In the modern world, much of who we are and what we think depends on the various media messages we receive. These carefully crafted messages have a documented impact on our perceptions and behaviors. As we learn more about the techniques of media manipulation, we can be certain to make responsible decisions as consumers and citizens.

Learning more about the media and how it affects us requires that we become more media literate. Media literacy is concerned with helping individuals develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by media outlets, and the impact of these techniques. Developing media literacy can be likened to the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal the small, lever-pulling man behind the image of the mystical wizard. This is the point where Dorothy and her crew come to realize that the wizard is a carefully constructed fiction rather than some omnipotent force. 

Like Toto, we too need to learn how to "pull back the curtains" to reveal the truth behind the countless media messages that we are exposed to on a daily, even hourly basis. By going beyond the surface of such messages, we begin to understand the implicit as well as explicit ideas that are conveyed. Such scrutiny enables us to become active processors rather than passive receptors of the glut of messages in our daily media diet. This critical awareness will better prepare us to deal with the complex issues facing modern society. 

According to media expert and author Neil Postman, "The way to be liberated from the constraining effects of any medium is to develop a perspective on it-how it works and what it does. Being illiterate in the processes of any medium (language) leaves one at the mercy of those who control it." 

Places To Go

KIDSNET
KIDSNET helps children, families and educators intelligently access the educational opportunities available from television, radio and multimedia sources. KIDSNET does this by encouraging media literacy in children and a commitment to educational excellence in broadcasters. 

Center for Media Literacy
This site has a reading room with background articles on many media literacy topics. It also features an online catalog of books, videos, and curriculum kits. 

Media Literacy Online Project
The Education School of the University of Oregon sponsors this compendium of articles, essays, and research related to media literacy. The site offers resources aimed at assisting teachers and others concerned with the influence of media on children and youth. It offers links to information about censorship, media ethics, advertising and gender, race, ethnicity and media. They also provide directories of other media literacy organizations, links to discussion groups, and links to other sites.

PLAY (Project Literacy Among Youth)
Project Literacy Among Youth (PLAY) is a not-for-profit sponsorship of media literacy among youth. It is a scholarly, yet practical, experimentation with the ways in which all communication technologies can and do shape the education of youth, and the degree to which youth actively participate in that process as critical-minded audiences.

In the Mix
Several of the programs on this site focus on issues related to media literacy. For example, "Self-Image: The Fantasy, The Reality" deals with the media's effect on teen self-image, one for "Smoking: The Truth Unfiltered" focuses on the truth behind tobacco usage, and for "TV: What You Don't See" discusses how the media can affect our perception of reality. These sub-sites feature resources as well as statistics, polls, Q&A with teens and experts, and young people speaking out on the issues.

Children Now: Children & The Media
Children Now's Children & The Media Program works to improve the quality of news and entertainment media both for children and about children's issues, paying particular attention to media images of race, class, and gender. 

CNN Ask An Expert: Why Teach Media Literacy?
Fran Trampiets teaches graduate courses in media education at the University of Dayton's School of Education. 

Jean Kilbourne
Meet the "first lady" of media literacy and health promotion.

Understanding the Hype: Media Literacy (An Education World e-Interview With Catherine Gourley)
In a recent e-interview with Education World, noted author, educator, and media literacy expert Catherine Gourley shared her thoughts about media literacy and its role in education. Gourley's latest book, Media Wizards: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Media Manipulations, introduces techniques to help students crack the codes of media messages. 

PBS Teachers Media Literacy Quiz
Are you a Media Master or just a Journalism Junkie? Test your smarts with a quick quiz on media consumption, trends, and legislation. 

Children, Violence and the Media
Peruse this executive summary that outlines research to date on the prevalence and effects of violence in media.

Just Think Foundation
Just Think teaches young people to be both critical thinkers and creative producers. It is based on the belief that a better understanding of the media surrounding us facilitates a better understanding of the society in which we live. The site features lesson plans and a variety of other media literacy resources.

PBS Teachers Media Literacy
PBS Teachers offers a variety of media literacy lesson plans and activities to integrate into the language arts, social studies, math, science, and health classroom.

Media Awareness Network
This Canadian educational website contains a wide range of resources to help teachers integrate media literacy and web literacy into their classrooms. It offers teaching units, student handouts, timely reports and background material for media education across the curriculum, K - 12. 

Teen Health and the Media Website
The Teen Futures Media Network is a virtual meeting place for groups who share a strong commitment to teen health. Using media as a hook, the Network's purpose is to (1) support, encourage, and make use of youth-produced media messages-teens talking to teens-as a strategy for promoting healthy choices; (2) foster collaboration among organizations and individuals in order to maximize teen health efforts while efficiently using available resources; and (3) provide a repository of multi-media resources for parents and adults who work with children and youth.

Media Literacy Clearing House
This site links to numerous articles and lesson plans designed to help teachers integrate media literacy into classroom instruction.

Issues in Media
This is a mini-course in media literacy put together by Professor Terry Dugas from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Caught in the Web: Online Advertising Targets Kids 
This article analyzes how the web is used to market to children. It also provides many classroom activities to help children become better web consumers.

How to Become a TV Critic
Media literacy and writing come together for this lesson plan on reviewing a television show.

WebQuests

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