Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Metaliteracy terms and related concepts

I'm in an institution that trains teachers so I'm interested in the recent changes made by UNESCO in their document Media and information literacy curriculum for teachers which broadens the definition of "information literacy" to "media and information literacy."

Some of the UNESCO definitions are:
Digital literacy:
The ability to use digital technology, communication tools ornetworks to locate, evaluate, use and create information. It also refers to the ability to understand and use information in multiple
formats from a wide range of sources when presented viacomputers, or to a person’s ability to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment. Digital literacy includes the ability to read
and interpret media, reproduce data and images through digital manipulation, and evaluate and apply new knowledge gained from digital environments
 
Media and information literacy (MIL): the essential competencies (knowledge, skills and attitude) that allow citizens to engage with media and other information providers effectively and develop critical thinking and life-long learning skills for socializing and becoming active citizens.

Media literacy :Understanding and usingmass mediain either an assertive or non-assertive way, including an informed and critical understanding of media, the techniques they employ and their
effects. Also the ability to read, analyze, evaluate and producecommunication in a variety of media forms (e.g. television, print,radio, computers etc.). Another understanding of the term is the
ability to decode, analyze, evaluate and produce communication in a variety of forms. 

I'm also interested in the recent work done by Jane Secker and Emma Coonan on A new curriculum for information literacy (ANCIL)
Their model of the IL landscape also puts IL at the heart of a number of other literacies such as academic literacies, new literacies, media literacy and digital literacy.  They are touching on the verge of metaliteracy but don't quite make that connection with social media and individuals as creators of content in the same way.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Chris,

    Thank you for sharing these definitions with the participants of the MOOC! They are definitely useful for others, however for me, they just confuse me even more. If those three definitions were placed in front of me, I would consider them to be synonyms. Therefore, it is great to know that we are taking measures to differentiate between these important terms regarding metaliteracy. My question to you is, do you really believe that these three words warrant three different definitions? Why or why not?

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  2. Hi Chris,
    I'm thoroughly interested in your topic. Following with interest!

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