Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) have launched their Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy. Their strategy aims to bring together the fields of information literacy and media literacy into a combined set of knowledge, skills and attitudes required for living and working in the 21st century.
Media and Information Literacy recognizes the primary role of information and media in our everyday lives. It lies at the core of freedom of expression and information – since it empowers citizens to understand the functions of media and other information providers, to critically evaluate their content, and to make informed decisions as users and producer of information and media content.

ebooks : Keystones to Foster Inclusive Knowledge Societies (c2015)

UNESCO. (2015). Keystones to foster inclusive knowledge societies : access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression, privacy and ethics on a global internet. Paris : UNESCO.

Click HERE to read/download the English version of the ebook.

Info from UNESCO website about this new publication:

The Study, as mandated by its 37th General Conference Resolution 52 (2013), is titled “Keystones to Foster Inclusive Knowledge Societies: Access to information and knowledge, Freedom of Expression, Privacy and Ethics on a Global Internet”. The study was built on a year-long multistakeholder consultation process, which involved several rounds of consultation with member states and other actors, as well as almost 200 major responses to an online questionnaire.

As a part of this multi-stakeholder consultative process, UNESCO has organized theCONNECTing the Dots Conference on 3 and 4 March 2015, with 400 participants from all stakeholder groups, from across the world, reviewing the draft Study. Ahead of the conference, the draft study was put online in open consultation with stakeholders. All those comments and suggestions, received through the Conference and online consultation, have been incorporated into the final version of the Study.

The Study includes the Options for future actions of UNESCO in the Internet related issues, which has served as a basis for the Outcome Document as adopted by the “CONNECTing the Dots” conference.

The Study also affirmed that the same rights that people have offline must be protected online, and good practices are shared between Member States and other stakeholders, in order to address security and privacy concerns on the Internet and in accordance with international human rights obligations. The Study also supports the Internet Universality principles (R.O.A.M) that promote a human rights-based approach, including freedom of expression, privacy, open Internet, accessible to all and characterized by multistakeholder participation”.

International Essay Contest for Young People

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Register Now! UNESCO’s Online Media and Information Literacy Course for Youth

Register Now! UNESCO’s Online Media and Information Literacy Course for Youth | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNESCO, in partnership with Athabasca University and in cooperation with the UNESCO-UNAOC University Network on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, opens a third call for registration for online course on media and information literacy (MIL).

This entry-level online course will provide youth with basic media and information competencies to become critical citizens and agents of change. The course is designed to enable youth to:

Understand why media and other information providers are important to development and democratic societies;

Recognise a need for information and to locate, access, organise and carefully evaluate information and the content of media and other information providers;

Use and share information based on moral principles or accepted standards of social behaviour - inlight of opportunities and potential risks;

Interact with media and other information providers to freely express themselves, share their culture and learn about other cultures, promote gender equality, and participate in democratic and development activities.

The course is based on the MIL Curriculum and the Freedom of Expression (FOE) Toolkit published by UNESCO. A central theme throughout this 10-week course is how media and information literacy can enable youth to be actively involved in intercultural dialogue, advocating for equality between women/girls and men/boys, and freedom of expression. 

The course is offered through Athabasca University’s online e-Lab, using the learning management system, Moodle. Most sessions will be self-directed, with ongoing interaction with the course presenters in the online space. Athabasca is a Canadian university that holds a UNESCO Chair on open education resources. Athabasca University is an associate member of the UNESCO-UNAOC University Network on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue.

Applicants should be youth (females and males between the ages 15-25). Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate from Athabasca University.

In order to successfully complete this course participants will need regular access to a computer and Internet access to download documents, listen to podcasts and view online videos.

To apply, please click here. Application must be completed by 20 April 2015. There are no associated fees to participants who wish to do this course.

Overview of Information Literacy Resources Worldwide, 2nd ed.

Overview of Information Literacy Resources Worldwide

by Forest Woody Horton, Jr.

2nd ed., c2014

Click HERE to read / download a pdf copy.

Click HERE to view / download the 1^st edition.

New Information Literacy (IL) book from Unesco

This collection of Information Literacy (IL) Resources from around the world is divided into 42 language lists and includes selected resources – from websites, books, journals and other kinds of publications – that were provided by contributors from different countries and institutions and compiled by Dr Forest Woody Horton Jr.

In order to provide an inclusive and multilingual approach, this publication brings together contributions from IL experts from all over the world. By listing resources in several widely spoken languages, it enables professionals, researchers and individuals from various backgrounds and nationalities to access relevant information in their native languages.

 The author’s objective is that school teachers and school librarians, at the appropriate primary and secondary grade levels, team together to prepare lesson plans and tutorials to introduce information literacy training into the classroom, by using the extensive native language resources. In addition, it is also expected that Library and Information Science faculty at higher education institutions, independent practicing IL consultants, and private sector training companies will collaborate closely to design, organize workshops to train native language IL trainers.

Download your e-copy from Unesco here.