Right now, you’re reading an article. That’s one type of media. Other examples are books, video games, TV shows, and movies. They use text, pictures, and sounds to send a message.
Media teaches us about our world. But there’s a lot of information out there. How can we make sense of it all? That’s what media literacy is about.
A group called MediaSmarts created Media Literacy Week in 2006. It’s based in Canada. A U.S. group formed a similar event. The National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) created Media Literacy Week in 2015. Both countries celebrate Media Literacy Week October 23–27.
But what is “media literacy?” NAMLE calls it “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication.”
Donnell Probst works at NAMLE. “We must learn how to ask questions to understand information,” she said. Probst listed questions you might ask about a piece of media. “What is this information trying to get me to do or think? Is this message harmful?” She added: “Being media is our defense against .”
To teach media literacy, NAMLE made a group of monsters! They are the Giant, Scary Share-y, and the Gobblin’ Goblin.
The Gullible Giant doesn’t think about media. Being gullible may seem harmless. But believing misinformation can put you at risk. You might fall for a scam. Then you could lose money!
Scary Share-y spreads stories all over the internet! The monster has one eye. That’s because it only glances at content before sending it out. It might not seem like a big deal. But sharing misinformation can be harmful. It could hurt someone’s feelings. Think before you share!
The Gobblin’ Goblin has two staring eyes. This monster is always looking at the screen. It gobbles up all the media it can. The goblin reminds us to take screentime breaks!
Probst added a final tip. She said: “Ask questions about ALL media you consume!”
Updated October 20, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
