THE 21ST CENTURY UPGRADE IN EDUCATION

Charles Shewell
Jan 21, 2023
2 min read

The Importance of Integrating Media Literacy Skills in Education Through Media

SYNTHESIS

With the provisions of instant access to all sorts of information through digital devices connected to the internet, students are in need of learning how to navigate these technologies in order to gain the skills and literacies it takes for properly accessing and acquiring legitimate information. This leaves educators with a responsibility to help students learn new skills for navigating through new technologies that are continuously evolving. Learners of the 21st century are more than just kids scrolling through social media, gaming with friends, and surfing the web. They are content creators with the capability of global connections. Students nowadays are having their attention captured by information that is interactive and can create a personal experience to enhance their learning. Through the integration of technologies and creation of educational content that is interactive, educators can provide 21st century skills to their students. Media literacy skills can help students think critically when it comes to media content through analysis, evaluation, and accessibility. Along with this, students must be taught how to create content, leaving educators with a responsibility to update their pedagogy. The integration of technology into the classroom does not simply mean that instructional time is not replaced with technology or media, but rather used as a tool to deepen the learning and create a more enhanced form of learning that personalizes the information for each student. Educators using multimedia tools and creating media for learning can provide learners with multiple modes of learning.

THE IMPORTANCE

Higher education and corporations are now requiring digital literacy as an employment skill, while often correlated with career achievement and productivity, (SREB, 2015). This creates an area of need for students, which educators can invest in due to the importance of learning these skills. “Digital media content sources include television, the internet, smartphones, and gaming consoles through programs, applications, and games,” (Wilson, Alaniz, Sikora, 2017). It is crucial for educators to teach these skills to their learners in order for them to find success at the next level. Digital literacy must become an everyday part of learning experiences on all levels of instruction (SREB, 2015).

MORE ON THE SUBJECT

After completing the reading for this week, I found it interesting that the ADIDAS corporation provides learning opportunities to their employers through open educational resources. I have heard of other companies doing this and am in full support of businesses providing education to benefit their workers, which ultimately creates a more cohesive workplace. I would like to learn more about how companies that provide educational content and learning opportunities fare compared to those that do not, as well as an analysis on employee satisfaction within the workplace. As someone that has almost completed the EdTech Integration program at SRSU, I believe that having an understanding on the effects of continued education for employees provided by a corporation could potentially benefit me in helping a business with incorporating educational programs for the enhancement of their workforce.