Media education in should be taught in all schools. David Considine a professor at Appalachian State University says that �along with the family, schools and churches, mass media must surely be considered major agents of socialization and therefore worthy of study.� (Rubin, 2003, p.1). If this is true and mass media is a �major agent of socialization� then why wouldn�t it be taught in all schools? The truth is that the United States is behind most of the European countries and Canada, where media literacy has reached official status and is required in all grades 7 to 12. In Canada media literacy is part of the core curriculum, every province has its own program. The program is mandated and is supported by good text books and other teaching materials, says Rick Shepherd from Teach Magazine. Who do you think funds all this media education? The answer is the media themselves fund it; the networks and cable providers provide most of the funding for this type of education. Still Shepherd believes it is not enough. He says that, �Many of the issuers media literacy naturally addresses- such as gender stereotyping, representation of racial and ethnic minorities, consumerism- need to be dealt with far earlier in students� lives than in early adolescence. If media literacy is worthwhile at the secondary level, it is doubly worthwhile at the elementary.� (Media Awareness Network, 2003)
Media education includes hands on production and understanding of media, critical viewing and understanding of different types of media and looking at the issues and influences that media bring to our attention and the power they have over us. Media education can be as simple as asking questions such as, �Do you know someone like Homer Simpson� and �Do you want your parents to be like the those in 90210?� (Aufderheide, 1998, p. 17) Other questions include, How do you think the media is constructed? What may have been left out? Who produces the media and why? Who profits? Who loses? Who decides? All of these questions are a start in becoming media literate. The more questions you ask the more aware you become and becoming aware is one of the main purposes of media education and becoming media literate. producer chose the catch phrase. (Hobbs, 1994). These lesson plans show how media literacy education has been brought to the class room and how students of all ages, around the world are learning about the media.