(Social) media literacy: challenges and opportunities for higher education

Abstract

Today's students are powerful consumers and producers of media. Yet for all their access and use of media, many students need assistance from educators to develop critical media skills. These skills are necessary for participation in a culture increasingly characterized by the prevalence of the Internet and social web. However, despite significant changes in contemporary culture, the focus of media literacy remains much the same – meeting the challenge of accessing, analyzing, evaluating, and creating various media forms. Educators and students need to recognize that each has significant roles to play in developing a rigorous approach to media literacy. In embracing all forms of media as well as roles that extend beyond passive consumption, both educators and students are able to discover newly empowering skills that will provide best practice opportunities for better civic and educational engagement.

Citation

Gammon, M.A. and White, J. (2011), "(Social) media literacy: challenges and opportunities for higher education", Wankel, C. (Ed.) Educating Educators with Social Media (Cutting-Edge Technologies in Higher Education, Vol. 1), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 329-345. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9968(2011)0000001019