New Texts, New Tools: An Argument for Media Literacy

Why is it important to teach media literacy to students? Given the incidents of violence occurring in schools, we know that students are influenced—sometimes tragically—by what they see and hear in the media. By teaching them to develop critical skills, students acquire the tools to make responsible choices. An effective media literacy program follows the following steps: background, tools, deconstruction, evaluation, and original construction. Through understanding the purposes, tools, and biases of a variety of media, students can become sensitive and discerning when confronting their media-saturated world.