Media Literacy Recap for Students & Families

During the past two weeks, students and families had the opportunity to participate in and learn from a Media Literacy retreat lead by Cedar Crest College Communications Assistant Professor, Elizabeth Ortiz.

Starting with the definition of Media Literacy, the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms, Elizabeth Ortiz in partnership with Swain School Counselor, Helene Helene Perrucci-Kinsman, and Technology Integration Specialist, Pat Ruffing discussed the roles that media and technology play in our lives. 

Our family session included a presentation from Elizabeth Ortiz, feedback from the Student retreat, and resources and tools for families. 

Student Retreat Feedback

What students wished their adult family members knew...

• "Not all technology is bad.  Some helps you better understand yourself or others."
• "I wish adults knew that they also need to spend time not checking their phones."
• "I wish adults were more aware about cyber bullying that occurs."
• "I wish that they knew that it is very hard sometimes to go to an adult because sometimes you are embarrassed, scared, or ashamed of that happened."

What students wished their classmates knew...

• "Technology is not everything."
• That sometimes it is best to not even be on those platforms."
• "... that it isn't nice to cyber bully or make fun of people online and that they should not do it even if they think it is 'cool'."
• "That you have to think before you post."

What students want to learn more about...

• Creating Media (apps, coding, websites, and how media works)
• Recommend times, sites, ages for media use. 
• "Mental health because that was helpful."
• "How to help your friends and always act immediately (if you see something problematic online)."
• "More specifics on how to deal with unfortunate situations, how to have a healthier relationship with social media."
• I want to learn about how companies compete for our attention so that I can better avoid them."

Positive v. Negatives of Connecting on Social Media

Both families and students learned that there are many benefits and drawbacks to connecting with technology and social media.  The benefits discussed included staying connected with friends and meeting new friends with shared interest.  Online communities that support specific interests, an outlet to explore and express yourself, and a forum to share artwork and music are all addition benefits.  However, with so much access to information and people all over the world, there are some drawbacks that families need to consider.  Drawbacks include:

• Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content
• Cyber bullying, a risk factor for depression and suicide
• Oversharing personal information
• Exposure to excessive advertisements and data collection of teen users private information
• Interference with sleep, exercise, school work, or family activities. 

Families can mitigate these drawbacks and benefit from the many positives that social media has to offer by learning and applying some best practices to their lives. These best practices include frequent conversations about responsible social media use (establishing rules and monitoring child activities), discussing appropriate sharing, limiting time and location of usage, and becoming familiar with privacy and location settings. 

Resources and Tools for Families:

Media Smarts 

Media Literacy Now

NAMLE

Common Sense Media