Teaching media literacy in schools during the 21st century digital age

I wish to address the issue of teaching media literacy in the schools. This has proven to be a problem for various reasons. First, while educators understand that we are now in the 21st century and that the digital age will only continue to expand, there has resistance on the part of teachers to allow the use of technology in the learning environment. Even though there has been much talk about “integrating technology into the classroom,” how many teachers have actually embraced this? Some have and many from an older generation, like it or not, have not. This is likely due to their own feeling of being uncomfortable with these tools since they themselves did not grow up with them and use them when they were in school. Resistance has also stemmed from the fact that teachers are fearful of how students will use their hand-held devices, i.e., cheating on tests and perhaps taking unflattering pictures in the classroom that wind up on social media sites such as Facebook. Second, many educators feel that students know more than they do and therefore there is no need to teach them. After all, “the kids are more familiar with these new technologies and can teach us,” right? Wrong. As Jenkins states, “Some defenders of the new digital cultures have acted as though youth can simply acquire these skills on their own without adult intervention or supervision (p. 12). However, as Jenkins points out, children may know more about digital media than many adults, they need to be instructed on how to use this new technology appropriately. That needs to be taught. Children need to become knowledgeable about separating fact from fiction, what Jenkins calls the “issue of transparency.” What is extremely crucial are the teaching children about the ethical issues surrounding social media. How does what you write on social media impact others? Students need to think about the ethical choices they make when using social media. Lastly, schools need to have an understanding of their students accessibility to not only the skills needed to participate in the digital world appropriately, but that students have access to the hardware to do so. In school districts that are considered “high need,” i.e., large percentages of students in the lower socio-economic ranks may not have access to technology.

Schools are becoming more in tune with these issues, but at a slow pace. Last year, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to pass a law requiring students in grades six through eight to take a class that will teach the appropriate use of various social media sites. Students will learn about cyberbullying, cyber safety and ethics. This is a start but so much more needs to be done.


Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://www.macfound.org/media/article_pdfs/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF