• Unit 4: Critical Media Literacies and Associated Digital Skills (LiDA104)

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    In Unit 4 we explore the concept of media literacy and apply this knowledge to access, analyze, evaluate, and create digital media. Critical Media Literacies and Associated Digital Skills (LiDA104) is the fourth of four micro-courses for the Learning in a Digital Age course.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 40 hours.

    • On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • develop critical media literacy skills and use multi-modal communication to express outputs of learning effectively in a digital online environment:
        • compare and contrast definitions of media literacy and new media literacy in the context of the history of mass media and newer forms of social media and citizen journalism;
        • explain how the medium and publisher influences the message in mass media;
        • explain how social media influences attitudes and behavior in contemporary society;
        • apply critical media literacies to assess, analyse, and evaluate the reliability of reporting in the mass media;
        • apply skills in using digital media for visual and multi-modal presentation to support learning.

    • 4.1: Introduction to Media Literacy

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      In this subunit, we explore the meaning of media literacy in a digital age. Media, as a form of communication, is never ideologically neutral. Therefore, it is important to develop critical skills to analyze and evaluate media online. Media literacy also encompasses the skills of creating media, so we encourage learners to participate in the optional photo challenge for each pathway in this micro-course.

    • 4.2: Mass Media

      In this subunit, we investigate theoretical perspectives on mass media focusing on how the medium and organizations can influence the message. Media literacy requires you to develop a critical disposition for analysis and evaluation. We explore video and text resources from different sources, and you will apply your skills of discernment when reviewing online online resources. As a digital citizen, you should engage in ethical an ethical learning process: the diverse global audience will not tolerate flaming, trolling, or inappropriate behavior.

    • 4.3: Web Literacy for Fact-Checking

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      The web is unique and differs substantially from traditional print materials. This learning pathway will focus on practical strategies, tactics and tools to support learners when analyzing and evaluating contemporary news and other resources on the web.

    • 4.4: Create Media

      Social-media-devices.jpgThe ability to create media is a key component of the definition of media literacy. In this subunit we focus on developing digital skills for different media modalities to prepare to create a multimodal presentation. This subunit is assembled as a progression from simple to more complex objectives that will enable you to:

      • Create static images (remixing scalable vector graphics to produce a diagram);
      • Create moving images assembled from static images (GIF animation for visual interest or explanation of a concept);
      • Generate a sequence of static and moving images for a web-based presentation (using the Reveal.js framework for online presentations);
      • Record and remix audio (generating an audio file from multiple tracks for inclusion in a video).

      These component skills will enable you to assemble and remix a multimodal online presentation.

    • LiDA104 Edubit Assessment

      Assessment Competency: Develop critical media literacy skills and use multimodal communication to express outputs of learning effectively in a digital online environment.