10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 1/11

Print book

Unit 1 Study Materials

Unit 1 Study Materials

Site: e­Lab CoursesCourse: Open Access: UNESCO and AU's Media and Information Literacy CourseBook: Unit 1 Study MaterialsDate: Thursday, 1 October 2015, 12:49 PM MDT

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 2/11

Table of contentsUnit 1 – Media and Information Literacy (MIL): An Introduction

What do we mean by Media?What do we mean by Information?What do we mean by Literacy?

Electronic Resources

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 3/11

Unit 1 – Media and Information Literacy(MIL): An Introduction

Introduction

Communication has always been central to human existence. In prehistoric times, people spoke byimitating birdsong, scratched information on walls, horns, stones, and shells, and sent messages bybeating on drums, bells and gongs. As time went by, humans developed sophisticated oralcommunication through speech, song, oratory, and verse. Writing implements and symbolicsystems became more complex, resulting in manuscript and print cultures. Transmissiontechnologies like the telegraph, telephone, underwater cable, radio, and satellite, and the internetwhisked messages around the world in record time. The image technologies of the camera, filmand television added a vibrant, visual component to human communication. Most recently digitaland nano­technologies have delivered previously unimagined communication tools into the handsof everyone, even small children.

Most of these technological advances have occurred with the last century, indeed many within thelast twenty years. The changes in information and communication technologies (ICT) have been sofast and unevenly distributed that some people are faced with more and more information everyday, while others are still starved for information. Yet, the societies in which we live today aredriven by information and knowledge.

Those who have access to media and ICTs cannot escapethe role they play in our personal, economic, political andsocial lives. Together, the number of television and radiostations, newspapers and magazines, mobile phones,internet sites and social networks, books, libraries,arhcives, billboards, and video games determine much ofwhat we learn about ourselves and the world around us.

Media and other information providers are central todemocracy, cultural dialogue and good governance, bothas a way to promote democratic debates and diversity andas providers of information and knowledge. However,information providers such as public broadcasters,libraries and archives often suffer from controls andlimitations placed on them by government. Mass mediaand other information providers are often commercializedand can contribute to stereotypes, discrimination,misinformation, and exclusion of certain social groups and opinions from public debate.

If the media are to support democracy, citizens need to understand how to use them critically: thatis, how to interpret the information they receive ­­ including the media’s use of metaphor andirony. Media consumers need to understand how stories and events are framed to suggest certainmeanings. As citizens, people need specific competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) toengage with the media. The ultimate goal is for citizens to be active participants in politicalprocesses and governance, in large part by making effective use of the resources provided bymedia, libraries, archives and other information providers.

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 4/11

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) offers the necessary set of competencies for citizens tonegotiate the complex web of media messages and information sources now available to them.

This course is built on three pillars: critical thinking, self­expression and participation. This unitwill consider the relatively new concept of MIL, asking such questions as these:

*What is information? *What are the media? *Why learn about them? *What is their importance? *What is media literacy? *What is information literacy? *What is media and information literacy?

Let’s start with a simple exercise. Without doing any research or reading, write down what youthink MIL is all about. Make sure to save or keep your definition of MIL in your notes forreference as you go through the course.

When you work on your definition, consider the individual words in the concept separately: 1)media, 2) information, and 3) literacy.

What do we mean by Media?What do we mean by Information?What do we mean by Literacy?

Media literacy (ML) and information literacy (IL) are part of one another. They have differencesand similarities, but they overlap in many areas. Together, they include all the skills, knowledgeand abilities that we think of when we think of library literacy, news literacy, digital literacy,computer literacy, Internet literacy, freedom of expression and freedom of information literacy,television literacy, advertising literacy, cinema literacy, and games literacy.

After having read the three sections of Unit 1 listed above, take a few minutes to look at some ofthe definitions provided in this unit for these concepts. Now compare the definitions that you wroteearlier with the definitions of the list. Are your definitions close to one or more on the list?

You are not required to memorize definitions. However, it is crucial that you understand whatmedia and information literate people should know (knowledge) and be able to do (skills) as wellas the attitude they should have towards information, media and technology. The list belowsummarizes the competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of media and information literacy.

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 5/11

Media and information literate people should be able to:

a) Understand why media and other information providers are important to development anddemocratic societies;

b) Know what media and other information providers should do to support development anddemocracy;

c) Recognise a need for information;

d) Locate and access information needed;

e) Carefully evaluate or judge information and the content of media and other informationproviders;

f) Organise information;

g) Use and share information based on moral principles or accepted standards of socialbehaviour;

h) Use information and communication technology skills to access, produce and shareinformation and media content;

i) Interact with media and other information providers to freely express themselves, share theirculture and learn about other cultures, and participate in democratic and developmentactivities.

We hope that you will have acquired these by the end of the course.

Suggested Activity

Take some time now to think about your own goals for the course and write down for yourself a plan forcreating a journal that will document what you have learned, and how you might blog on theinternet.

a. Your Goals should include the things you want to know and be able to do once you havecompleted the course. You can have as many goals as you like. They belong to you and shouldhelp you in reflecting back on your experience in the course. The goals should place you as anactive learner and might look like the following statement: “By the end of the course, I want toknow about the connection between freedom of expression and women’s rights,” or “By the end ofthe course, I want to feel comfortable searching for and then evaluating the usefulness ofinformation online.”

b. Blogging is something you will learn how to do in this course. It allows you more space than thefew sentences that you might write in a text. In a blog, you can expand on your ideas and opinions.

Photo credit: media stacking by Will Lion CC BY­NC­ND 2.0

Check out the Course Glossary.

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 6/11

What do we mean by Media?First of all, we need to talk about the word media, which is the plural form of the word medium,just as curricula is the plural of curriculum. Normally English makes a word into the plural byadding an “s,” but these words have been borrowed directly from Latin words that form the pluralwith an “a.”

Even though media is a very old, borrowed word, it has been adopted by many modern languagesaround the world; today, we use it in two main senses. The most common understanding we havefor the media is that they serve as vehicles through which something is transmitted or shared. Inthe field of communication, the “something” that is transmitted through the media, is information.In this way, we understand radio as a medium for sharing information that we listen to. The bookis a medium for sharing information that we read. Television, newspapers and computers aremedia as well. When we refer to two or more formats through which information is transmitted,we use the word media. In this first sense of the word, the media are central transmission agentsfor our shared values, knowledge and information about society and our ability to act on thatknowledge as citizens.

The media take on a second, and larger, meaningwhen we talk about development. Whether we areinterested in politics, business, or culturalexchange; advocating for freedom of expression,freedom of information, or gender equality, themedia serve a key role as the watchdogs andcritics of powerful forces.

When this is the sense in which we are using theword media, we sometimes refer to the FourthEstate. This term is about 250 years old andoriginates with the development of democratic governments in Europe and America. Moreimportantly, the term "Fourth Estate" highlights the primary role of the journalistic press as anagent of society: the watchdog of democratic government. In the eighteenth century, governmentwas thought to be made up of three branches, or estates. These three estates were 1) the legislative,which makes the laws of the country/state; 2) the judiciary, which enforces these laws; and 3) theexecutive, which manages the day­to­day affairs of the country or state.

Therefore, when we say that the media are the Fourth Estate, we are referring to media as aninstitution important to the maintenance of good government, a free citizenry, and a healthyclimate for business. When the media operate as watchdogs of government, business and evendevelopment organizations like the United Nations, their aim is to make sure that

1. powerful institutions and organizations cannot hide information that citizens shouldknow about;

2. citizens have the information they need to make decisions that affect civil society;3. those who do wrong or break rules or laws do not get away with it;4. human rights are protected;5. citizens understand what they can do when they need to make social or political

changes

Media make money in carrying out their functions. This means that the mainstream media are

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 7/11

businesses as well as political institutions. Nothing is wrong with the media making money, but itbecomes a concern when the media themselves are corrupt or prepared to do anything to makemoney, like using biased reporting, or unfair, incorrect or manipulated facts and information.

Bias and corruption are frequent criticisms of the media and one of the reasons that all citizensshould be media and information literate. In fact, when citizens use alternative media, blogs andsocial media to critique the mainstream media, they are sometimes called the Fifth Estate: thewatchdogs of the watchdogs.

Throughout this course, when you see the word media, think of the media as institutions with rolesand responsibilities to all citizens. Think of them as political entities. And think of many of themas businesses. They can be all three and sometimes the needs of one function interfere with theneeds of the other functions.

Watch the video “Towards Knowledge Societies: Media Literacy in Thailand.”

You can also watch this video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/QJ4q445mOwk

Here is one definition of Media ­ physicalobjects such as radio, television, computers, filmand telephones that are used to communicatemessages and information.

Here is another definition of Media ­ socialinstitutions whose primary function is to conveyinformation ethically and accurately to everyonein the community, with the purpose of holding

governments and powerful organizations accountable and enabling citizens to act responsibly onthe information they receive.

What are your definitions of media?

Photo credit: Aishieh by Hibr CC BY­NC­SA 2

Video credit: Towards Knowledge Societies: Media Literacy in Thailand byUNESCO © UNESCO

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 8/11

What do we mean by Information?Information is necessary for all aspects our lives. Think about all the activities you perform fromthe time you wake up until you go back to sleep. How much information did you need to completeall your activities? Some of this information might have come to you from books, the library,broadcast media, social media, or from someone you met at school or at work. Now, try to imagineliving in a country where all the information you need is not available to you.

Watch this video to see how access to information must first start with access to the technologiesof information and think about what it means to suddenly have an open door to the world throughthose technologies.

”Digital Literacy for Atacama Women”

In most places on earth, we are surrounded by themedia of communication as never before inhuman history. We are bombarded every day withinformation through newspapers, broadcast andinternet media, social media, and mobile phones.It is often more than we can handle. This wealthof information creates an opportunity to learnmany things that would not be possible without media and communication technologies, or at leastnot with the same speed. It also presents challenges. How do we know which information iscorrect and which is not, or whether the source of the information can be trusted? Where do we gofor alternative points of view? What do we do with information once we have it?

Watch this video ­ Sharing what we learn is one of the first duties of information literate people.

“Camels, Goats and Books”

Definitions of information tend to focus oninformation as a thing as well as a transmission ofthose things.

Here is one definition of Information­ Information consists of facts, figures, details orparticulars transmitted or learned about someoneor something.

What is your definition of Information?

Video credit: Digital Literacy for Atacama Women by UNESCO © UNESCO

Video credit: Camels, Goats and Books by UNESCO © UNESCO

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 9/11

What do we mean by Literacy?The third concept you will need to understand is literacy. At one time, we all thought we knewwhat literacy meant: the ability to read and write. However, since the advent of computers, theconcept has been stretched to cover a variety of abilities. People are now said to be print literate,emotionally literate, and visually literate; they might have computer literacy, media literacy anddigital literacy. Indeed, most people today can claim to have multiple literacies. But what does thatmean? Are people equally proficient in a variety of areas? Or do they know a little bit about a lotof things?

As the digital technologies develop and change under our very eyes, combinations of literacies arecoming to be discussed and defined so that we can actually test the new literacies against a set ofstandards. This is the case with MIL, a combination of media literacy and information literacy.

Here is a definition of media literacy:

Media literacy is concerned with developing an informed and critical understanding of thenature of the mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques.

(Ontario Association for Media Literacy (AML)

Here is a definition of information literacy:

Information literacy is concerned with teaching and learning about the whole range ofinformation sources and formats. To be “information literate” you need to know why, when,and how to use all of these tools and think critically about the information they provide.

(International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions)

This new combination of literacies is important because it combines abilities that everyone needstoday: knowledge about how the media and other information providers work – where and howthey store, use or produce information; the kinds of information they store and produce and howthey use it to persuade others; how to find information and tell if it is accurate, fair, andtrustworthy; how to sort through information you find and select what is required; and how to useinformation to improve your own knowledge and that of society as a whole.

Here is a useful definition of Media and Information Literacy:

A combination of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices required to access, analyze,evaluate, use, produce, and communicate information and knowledge in creative, legal andethical ways that respect human rights. Media and information literate individuals can usediverse media, information sources and channels in their private, professional and publiclives. They know when and what information they need and what for, and where and how toobtain it. They understand who has created that information and why, as well as the roles,responsibilities and functions of media, information providers and memory institutions. Theycan analyze information, messages, beliefs and values conveyed through the media and anykind of content producers, and can validate information they have found and producedagainst a range of generic, personal and context­based criteria. MIL competencies thusextend beyond information and communication technologies to encompass learning, criticalthinking and interpretive skills across and beyond professional, educational and societal

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 10/11

boundaries. MIL addresses all types of media (oral, print, analogue and digital) and all formsand formats of resources.”

(Source: Moscow Declaration on Media and Information Literacy, 2012)

Suggested Assignment

1. Please watch the video “Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue.” It is anoverview of the topics contained in this course.

After having read the various definitions for media and information literacycompetencies in this unit, think about whether you agree with the lists provided, orwhether you would add or change any of the competencies.Do you think these competencies are as important as being able to read, write and domathematics? Why? How do you think these competencies relate to your daily life?The video has a very ominous tone. The sound track is suspenseful and the coloursdark and dramatic. Why do you suppose UNESCO produced this type of video topromote media and information literacy? Would you have taken this same approach tothe topic?

Try watching the video again with someone else and then share thoughts about the video and aboutthe need for media and information literacy competencies and the ways we can achieve them.

Now think about writing a journal entry on this unit. If you need more information on howto journal please look here: My Journal of Learning Experiences Instructions

10/1/2015 Unit 1 Study Materials

http://elab.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=975 11/11

Electronic ResourcesHuman Rights Watch ­ dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world.

Video credit: Justice Trailer by HumanRightsWatch