Teaching students about media fluency is an important part of education. Media fluency is being able to communicate appropriately and effectively with the use of technology. “Media Literacy education – which teaches students to apply critical thinking to media messages and to use media to create their own messages – is a key 21st-century skill. Media Literacy is critical to the health and well-being of America’s children, as well as to their future participation in the civic and economic life of our democracy” (Media Literacy Now, 2019). Technology is continually changing, and students must be able to react to digital media and the messages that they can receive through technology. Students will be able to recognize and understand when information that is being presented to them shows a bias or has misinformation. Students will be able to use the knowledge they learn and must be able to distribute personalized information with correct information and wording to help get their point across. They will be able to build other important skills such as critical analysis, writing and research when they are able to “surf” the internet for information and data. “Students can look forward to building other important learning skills as an added bonus such as writing, researching, and analytical thinking” (Watanabe-Crockett, 2020). Given the current climate of education and the ability to find information online, it is important that students can use technology in a manner that benefits them and their education.
References
Media Literacy Now. (2019, May 16). What is Media Literacy? Retrieved July 22, 2020, from https://medialiteracynow.org/what-is-media-literacy/
Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2020, February 12). How to Teach Media Fluency Skills: 6 Cool Concepts to Try. Retrieved July 22, 2020, from https://wabisabilearning.com/blogs/future-fluencies/oncepts-teaching-media-fluency-skills