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!