Preparation For citizens to be informed and responsible, they need to be able to do more than merely access information. In a high-tech world with information saturation, students and citizens must learn to discern. They need the skills to critically analyze and evaluate information. In an age when most Americans get most of their information from television not textbooks, pictures not print, we need a wider and newer definition of literacy.
Media literacy is that definition.
Far from rejecting the world of print and our traditional notions of literacy, it builds on and strengthens those concepts. A student who uses the Internet to access information, for example, will employ new technologies to locate information but will still process print. As is the case with most web sites, however, the student will encounter images as well as text. Words and images will combine to create the message and its effect. Media literacy strengthens this student by providing communication skills for today and tomorrow.