Information, Technology, and Media Literacies

Information, technology, and media literacies are the components of what are now commonly called new literacies or digital literacy. An attempt to capture all the dimensions of literacy that are important for 21st-century learning, these new terms draw on the theories and concepts underlying their technological ancestors, from print to analog to early digital materials. Because these “new literacies” assume that contemporary learning requires an understanding of how to use—and create— digital products, understanding their relationship to what we know about learning with earlier formats is critical for today’s educational technologists. This entry first defines information literacy, technology literacy, and media literacy. The entry then explains how these literacies have converged, with information literacy playing a central role, and discusses the importance of information literacy ...