MEDIA AND

INFORMATION
LITERACY
 Opportunities,
Challenges and
Threats in Media
and Information
 Opportunities
■ Opportunities Online Shopping.
- Through online shopping and by using a web browser,
consumers can directly buy goods over the internet. Consumers
may visit the website of the retailer directly or search
alternative vendors’ websites using a shopping search engine.
■ Citizen Journalism.
- It is the collection, dissemination and analysis of news and
information by the general public, especially by means of
internet.
■ Online Education.
- With internet connection, anyone can earn a degree without
having to attend face-to-face class sessions.
Challenges
■ Age-inappropriate content.
- With the unabated spread of media, one has to be very careful about access.
There is a wealth of information one can gain from the Internet, but there is
also content that is unfit for children and young people like pornography and
violence.
■ Illegal content.
- The Internet has also been, and continues to be, used by unscrupulous people
to further their illegal activities, like human trafficking, the use of force, force,
fraud, or coercion to obtain a commercial sex act or labor, and child
pornography. Some groups also use the internet to further the ideas of racism
and discrimination.
■ Privacy invasion and identity theft.
- Data posted on the Internet may be accessed and used for illegal activities.
Personal information may be willing shared as pictures or text on social media or
inadvertently given by users as part of such offerings as games or surveys. It is
important for users to be aware of the risks before they decide to share their
personal data.
Threats and Risks of Media and Information
It is stated in the Philippine Constitution that each person has the
right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes freedom to
hold and express opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
These are some laws against the abuse and misuse of media and
information, which violate the rights of others and threaten them in some
ways.
■ Libel / Slander
- A person commits libel if he/she, with malice, publishes a false statement
that is damaging to another person’s reputation, office, trade, business
or means of livelihood. In the Philippine constitution, libel is a violation of
Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code. As stated in this article, libel can
be committed in the form of writing, printing, and other similar means. If
the hurtful statement is spoken, the statement is slander.
- General example of libel/slander: Spreading false rumors about someone
having an extra-marital affair, damaging the person’s reputation.
■ Piracy
- refers to the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content that
is then sold at substantially lower prices in the black market. It is
illegal under the Cybercrime Law, which states that acquiring any
digital copy of any copyrighted material is punishable by fine
from Php 200,000 to Php 500,000 and six to twenty years in
prison. The Intellectual Property Code and the Anti–Camcording
Law were previously in place to combat piracy in the country.
■ Cybercrime Law
- The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175)
covers all other online anomalies such as identity theft, child
pornography, data misuse, cybersquatting and other computer-
related and internet facilitated practices. This law became
controversial in 2012-2013 since it also criminalizes libel in the
online world, limiting certain exercises of freedom of expression.
 B. Education, Economic, Social and Political
Aspects and Influences of Media and
■Information
Media Innovation Literacy
- What is innovation? It is the process of developing a new method or process or product that
better serves existing uses or start to serve a previously unidentified need. When we talk
about media innovation, it includes the change in several aspects of the media landscape –
from the development of new media platforms to new business models, to new ways of
producing media texts changes in other areas such as education, society, economy and
politics.
■ Influence of Media on Education
- Nowadays, media plays a crucial role in strengthening society as it helps us to know the
current societal issues not only locally but also globally. It also enhances the teaching and
learning processes inside the four walls of the classrooms. Media comes in different forms and
each form affects the way people learn and interpret information.
■ Influence on Society
- Media’s power appears unstoppable. Almost everyone is exposed to countless media images,
advertisements, magazines, etc. With the advent of social media like Facebook, Instagram,
Messenger, Twitter, email and the like, we are connected in ways that were not possible before.
The communication line is always open. Because of these, necessary societal interactions,
camaraderie, and development of friendships are facilitated.
■ Economic Influence
- The new media has made it possible for any individual to offer
products and services online. The various media platforms are a
means to augment people’s income. It is indeed true that the new
media affect the economic progress and stability of the country.
- Innovation in media has likewise created new online jobs
opportunities such as tutorials in various subjects, airline booking,
art selling, product reviews on YouTube, blogging, photography and
other IT related jobs.
■ Political Influence
- With the wider internet reach in the Philippines and the
corresponding increase in Filipino social media users, political
individuals and parties and government agencies have realized the
effectiveness and power of social media platforms in terms of public
communication.
Massive Open
Online Course
■ Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
MOOC is an acronym for Massive Open Online Course. The word
“massive” means large number or amount, “open” means accessible to all,
“online” means connected to or available through a system, and “course”
means the act of moving in a path from point to point. Therefore, MOOC refers
to a route or pattern of getting a content or information available through an
online system that can be accessed by many people.
MOOC is also described as a pattern for providing learning information or
content online to any person who needs to take up a course with no limit on
attendance.
MOOCs are asynchronous web-based courses geared towards enabling several
hundreds of students all over the world to enroll and learn from top world-
renowned academic institutions at the same time. MOOCs deliver content via
recorded video lectures, online readings, and online assessments, with various
degrees of student student and student-instructor interactions. Many MOOC-
providers offer free courses, which entice more people to enroll. There are
MOOCs that provide certificates of completion to the students; however, most
of them do not count for college credit. The concept of MOOC was invented in
2008 by Dave Cormier, from the University of Prince Edward Island
Types of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
There are two main types of MOOCs:
■ 1. xMOOCs
xMOOC stands for eXtended MOOC. xMOOCs are based on traditional
university course structures and make use of established teaching approaches
and materials. Students will watch pre-recorded lectures, complete required
readings, and participate in discussions as produced and managed by a course
instructor or an instructional team from a higher education institution. These are
typically self-contained and rarely utilize content external to the main content
delivery and learning platform.
■ 2. cMOOCs
cMOOC stands for Connectivist MOOC. cMOOCs are based on the
connectivist learning model that favors collaboration among learners as a form
of active learning. Students in cMOOC work together to locate, evaluate, and
contribute to the course content by uploading materials in the form of tweets,
blog posts, wikis and others, to the course using the learning platform. A cMOOC
instructor or instructional team facilitates learning by finalizing, aggregating,
and assessing the students’ contributions to the course.
1. Relax requirements – MOOC can be taken by anyone who is interested in
the subject matter and able to access the course, regardless of age,
background, or location.
2. Video format availability - Teaching in a modern video format (not just
texts like those that you’d find in other e-learning courses).
3. Accessibility- learning content from top universities like Harvard,
Stanford, etc. can be opened through online format.
4. Repetition- an MOOC will often run two or three times a year, ensuring
that students would not miss their chance.
5. High quality- MOOCs are led by subject matter experts (SMEs) and
supported by teaching assistants, so that students have access to first-rate
educational resources.
6. Feasibility- an MOOC usually requires 1-2 hours of study a week for about
5 weeks, making learning doable even for busy students.
7. Self-paced- an MOOC enables students to work through the course
materials and assessments at their own pace.
8. Online collaboration- learners across the globe work together on common
goals without the need to meet each other in person.
What are some MOOC platforms?
a. Coursera has over 20 million learners/participants. Courses
were created by the universities of Stanford, Princeton,
Yale, London, Munich, Zurich, and many more.
b. EdX has around 10 million learners/participants. Courses
were created from Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, and Oxford,
among others.
c. Udacity is created as an MOOC platform at Stanford. Now
mostly programming courses in cooperation with industry
partners such as Google, Facebook, or Daimler. Course
topics include artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.
d. FutureLearn is MOOC platform (UK-based) which includes
various British and European universities. Courses offered
are shorter in duration compared to others.