National Media Education Week

The importance of media literacy has never before seen such significance in our culture as it has now in the 21st century. In order to get ahead in education and even land a respectable job, being able to decode and deconstruct the meanings beneath messages has become essential. It has been brought to the attention of educators and the general public that the need for a basic knowledge in media is crucial in the classroom now. However, I cannot recall any unit in my studies in high school being devoted to media. At my high school, the only way you could learn about this was if you took it, and very few people I knew had. So why is this? Surely the basics of media are just as important as the fundamentals of English and Math. I mean, it’s all around us. At an early age, we’re exposed to various forms through the radio, television, magazines, and for the especially interested individual, the newspaper. National Media Education Week was brought about the increase awareness of the necessity of media literacy, to make sure our youth has the basic skills needed to surf the net safely and ethically. As we enter the digital age, the availability of information on the internet is becoming more and more accessible to children, and although the internet has many advantages, it can have very negative disadvantages as well. If we are schooled on what to believe in the media and what to disregard, the benefits will be seen in our society in no time. Participating in this awareness week made me realize the need for a basic background in media for all Canadians and the world over.