Introduction to Media and Information Literacy

First Week
Topic Outline
I- Introduction to Media and Information Literacy
A- Communication
1. Definitions
2. Communication Models
B. How Media and Information Affect Communication
C. Media and Information Literacy: A Complex Idea

What is communication?
How do we communicate?
Why do we communicate?

What is Communication?
The act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express
your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. The exchange of information and the expression of feeling
that can result in understanding
Although this is a simple definition, when we think about how we may communicate the subject becomes a lot
more complex. There are various categories of communication and more than one may occur at any time.
Four Categories of Communication include:
1. Verbal Communication or Spoken
Two types of verbal communication:
1. Local communication usually occurs face to face,
2. Remote communication takes place over distance.
2. Non-verbal Communication: Body Language, gestures, how we dress or act, even our scent.
3. Written Communication : Letters, e-mails, books, magazine, the internet or via other media.
4. Visualizations: Graphs and charts, maps, logos, and other visualization can communicate messages.
The term telecommunication, which includes telephony, telegraphy, and television, means communication at a
distance (tele is Greek for "far"). The word data refers to information presented in whatever form is agreed upon
by the parties creating and using the data.

Transmission Models
1. Laswells Communication Model (1948).
Developed by Harold D. Laswell. The Laswells model of communication is also known as action model,
linear model and one way model.

Who

Says What

COMMUN
ICATOR

MESSAGE

In Which
Channel

To Whom
RECEIVER

MEDIUM

With what
effect?
EFFECT

What is medium?
Media is the plural of medium, or ways to communicate information.
Communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are
disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines,
TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet. Media is the plural of medium and can take a
plural or singular verb, depending on the sense intended.
Identify the following:
r/ Sen
Communicator / Sender?
Message?
Medium / Channel?
Reciever?
Effect?

2. Shannon Weaver's Communication Model (1948).

Developed by Claude Elwood Shannon. He is an Engineer. A good example for Shannon Weavers
Communication Model is when a businessman made a call to the one of his trusted employee and instructed that
there will be an urgent meeting by tomorrow at exactly 8 a.m. However, the message was distorted. Disruption of
communication might occur in this model, since barriers of communication was considered as a noise which
destroyed the parts of the message. Barriers of communication in this model could be the weak signal and network
or environmental factors.
Reception Model
1. Osgood Schramm Model of Communication (1954).

Osgood- Schramm Model of Communication

Communication is a two-way process where both sender and receiver take turns to send and receive a
message.
The message is only sent after encoding so the sender is also called Encoder and the encoded message is
decoded under receipt by the receiver, making him the Decoder. Developed by Charles Egerton Osgood, an
American psychologist and Wilbur Schramm, one of the founder of mass communication field.

Exercises

1. What is the message in this illustration?

2. Do you agree with this illustration regarding communication? Why or why not?
2.

Values Integration

My belief is that communication is the

best way to create strong relationships.
- Jada Pinkett Smith
Whatever words we utter should be
chosen with care for people will hear
them and be influenced by them for good or ill.

How is communication affected by media and information?

Media
Communications Tools

Information

data, knowledge derived from study, experiences, or instruction, signals or symbols

knowledge of specific events or situations

What is Media and Information Literacy?
Media literacy and information literacy have always been linked, but the greater accessibility of content via the
Internet and mobile platforms has meant that those literacies are increasingly intertwined. UNESCO considers
information literacy and media literacy together as Media and Information Literacy (MIL). MIL includes Information
and communication literacy and digital literacy. MIL is defined as a set of competencies that empowers citizens to
access, retrieve, understand, evaluate and use, create, as well as share information and media content in all
formats, using various tools, in a critical, ethical and effective way, in order to participate and engage in personal,
professional and societal activities.

Empowerment of people through Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is an important prerequisite for fostering
equitable access to information and knowledge and promoting free, independent and pluralistic media and
information systems.
Media and Information Literacy recognizes the primary role of information and media in our everyday lives. It lies
at the core of freedom of expression and information - since it empowers citizens to understand the functions of
media and other information providers, to critically evaluate their content, and to make informed decisions as users
and producer of information and media content.
Information Literacy and Media Literacy are traditionally seen as separate and distinct fields. UNESCOs
strategy brings together these two fields as a combined set of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitude)
necessary for life and work today. MIL considers all forms of media and other information providers such as
libraries, archive, museums and Internet irrespective of technologies used.
What is media Literacy?
For centuries, literacy has referred to the ability to read and write. Today, we get most of our information through
an interwoven system of media technologies. The ability to read many types of media has become an essential
skill in the 21st Century. Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. Media literate
youth and adults are better able to understand the complex messages we receive from television, radio, Internet,
newspapers, magazines, books, billboards, video games, music, and all other forms of media. Media literacy skills
are included in the educational standards of every state in language arts, social studies, health, science, and other
subjects. Many educators have discovered that media literacy is an effective and engaging way to apply critical
thinking skills to a wide range of issues.
Media Literacy Projects approach to media literacy education comes from a media justice framework. Media
Justice speaks to the need to go beyond creating greater access to the same old media structure. Media Justice
takes into account history, culture, privilege, and power. We need new relationships with media and a new vision
for its control, access, and structure. Media Justice understands that this will require new policies, new systems
that treat our airways and our communities as more than markets.
Media literacy skills can help youth and adults:
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Understand how media messages shape our culture and society
- Identify target marketing strategies
- Recognize what the media maker wants us to believe or do
- Name the techniques of persuasion used
- Recognize bias, spin, misinformation, and lies
- Discover the parts of the story that are not being told
- Evaluate media messages based on our own experiences, skills, beliefs, and values
- Create and distribute our own media messages
- Advocate for media justice
WHAT IS INFORMATION LITERACY?
Information literacy is a crucial skill in the pursuit of knowledge. It involves recognizing when information is
needed and being able to efficiently locate, accurately evaluate, effectively use, and clearly communicate
information in various formats. It refers to the ability to navigate the rapidly growing information environment, which
encompasses an increasing number of information suppliers as well as the amount supplied, and includes bodies
of professional literature, popular media, libraries, the Internet, and much more. Increasingly, information is
available in unfiltered formats, raising questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability. This abundance of
information is of little help to those who have not learned how to use it effectively.
To become lifelong learners, we need to know not just how to learn, but how to teach ourselves. We must acquire
the skills necessary to be independent, self-directed learners. An information literate person should be able to:
Identify information needs and determine the extent of information needed. Clearly and concisely define the
question to be answered, and realize that the question may evolve.
Locate and retrieve appropriate sources of information.

Understand the structure of information: how is it produced, disseminated, organized, cataloged, stored,
and retrieved, and how these factors vary by discipline. For example, how do scholars or professionals
keep up to date in and contribute to their field.

Use indexes and other search tools effectively and efficiently to find specific resources (e.g., select
appropriate tools, formulate search strategies, use appropriate search techniques, evaluate results)

Evaluate information and its sources critically.

o Understand different types of sources and formats, and how to use them.
o

Evaluate the relevance and reliability of the information retrieved.

Synthesize the information retrieved, integrate it into one's current knowledge base, and successfully apply it
to the original information need.
Present this newly acquired knowledge so that others can use it.
o Determine the audience's needs and the best presentation format; know the standards and criteria for
presenting information in the relevant subject/field/discipline.
o

Properly cite sources: direct the audience to sources of further information and acknowledge one's
sources.

Translate these abilities and concepts to new projects and disciplines.

In addition to providing access to information, Wesleyan's librarians assist students in developing research skills
appropriate for their particular needs and levels of scholarship. We offer sessions with individual students, group
sessions outside of class, in-class presentations, and extensive assistance for course-integrated instruction on
learning from and contributing to the professional literature of a field.
What is Technology Literacy?
Consider this: Until the early 1990s, most cell phones were too big for pockets. Movies were unavailable on DVD
until 1997. Google didnt arrive until 1998. There was no MySpace until 2003, and YouTube launched two years
after that.
As technology advances, the definition of technology literacy changes. In 1980, it meant knowing how to
program code. In 1995, it meant knowing how to work basic tools like word processing and spreadsheets.
Now the definition of technology literacy is much richer and more complex because there is more information
available than ever before. And the tools for finding, using and creating information are rapidly becoming more
diverse and sophisticated.
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) defines technology literacy as the ability to responsibly use
appropriate technology to:

Communicate
Solve problems
Access, manage, integrate, evaluate, design and create information to improve learning in all subject
areas
Acquire lifelong knowledge and skills in the 21st century

Discuss the importance of MIL in our society.

Explore the role of media in our society in history and today.

Examples of media, mass media communications and MIL will be explained and evaluated in order to
form an understanding why MIL is critically important to the 21st century.

Media and Information Literacy in our lives.

What is Media?
How does it differ from mass media?
Media is a means of communication that reaches or influences people, such as radio, tv, newspapers, magazines
and etc. Both play an important role in our lives, despite the fact that media consumption often go easily unnoticed.
But what to do with all of this information? Thats where MIL comes in.
Media Literacy involves the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media. Media communication has
become quite a force in our society today, allowing for consumption of loads of information. And todays digital
consumers are masters of multimedia multitasking, which involves simultaneous contact with two or more forms
of media. As a consumer of media, it is important to have the ability to understand, translate, and use the
information we receive.
The importance of Digital or Technology Literacy in our lives.
Think about it. On an average day, how much media do you consume? What are the messages that are being
sent to you? How do they influence your thinking or even your decisions?
Media literacy is actually not a new phenomenon. Starting with the invention of the printing press in 1400s, media
has developed as a form of communication beyond the interpersonal. Newspapers and magazines were a media
force in the industrial era.
Continual advances in technology expose us to more and more media. The use of technology and digital literacy
go hand in hand. Technology allows for greater expansion of mass media outlets, starting with the internet, but we
also must consider Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the list goes on and on.
There are different purposes for mass communication, including to inform, to amuse, to persuade and to enlighten.
A single current newspaper contains more written and visual information than the average person in the 17 th
century was likely to come across in their entire lifetime.
Never before in human history that so much information is available not just for few people but to everyone.
Survival skills for the Information Age :
finding information
decoding information
evaluating information
creating information
communicating information
Note:
1. Facts are information, opinions are information but opinions are not facts. Deception and rumors are not facts
but information.
2. Information Literacy is the intersection of everything;
Library instruction (traditional way of looking information)
Look for the books and read it. Librarians are not just required a knowledge about books, encyclopedias but also
computer skills.

Library Instruction in the information age

A huge number of resources currently available
New search strategies are required
Critical evaluation is more important than ever.
Cultural Literacy
Visual literacy
Media Literacy
Network Literacy
Computer Literacy