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Why Media Literacy Matters

Why We Want to Increase Media Literacy in New Mexico Public Schools

Taos ~ photo by Elisabeth Fulton
New Mexico's education is rated the worst in the country. This is largely due to funding issues in low-income areas of the state. The "Connecting New Mexico Kids" initiative believes that public schools in New Mexico with student populations that are highly diverse and low-income should focus heavily on media literacy in order to foster critical thinkers and increased digital citizenship contributions from minority voices. This proposal will outline a strategy for implementing media literacy education in schools with limited funding and technology access. By focusing on core critical thinking skills and utilizing readily available resources, schools can effectively prepare students to navigate the modern media landscape.

Literacy is more than simply the ability to read and write. It includes the ability to communicate across various platforms and in various social situations, both personally and digitally. Media literacy is, more specifically, the ability to analyze information that comes from the digital world and enables “students [to] think critically about the news that is presented to them” (Vasilogambros). Media literacy must be able to educate students in skills like critical thinking, analyzation, evaluating information, and beyond: “a unique role of media literacy is to prepare citizens to engage in and contribute to the public debate” (Center for Media Literacy).

A unique role of media literacy is to prepare citizens to engage in and contribute to the public debate (Center for Media Literacy)

White Sands National Park ~ Photo by Elisabeth Fulton


It is also important to note that literacy varies widely across groups and contributes to individuals’ identity to a group and to oneself. “Literacy occurs not simply because an individual possesses and applies the necessary linguistic and cognitive strategies and processes, but also because group membership requires it” (Kucer 198). Literacy is social by definition and “varies in nature depending on the circumstances. The degree to which the individual is able to successfully negotiate the use of various literacies… reflects group memberships, or the lack thereof, and the degree to which these multiple literacies have been developed within these groups” (Kucer 207). According to Tim McNamara, individuals will pick up on the “linguistic or other behavioral cues” (562) of those around them and categorize accordingly by “in-groups” or “out-groups.”

La Luz Trail ~ Photo by Elisabeth Fulton
The social nature of literacy and the global, interconnected nature of the 21st century makes a focus on media literacy important for low-income students. Their ability to navigate information, develop critical thinking skills, and be able to express themselves and their perspectives confidently will lend to an increase of minority perspectives, and many of these skills can be achieved with or without technological access.

Our goal is to accomplish increased Media Literacy in New Mexico schools by using the most cost-effective routes possible through the use of available media and classes in critical thinking.

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TLDR~ 

Media literacy includes:

  1. The ability to communicate across various genres, online and in-person
  2. The ability to analyze digital information critically
  3. Becoming engaged and informed digital citizens.

This matters because:

  1.  Individuals can, and do, increasingly utilize the digital world to find and express their social identity
  2. There is a need for minority voices to be able to express themselves and have their voices heard online
  3. Low-income and minority voices in New Mexico need the digital skills to access information and the media literacy to analyze that information and contribute to the global conversation.

Works Cited:

Center for Media Literacy. "Literacy for the 21st Century: The Challenge of Teaching in a Global Media Culture." Center for Media Literacy, 2003, www.medialit.org.

Kucer, S.B. “Understanding Literacy as Social Practices.” Dimensions of Literacy: A Conceptual Base for Teaching Reading and Writing in School Settings, 2014, pp. 197–234.

 McNamara, Tim. "Theorizing Social Identity: What Do We Mean by Social Identity? Competing Frameworks, Competing Discourses." TESOL Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 3, 1997, pp. 561-567

Vasilogambros, Matt. “Kids Are Flooded with Social Media and News. Some States Want to Help Them Question It.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 19 Jan. 2024, www.yahoo.com/news/ kids-flooded-social -media-news- 045900116.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall. 

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