According to this month's guest author, Mary Moen, the need for Media Literacy as part of our education was pointed out as far back as the 50's, in the early days of radio. Only recently, however, have State Academic Standards reflected that need. Mary's teaching of Media Literacy began in the early seventies, when the English Department at West High School in Madison, WI, chose to offer electives to the 10th, 11th and 12th grade classes. The course she created addressed the need for everyone to recognize the power of the media and its effect on our every day decisions and attitudes. Since that time, Mary has gone on to win numerous teaching awards - among them The CBS and Boston University National Award for Teaching Television in the Classroom, the Wisconsin Outstanding Teacher Award and The Herb Kohl Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence. Now retired from the traditional classroom Mary is a teacher- educator for the Discovery Channel.

What is Media Literacy and how does it differ from Information Literacy? According to the Wisconsin State Model for Academic Standards, Information Literacy is, "The ability to access, evaluate and use information in a variety of sources." Mary's definition of Media Literacy is, "The ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate messages in a variety of forms." So...according to Mary, both Information Literacy and Media Literacy appear to be the huge umbrella under which all forms of Literacy belong. For more, read Mary's insightful and practical article. (Rosemary Lehman - DESIEN)