New Media Literacy or Why Johnny Can't Research

The reading this week on media literacy provides an interesting place to start a discussion but I feel it it significantly lacking in providing a clear understanding of the real-world challenges found in a new media world. Specifically I feel the report fails to address the lack of both research skills and an understanding of intellectual property rights which are both key to being an active member of a participatory society.

The report does touch on the "ethical challenge" of a participatory culture but this is primarily discussed as what kind of information is appropriate to make public and appropriate conduct in a participatory society. While behavior in online worlds and knowing what, when and why information should be made public are critical skills there is perhaps a more pressing need for an understanding of intellectual property and rights. This is needed if for no other reason than to encourage a real debate about the changing nature of IP and what changes, if any, should be codified in law. Much of the participatory culture, especially as it is found on the Internet, relies on collaboration, "re-mixing", "re-using" and sharing on a scale and with ease not considered in the past. These changes require a response and an understanding of both the legal and ethical issues surrounding intellectual property something few adults, much less students have yet to fully understand. Furthermore, as interest in participatory culture makes it's way into the classrooms teachers must be prepared to deal with the challenges of grading and attributing these works as appropriate without harming the participatory nature.

Secondly there is the issue of search and research skills. As noted with the barrier to entry so low in a participatory culture there is a tremendous amount of data creation. In many ways this is the benefit of such a culture. Those in the know are more able than ever to share and collaborate without inhibitions or roadblocks. In many other ways this presents a challenge as the total amount of data and knowledge continues to grow exponentially and may easily contain inaccurate or misleading information. The amount of information available and the wide range of quality can easily become a problem for the novice, or even intermediate, researcher. Indeed, one of the skills which can potentially make you tremendously successful is the ability to locate and retrieve high quality information, from a variety of sources, about a given topic and analyze it as appropriate. This is a skill sorely lacking in much modern curriculum and one that I feel was glossed over in this report on media literacy when it should be a cornerstone of a media literate society.