I think media literacy is important to a certain extent however I think print literacy will always be most important. I believe that print literacy is the foundation or basis in order to be able to grasp media literacy with more ease. Consequently, if a student doesn’t learn how to read, then he/she won’t be able understand any of the information that they may find through media. Also if a student doesn’t learn how to write then they won’t be able to get their ideas across or communicate with the world. Learning how to write on paper helps with coordination and a means of sort of printing symbols in the mind. I see it like the reason for learning long division. We don’t really learn long division because we’re going to use it all the time but simply to understand the process behind the short cut. I think the same idea goes for writing.
It’s good to have basic knowledge of media literacy. There really is no getting around it, regardless of what job or career that you go into because even if you’re a construction worker you need to have basic media literacy in order to look for available positions or to apply for a position. Sure you could go to the newspaper to find something, but you have such a wider spectrum when you go online. You can get by without having media literacy however you’re basically making things harder for yourself.
My basic view is that both print literacy and media literacy are important but I think they go hand in hand. For best efficiency I think you can’t have one without the other these days. Granted I stand firm in my belief that print literacy will always be most important.
In the chapter it mentions that the meaning of literacy has changed so much and I think this new meaning overall supports my position. It also talks about how teachers need to keep up with the information age in order to prepare students for this new world out there. The way I interpret this is that they are assuming that print literacy is already in place and in order to enhance education, media literacy needs to be sprinkled in. Ultimately, this supports my view because I believe that print literacy need to be in place first and foremost before basic media literacy is incorporated.
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Paula,
ReplyDeleteWe definitely are sharing the same view on print, reading and writing. I too believe that both are important but without a good foundation to the spoken word then you are lost. Even more if you are not able to recognize common symbols such as letter then you will be lost for a long time. Just like you stated, you can get by without the media but your ABCs are one thing that I feel is essential.
I was able to read on line where a professor is conducting a study on media and print. He is discovering that traditional print-based literacy is important. He is also realizing that print-based reading and writing is only part of a much larger set of skills that students need in the 21st century." That by mastering reading and writing it is only going to enhance our children’s abilities to raise to a higher intellect. As far as our textbook, it does state that best practice instruction-derived from a long tradition of book and other print media-will is insufficient. Yet, it does not state that reading, writing and print will be a thing of the past or that it should stop being taught.
Paula, I completely agree with you. I believe that reading and writing are the foundation in understanding information through media. I really appreciate your analogy; comparing the process of understanding reading and writing to long division.
ReplyDeleteMedia Literacy is everywhere around us. As time continues to pass, technology continues to advance and more is expected out of all of us. We have to have knowledge of technology in order to survive in our culture.