Digital Literacy Overview

Media Literacy

• Definition: Ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media; fosters lifelong learning.
• Importance: Enhances critical thinking, helps students form independent opinions, and promotes informed citizenship.

Information Literacy

• Definition: Skill to recognize when information is needed and to access, locate, evaluate, and effectively use it.
• Importance: Distinguishes relevant sources, aids in research skills, and fosters knowledge collection for issue resolution.

Digital Literacy

• Definition: Ability to utilize digital technology and communication tools for content management and sharing.
• Importance: Vital for effective participation in a digital world, enhances creativity and expression through technology.

Cultural Literacy

• Definition: Understanding a society's values, historical references, and contextual narratives.
• Importance: Enables deeper comprehension of social and political dynamics through diverse contextual lenses.

Ecology of Media and Information Literacy (MIL)

• Refers to interconnected systems of media, technology, people, and information.
• Media literacy encompasses various forms including cinema, games, television, news, and advertising.

Freedom of Expression (FOE) vs. Freedom of Information (FOI)

• FOE: Ability to convey information freely; includes platforms for expression like symposiums.
• FOI: Ability to access specific information; knowing how to find resources in libraries.

Characteristics of Media

• Authorship: Media messages are crafted with intention; creators have specific goals.
• Format: Aesthetic differences exist among various media; unique creative languages are utilized.
• Audience: Interpretation of media varies; audiences negotiate meanings based on personal experiences.
• Content: Media reflects society, embedding social and political values and viewpoints.
• Purpose: Media often serves business interests aimed at profit generation.

Media Theories

• Agenda-Setting Theory: Media shapes public opinion by prioritizing specific issues.
• Uses and Gratification Theory: Audiences select media based on personal needs like identity, information, and entertainment.
• Cultivation Theory: Long-term exposure to media influences audience perceptions and behaviors.

Modes of Reading

• Dominant Reading: Acceptance of a media message as intended by the producer.
• Oppositional Reading: Rejection of the preferred message, creating individual interpretation.
• Negotiated Reading: Combining acceptance and rejection; partial agreement with media messages.

Propaganda Model

• Describes how media manipulate public perception through advertising, ownership conflicts, sourced information, and fear-mongering tactics.

Symbolic Interactionism

• Emphasizes subjective meanings assigned to objects and ideas, shaped through language and communication.

McLuhan’s Technological Determinism

• Suggests society evolves through changes in media technology; each era influenced by key media forms.

Spiral of Silence Theory

• Proposes individuals may withhold opinions that go against prevailing majority views.

Media Models

• Public Sphere Model: Promotes public interests and views the audience as active citizens, focusing on societal welfare.
• Market Model: Business-driven perspective, perceiving the audience as consumers, prioritizing profit and demand.

Information

• Definition: Collected, processed, and interpreted data presented in usable forms; shapes knowledge and consciousness.

Stages of Information Literacy

• Key phases include recognizing information needs, locating sources, evaluating quality, organizing, and ethically using information to create new knowledge.

Typology of Information

• Factual Information: Direct, non-explanatory data often found in reference materials.
• Analytical Information: Provides interpretations and insights based on factual data.### Information Types
• Subjective Information: Based on a single point of view.
• Objective Information: Incorporates multiple perspectives and presents a balanced argument.

Sources of Information

• Primary Sources: Original materials from a specific period, including firsthand accounts from experts or witnesses (e.g., evidence).
• Secondary Sources: Documents created post-event that provide second-hand accounts and different perspectives.

Information Summary

• Factual Information: Raw data without interpretation.
• Analytical Information: Interpretation of the facts that add context.
• Subjective vs. Objective:
  • Subjective: Based on personal standards.
  • Objective: Based on a consensus of multiple viewpoints.
• Primary vs. Secondary:
  • Primary: First-hand sources.
  • Secondary: Second-hand sources.

Typography and Typeface

• Typography: The art of arranging text to ensure clarity and visual appeal, influencing decision-making.
• Font: Variations of typefaces, including size and weight.
• Typeface: A family of fonts.
• Importance of Typeface: Enhances information presentation, akin to clothing enhances personal appearance.

Typeface Categories

• Serif: Typeface with small decorative edges, symbolizing tradition and formality.
• Sans Serif: Lacks decorative edges, conveys a modern and minimalist feel.
• Script: Mimics brush strokes, adds dynamism when paired with sans serif.
• Decorative: Prioritizes aesthetics over readability.

Visual Information in Photography

• Selective Focus: Highlights the subject by blurring surrounding elements.
• Emotional Focus: Evokes emotions in viewers through the presentation.
• Lighting and Shadow: Crucial for picture quality; proper lighting prevents underexposure or overexposure.
• Depth of Field: The focus range in an image.
  • Shallow Depth of Field: Focused on one sharp area, ideal for portraits.
  • Deep Depth of Field: Everything in the frame is acceptably sharp.

Visual Elements

• Dot: Basic visual component, also known as a point; cannot be further divided.
• Lines: Guide viewer's eye to the subject; they can frame or distract if overused. Definition includes straight or curvy variations.