Introducing Julia Smith…
Background:
- Educator at Webster University: School of Communications
- Facilitator for Media Studies Major
- Speaker/ Presenter
- Author of: “Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save Our Plugged-In World”
- Social Media Apologist
- Media Literacy Evangelist
Socials:
- Website: http://heyjuliesmith.com/about-me/
Image of Julia Smith
What is Media Literacy?
- According to Trilling and Fadel (2009), media literacy refers to the ability to utilize different medium (ie. video, animation, print, websites, etc.) to:
- convey a message to a specific audience
- form the basis for accessing, evaluating, and developing an understanding of the use of media in the context of society
- develops skills necessary for researching and inquiring on select topics
- allows for self-expression
- Media Literacy can be divided into 4 components (Vinney, 2022):
- Cognitive- what we are hoping to convey
- Emotional- the feeling we wish to evoke
- Aesthetic- the presentation of the message, is it visually appealing
- Moral- the values being presented through the message
Why is it important?
- According to Trilling and Fadel (2009), understanding media literacy grants an individual the ability to:
- Select the right medium to match the message they wish to convey
- Understand the process of properly crediting others’ work
- How to promote oneself for professional reasons
- How to share one’s thoughts, ideas, and work online
- Learn, communicate and collaborate with others within an educational setting
Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict; why does this happen? Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?
According to the interview with Smith and Miller (2021), media literacy could create a source of conflict as people tend to side with perspectives that aligns more closely to their own. This means on a day-to-day basis people will not readily branch out from their traditional viewpoints/ source of information.
As Smith mentions, we live in an era of pulled versus pushed news. We as the audience can choose new outlets that tend to affirm our beliefs. This could be explained through the Gratification Theory in which one tends to consume outlets that satisfy their emotional and intellectual needs. As a result, Smith believes we should work against this intrinsic tendency and seek out information and sources that we don’t fully agree with as it’ll be a good stepping stone in helping us develop a broader and well-rounded outlook in life.
What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?
| Benefits (Trilling & Fadel, 2009) |
|---|
| stay connected with others, learn from one another, collaborate, develop critical thinking skills, learn to convey a message properly through optimal medium, greater assess to professional development, etc. |
References
Miller, J., & Smith, J. (2021). Media Literacy with Julie Smith. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times (1. Aufl.). Jossey-Bass.
Vinney, C. (2022). What is Media Literacy. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-media-literacy-5214468