Media Literacy is the ability to understand, utilize, share information, and create messages through media of all kinds. This lab taught me things I never even realized about digital media and how it impacts my daily life. I never realized how saturated we are by it every single day of our lives.  Also, while I knew anything we post via  social media sites are forever on the web, I did not think about the fact that our digital footprint begins before we even enter the world! Our digital footprint documents our lives on the web, and while I think that it’s fascinating, I also think it’s scary. Anything you put on the internet can be linked to you, and this could be detrimental to our future as educators if we are not smart.

Teaching children media literacy is more important in today’s media-saturated society than ever before; not only for the purpose of teaching children the proper way to portray oneself online, but also because children with media literacy skills will be better prepared for a successful future. It is extremely important for teachers to equip students with the critical thinking skills they need in order to utilize media to its maximum academic potential. As a teacher, I will encourage my students to use and understand media so they will be able to enhance their learning experiences.