Len Masterman, although writing on the subject ten years ago (a millenia in the context of the evolution of technology) clearly outlines the reasons that establishing a universal language of media literacy is imperative for students who want an education relevant to the world they inhabit. He explains the origins of media literacy as arising from a fear that the media was subversively and subconsciously indoctrinating young people. In their essay "Critical Media Literacy, Democracy, and the Reconstruction of Education," Kellner and Share point to the same origins in their summary of the protectionist approach to media literacy. Both articles, however, conclude that it is not enough to simply wage an intellectual war of morals against the media, but rather learn it's applications, and how we as individuals can become co-creators in the ever changing world we face.
    I strongly agree that it is an obligation of any educational system to continually reinvent itself in order to remain relevant. The children of today are not the children of yesterday, and neither is the world that they are being brought up in. If we have no say as to what images and sound permeate the air waves, then it is only fair that we are taught to analyze the context within which we live, and begin to see things as they are, and not how we are told they are. As a child I was lucky in the sense that there was minimal television in my home. It always stunned me when I went over to a friends whose parent actually let him have the remote and didn't care to remain in the room. The mind of a child is extremely susceptible to believing what it hears and sees, and commercials aimed at children are all too proficient in combining colors with songs to make the child believe that product will change their life. Such an acceptance of blatant commercialism will only be carried on through the years if teaching media literacy is not incorporated into all educational systems.
     After reading the above mentioned articles and considering the topic for myself, it would seem that by agreeing upon the need for a truly holistic and grounded study of the media and its various forms, education would not only be improved upon, but wholly transformed. The current state of public education seems to be one of mediocrity, adhering to the status quo, and not asking students to think critically. Establishing the importance of new media literacy would herald a shift in education towards a more global, progressive perspective. It would be the first change of many, and all for the better.