Tech Literacy

I recently came across an article discussing a program a librarian from New Jersey began at the high school she works for.  In this article they discuss how she makes her students aware of media bias.  She encourages the students to look at an article and decide if it is trustworthy or not and how to recognize bias terms. 

This is such an important lesson, not just for teens, but for all of us.  More and more teens and young adults get their news from social media and it becomes even more difficult to discern bias or disinformation.  Teenagers’ developmental stage is to “save the world from itself, “ I think every parent, educator and influential adult in a teens’ life should give a teenager the opportunity to do just that, and not stand in their own way.  However it is also our responsibility to set a good example, question our bias, beliefs, etc and ask powerful questions of teens to allow them to form their own beliefs and opinions.  

“When cars were invented, for instance, auto safety wasn’t widely talked about, seatbelts weren’t a priority and learning how to drive was a whole new landscape, she said.”

“(Cell) phones are like cars,” Polites told CNN. “But we haven’t really taught people how to use them ethically, efficiently and responsibly.” (CNN report January22, 2024, Alisha Ebrahmiji)

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/21/us/teaching-media-literacy-in-schools?cid=ios_app

As a life coach for teen and young adult life coach, I too have to check my bias and opinions at the door.  The goal of coaching is to allow the client to become the best version of themselves, not the version I “think” is right or better and not the parents’ ideas either.  This is empowerment and it is what make my job so rewarding!