly version of their Acceptable Use Policy. In it, there are 10 standards that students must meet when using school technology and when using the internet. The policy is focused around student responsibility, with an equal focus on what students should and should not do. This is powerful because students must see that they are the ones responsible for their actions and the potential consequences of their actions when online.

My District's AUP

When reviewing my district's AUP, I found myself spending a lot of energy trying to comprehend all of the jargon present in the policy. The AUP itself was organized nicely into sections, with the purpose of each section explained in detail. The AUP also included definitions of key terms, such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) programs. When discussing both teacher and student conduct when using technology and internet access, I feel that it focused primarily on what should not be done, rather than behaviors or examples that should be followed. To improve my district's AUP, I feel that it would be important to draft a version that is more student-friendly; since we are one-to-one with devices from Grade K-8, the rules students and families agree to have to be written in a way that is easy to understand; this would also be beneficial to our families that are English Language Learners. In addition to making the language more student-friendly, I feel that the document should be restructured to reflect the policies of a Responsible Use Policy, following in the footsteps of the Boston Public School District. Teaching students from the beginning that they are responsible for their actions in the real world and the virtual world is imperative; technology will only continue to increase in importance in students lives, so we must teach them how to use it in a responsible and safe manner.