Analyzing Perceptions of Prospective Teachers about Their Media Literacy Competencies.

Introduction Expectations from the 21st century human have been increasing day by day in this rapidly developing and changing world. The developments in information and communication technologies changed the world and the way we create and use information and made impossible things possible. These rapid and remarkable advances have influenced every aspect of life and have caused globalization of knowledge, communication and the expansion of the mass media. Flow of messages occupies daily life through media and people are in need of acquiring critical thinking and self-expression in media environment in order to overcome the chaos of the messages. Expected skills and competencies of individuals also changed in order to keep pace with this development and to take advantage of it. Individuals must be qualified and literate in many ways. Therefore, the concept of literacy has gained great importance recently. The concept of literacy includes gaining skills and knowledge to read, interpret, and produce certain types of texts and artifacts and to gain intellectual tools and capacities to fully participate in one's culture and society (Kellner & Share, 2005: 369). Individuals who can do research and analysis, think critically and construct information via interpretation could be said to have the qualifications expected from the 21st century human in this rapidly developing world of information. Today, it is very easy to reach the necessary information, and individuals must be able to demonstrate more conscious behavior (Som & Kurt, 2012). Therefore, various kinds of literacy emerged such as information literacy, visual literacy, computer literacy, science, environment literacy, cultural literacy, technology literacy and media literacy. Media literacy has received widespread attention within the past fifty years in the world, especially in USA, England, Canada and Australia. However; media literacy concept has been on the agenda of Turkey in the last few years. Turkey is at the very beginning of the road in this field since the change has started after the foundation of Prevention Platform under the government ministry in 2004, in which the leading public institutions, the non-governmental organizations and universities represented. This platform contributed to the development of media literacy. The necessity for media literacy training in the curriculum of elementary and secondary education is highlighted through conclusion of a conference of Media and Violence Sub Working Group platform (Altun, 2009). Media and Media Literacy Mass communication tools are products of the communication needs of individuals and fulfill the function of sharing for innumerous activities such as gathering news, information, visual publicity and entertainment. Through these tools, large masses get information about each other and communication has now become systematic. Media is the most general name to call this system and is a concept, covering all mass communication elements (Nalcaoglu, 2003). Media performs the functions of informing and entertaining the society. It is also an indispensable element for modern and democratic societies, providing social services such as educating, protecting the rights of, influencing and controlling societies (Balci & Gergin, 2008). Media is everywhere and children are in contact with all kinds of media at present. Traditional media and digital media are being greatly effective in children's lives today. It is impossible to distinguish between traditional media and digital media. For example, it is possible to read newspapers and watch television and film in a computer or a mobile phone. Google earth makes it possible to virtually take a walk in a neighborhood in another country far away instead of looking at a map in an Atlas. In various virtual communities, students with similar interests are able to be in contact with each other although they might be in different countries. …