Teachers are the gateway to literate societies. Therefore, this model Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Curriculum for Teachers is intend as a tool that will provide educators of all background with the main competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitude) on MIL. It focuses on pedagogical approaches necessary to enable teacher to integrate MIL in their classrooms.
By focusing on teachers, UNESCO and UNAOC hopes to capitalize on the potential multiplier effect. That is, media and information literate teachers should facilitate media and information literacy among their students and in turn leading to societies that are media and information literate. The MIL Curriculum is design as a flexible and comprehensive framework that educators or curriculum developers may adapt to different countries’ contexts to provide a structure for developing specific study programmes.
The MIL Curriculum for Teachers is available in English . It has been translated into Arabic, Bahasa, French and Spanish. These are being finalized for publishing. Other language versions will eventually be made available.
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New media research study Uncovering Media Bias: The "Mosque at Ground Zero"
This clearinghouse encourages the user’s active participation and updates. Please read the “User’s Guide” for further instructions. All new content, before being published, will need to be approved by the UNAOC Secretariat in collaboration with our Partner Organizations. Thank you!
Media and Information Literacy is a recently-developed pedagogical approach that take into consideration the new cultures emerging from the Information Society. Some prefer the terms Media Literacy, Media Education, News Literacy, Digital Literacy, Information Literacy, etc. Media Studies and Media Ecology researchers world-wide are also contributing to the development of these new educational initiatives.
The approach to media literacy education taken here is inclusive and open. The UNAOC welcomes contributions from organizations, university departments, associations, groups and individuals who are developing new pedagogical tools, strategies, and theories that take into consideration the challenges of the information society.
Children and youth from industrialized societies spend at least double the time immersed in electronic media (television, internet, video games, DVDs, radio, cell phones, etc.) than they do receiving formal education in schools. Much of the media they consume is aimed at selling them products or ideologies. Frequently this generation of young people spends half as much time as the previous generation participating in “family” conversations. These developments raise several questions: Who is educating our youth? Who is imparting to them ethical and social values? Who is supplying them with role models to emulate?
Most school curricula do not take into consideration this new paradigm. Indeed, to the extent that they address new technologies, schools primarily teach technical skills (i.e. how to use computers) but seldom critical thinking skills relevant to digital learning. As important as expanding internet access is, so too is the development of educational initiatives that teach media consumers how to critically interpret the information they receive.
The UNAOC aims to contribute to an international community of knowledge regarding the development and implementation of educational initiatives that address these issues while advancing national and international media literacy education initiatives and policies. Our goals are to build dialogue and analysis in an active, participatory manner for researchers and policy makers; while providing easy access to teaching tools and resources for educators interested in implementing media literacy education in their classrooms.
Youth produced media is a distinct component of the information society. Most of the youth of the industrialized world are users of electronic media and – in some form or another - producers of media. They are as much creators of media content as they are consumers of media in the digital world. Recognizing and encouraging youth media is a fundamental part of media and information literacy. The UNAOC media and information literacy clearinghouse emphasizes this by including information on organizations, events, conferences and resources relevant to youth-produced media.
