Media Literacy vs. Traditional Literacy

Traditional literacy skills and media literacy skills go hand in hand. They both require the students to read and comprehend the article, use prior knowledge, and make predictions. However, with media literacy skills, the students need to know how to check the validity of the online article to make sure it is a reliable source. They also have to interpret visual images, read URLs, use search engines to find information, etc. If students only have one set of skills they may struggle either in the classroom or online. I believe that having both sets of skills will benefit children the most because the internet is not going away any time soon, so we, as teachers and students should embrace it.