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9

Literacy Skills

You live in the information age, which means that you consume and produce information at a faster rate than any generation before.

Information, Media, and Technology Literacy

Information literacy begins with understanding the many forms that information takes. Information comes in pictures, diagrams, PSAs, Web pages, billboards, bank statements, train schedules—anything that people create to communicate. The communication situation is the key that can unlock these media and help you understand the message.

Sender, Message, Receiver, Medium, and Context
  • Sender: Who created this message? Is the sender one person, a group, unknown? What authority does the sender have?
  • Message: What is the subject? The main point? The purpose? What ideas support the main point? Is the message reliable?
  • Medium: What medium is used? How public is it? What strengths does the medium have? What weaknesses?
  • Receiver: Who is reading, hearing, or viewing this message? Is the receiver one person, a group, unknown? How will the receiver feel about the message? What should the receiver do with the message?
  • Context: In what place and time was the message created? In what place and time will it be received? What came before? What should come after?

Financial Literacy

You may already have a job, or you may be searching for one. Jobs involve a set of challenges and responsibilities. You need to acquire these skills:

  • Fiscal responsibility
  • Career planning
  • Money management
  • Credit and debt management
  • Risk management
  • Saving and investing

Your Turn

  1. Think about a message you recently received. Use the questions above to analyze each part of the communication situation.
  2. What medium do you prefer for casual messages: talking face to face, texting, phoning, using social media? Why do you prefer this medium?
  3. What career are you aiming for? Look online to find the starting yearly wage for that job. Divide that number by 12. Where do you want to live? Look online to find average monthly prices for apartments. How much money will be left after you’ve paid your rent? Consider how far that money will stretch to cover your other expenses.
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Additional Resources

Web page: Washington Post, "Rise of the digital information age"

Web page: U of ID, "Information Literacy"

Web site: U of KS, Preparing Public Service Announcements

Web site: Ad Council, PSA Central

Web page: Wikipedia, "Public service announcement"

Web site: PBS, "What Is Financial Literacy?"

Web page: U.S. Treasury Dept., "Financial Literacy and Education Commission"

Web site: MyMoney.gov

Web page: Time, "Weak Financial Literacy Scores Threaten a Global Education Movement"

Web site: Practical Money Skills, Financial Literacy for Everyone