ETC Blog#3

Media literacy implies the knowledge to read media whichever medium is use to disseminate this media. But, there is lot more because this is not a new concept just an updated version. In nutshell, the historical revision occurred with the advent of new technologies used to create, modify, disseminate, mix, and redistribute messages. These operations allow the participants the opportunity to interact and collaborate with every single person that is willing to share and make their own interpretations about the information presented.

In order to be participant of this viral information dissemination is necessary to be knowledgeable enough to be able to enjoy the benefits of this two-way media communication. There are organizations that teach media literacy and advocate for the use and application in the classroom at all grade levels and that is the case of Center for Media Literacy (CML). CML teaches and equips educators for media literacy practical applications, their website is at http://www.medialit.org/

Since the current state of technology development has many differences with the traditional customs in educational approaches in the classrooms, It can be stated that the needs of students have changed and the learning environment as well. There have been many discussions about the skills required to be a successful learner in the 21^st century and among the leaders in this matters is Partners for the 21^st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ who strongly advocate for the cause. Among the factors deemed important for students and teachers are the need for information, communication, and technology. The organizers of this entity are among the best in the industry and communication and include the department of education validating the information presented.

Perhaps, the most important factor is the interaction among each individual element in their model for the skills needed by learners in the 21^st century making collaboration and networking a must.