Developing Digital and Media Literacies in Children And

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Developing Digital and Media Literacies in Children And Kristen Hawley Turner, PhD,a Tessa Jolls, BA, b Michelle Schira Hagerman, PhD, c William DevelopingO’Byrne, PhD, d Troy Hicks, PhD, e Bobbie Digital Eisenstock, PhD, f Kristineand E. Pytash, Media PhDg Literacies in Children and Adolescents ’ abstract In today s global culture and economy, in which individuals have access to information at their fingertips at all times, digital and media literacy are essential to participate in society. But what specific competencies must young citizens acquire? How do these competencies ’ influence pedagogy? How are student knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors changed? What are the best ways to assess students digital and media literacy? These questions underscore what parents, educators, health professionals, and community leaders need to know to ensure that youth become digitally and media literate. Experimental and pilot programs in the digital and media literacy fields are yielding insights, but gaps in understanding and lack of support for research and development continue to impede growth in these areas. Learning environments no longer depend on seat time in factory-like school settings. Learning happens anywhere, anytime, and productivity in the workplace depends on digital and media literacy. To create the human capital necessary for success and sustainability in a technology-driven world, we must invest in the literacy practices of our youth. In this article, we make recommendations for research and policy priorities. aDrew University, Madison, New Jersey; bCenter for Media Literacy, Malibu, California; cUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; dCollege of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina; eCentral Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan; fCalifornia State University Northridge, Northridge, California; and gKent State University, Kent, Ohio Drs Turner and Jolls conceptualized the paper and initial outline, contributed copy and citations, and edited and reviewed drafts; Drs Eisenstock, Hicks, O’Byrne, Pytash, and Hagerman all contributed ideas for the initial outline as well as copy and citations to the paper and reviewed the final manuscript; and all authors approved the final manuscript as submitted. The analysis, conclusions, and recommendations contained in each article are solely a product of the individual workgroup and are not the policy or opinions of, nor do they represent an endorsement by Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development or the American Academy of Pediatrics. DOI: https:// doi. org/ 10. 1542/ peds. 2016- 1758P Accepted for publication Apr 19, 2017 Address correspondence to Kristen Hawley Turner, PhD, Drew University, 36 Madison Ave, Madison, NJ 07940. E-mail: [email protected] PEDIATRICS (ISSN Numbers: Print, 0031-4005; Online, 1098-4275). Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on October 1, 2021 SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE PEDIATRICS Volume 140, number s2, November 2017:e20161758 We live in a connected world where citizens do not engage critical digital that these interventions counteract information is plentiful, and experts and media literacies. effects related to risky and antisocial are, literally, at our fingertips. With behaviors, including violence and These problems call for education ubiquity in mobile technologies aggression, alcohol and tobacco that goes beyond mastery of around the globe, we see a new vision use, body image issues, eating traditional content silos that have 11 of education: learning anywhere, 8 disorders, and commercialism. In existed for centuries. The gap anytime, with equal access for all as a other studies, researchers showed 1 between a vision of interconnected fundamental human right. that interventions increased civic learning and the reality of education responsibility and democratic This vision is predicated on the idea today is wide, and research and 12 participation. that children are capable of and policy initiatives are needed prepared for lifelong learning and to provide education that will In short, interventions that equip that they are equipped with the skills prepare youth for basic needs in a youth to critically navigate their they need to access, analyze, evaluate, technologically driven future. digital lives have positive impacts create, and participate in civic life CURRENT STATE that mitigate potentially harmful through digital media. Research effects of participation in digital over the last 2 decades has shown Defining Digital and Media Literacies spaces. These literacies are that reading and writing in digital fundamental in helping youth to ’ spaces may require a more complex become critical consumers and creators in a digital world; sadly, application of 2,skills 3 than print- To be literate in today s world based literacy ; yet most formal involves skills that include fairly large-scale efforts to develop institutions of education still cling to granular tasks, such as copying these skills have not been adopted traditional definitions of literacy and and pasting digital content, and Policypolitically Initiatives or educationally. pedagogical approaches, focusing more complex work, such as critical solely on print4 and teacher-centered analysis and synthesis of information instruction. In these institutions, accessed through a variety of texts. Global efforts are underway children are often not empowered to Digital literacy takes into account the to reinforce the importance of learn, nor are they connected to the full range of skills needed to read, digital and media literacies, with world outside their classroom walls. write, speak, view, and participate in initiatives led by the United Nations online spaces. All of these practices Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Outside of school, however, require media literacy, which Organization, and countries such as children increasingly use mobile includes the ability to access, analyze, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and devices, video games, and the 5 evaluate, create, and participate the United Kingdom are targeting internet to explore their worlds. ’ with media in all its forms. Although these literacies as essential for To successfully navigate and various terms are used in literature their citizens success. In the participate in these interconnected surrounding these skills (eg, United States, we have a vision; we spaces, youth must acquire digital new literacies, web literacies, or need understanding and collective and media literacies; they must multiliteracies), we take the stance action by policy makers, health be able to critically consume and that digital and media literacy should practitioners, educators, parents, create digital, multimodal texts. “ 6 be taught as literacy and that the and students to realize it. The time to The Aspen Institute highlights the fields of digital and media literacies focus on digital and media literacies fact that all learners and educators can no longer exist in isolation from is now. need a sufficient degree of digital each other. age literacy, where media, digital To date, media and information and social-emotional literacies Concern about the impact of media literacy policy advocates have are present, to be able to use on children and adolescents has brought together coalitions of ’ these learning resources to learn led to research that documents stakeholders to propose policy at ” through multiple media confidently, negative effects on young9, 10 people s the international, national,13 and effectively and safely. However, the health and well-being. However, community levels. In the United majority of students graduating from developing digital and media States, media and information high school lack basic skills to help literacies is one of the most viable literacy legislation has been ’ them navigate the digital landscape intervention strategies to minimize introduced in 15 states (adopted in “ ” 7 safely and responsibly. The fallout media s negative consequences and 9), addressing such topics as digital about fake news from the 2016 US maximize its positive influences on citizenship, internet and social media presidential election is but 1 example beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. An safety training, the incorporation of the consequences we face when extensive meta-analytic review found of media literacy standards into Downloaded from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on October 1, 2021 PEDIATRICS Volume 140, number s2, November 2017 S123 the core curriculum, and14 training and informed health and welfare then research on literacy instruction programs for teachers. decisions, but we do not yet have must articulate methods that close a collective understanding of how this gap. Creating equal opportunities These gains are promising, but we 25 these skills develop, especially in Investigatefor all must thebe a Potential top priority . are not moving nearly fast enough. school. Connections Among Out-of-School The concept of digital and media Learning, Formal Learning, and Civic Although the field has provided literacy as a broad construct has Engagement not yet entered political discourse. insight into the literacies developed4, 18 in Policy makers must recognize digital authentic, out-of-school settings, we ’ and media literacy as literacy in have not yet defined developmental Finally, we must identify methods today s world. In an information- trajectories of such skills.
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