Our daily lives are filled with exposure to different media. We are bombarded with movies, video games, commercials, internet, television, social media.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget how much media can influence our thoughts and our behaviours. That makes media literacy an increasingly important life skill.
That’s why, for the past six years, a whole week is set aside to help us focus on media literacy. The Canadian Teachers’ Federation partners with the Media Awareness Network to promote Media Literacy Week – this year from October 31-November 4.
Media literacy is having the skills to critically understand the nature, techniques and impacts of media messages and productions. For example, media literacy helps you to recognize gender and racial stereotyping, distorted ideas about body image, and cyber bullying.
Did you know that the purpose of online contests and surveys is often to collect your personal information? Did you know that there can be a very fine line between television programs and advertisements that target very young children? Are you aware that recent research shows that social media can be a lifeline for many teens and that “the vast majority of kids are doing the right things when it comes to social media”?
No matter our age, we love media. So it’s up to all of us to celebrate and champion media education. You can start at Media Smarts, Canada’s centre for media and digital literacy. You’ll find great videos and plenty of resources for parents and teachers. Check it out.
-- Katie Randall
