Media specialists should develop students' skills in both traditional reading and digital formats.

What is a key goal for media specialists in promoting literacy?

• A. To develop students’ skills in both traditional reading and digital formats
• B. To ensure all students read at the same level
• C. To increase library attendance
• D. To select the most popular books for the collection

Answer: (A)

A key goal for media specialists in promoting literacy involves developing students' skills in both traditional reading and digital formats. This dual focus is essential because contemporary literacy extends beyond simply reading printed materials to include proficient navigation and understanding of digital content. In today's technology-driven world, students need to be equipped with competencies that enable them to engage with various media, critically evaluate information, and effectively communicate across multiple platforms. Fostering skills in both areas ensures that students are prepared for the demands of the 21st century, where literacy encompasses a wide range of skills including digital literacy, visual literacy, and information literacy. This holistic approach helps to create lifelong learners who can adapt to changing technologies and the diverse ways information is presented and consumed in society. Other options focus on narrower aspects of literacy promotion, such as ensuring uniform reading levels, increasing library attendance, or selecting popular books, which do not encapsulate the comprehensive goal of developing well-rounded literacy skills suitable for the modern landscape.

Literacy for the 21st century isn’t a single lane. It’s a busy highway that runs through printed books, websites, videos, podcasts, and a dozen other formats. For media specialists, that means the big goal isn’t just to push more reading—it's to cultivate students who read thoughtfully in traditional ways and with equal skill across digital formats. In short: develop students’ skills in both traditional reading and digital formats. Let me explain how that works in schools, in classrooms, and in the heart of every modern media center.

Why dual literacy matters

Think about a student who loves a printed novel but stumbles when a web article cites dubious sources. Or imagine a kid who can skim a bold headline online yet struggles to interpret a long, carefully crafted essay in a magazine. The modern reader doesn’t get to choose one medium and ignore the rest. Literacy today is multi-format by design: the ability to comprehend, analyze, and create across print, digital, and visual content is the real edge.

Here’s the thing: digital literacy isn’t just about clicking. It’s about evaluating credibility, recognizing bias, and following a trail of sources to separate fact from rumor. It’s also about choosing the right format for the message. A powerful argument might live best in a short, engaging video, while a meticulous report benefits from clean, print-like organization. When media specialists help students navigate both sides of this coin, they equip learners to thrive in college, careers, and everyday life.

What counts as traditional reading versus digital formats

Traditional reading is still essential. It builds deep concentration, stamina, and a tactile familiarity with physical text—the way margins invite marginalia, the rhythm of chapters, the pause between pages. But digital formats bring speed, interactivity, and a breadth of resources that a printed page can’t match. Digital literacy includes:

• Skimming and close reading in digital environments

• Sourcing, evaluating, and citing online information

• Understanding multimedia elements: images, audio, video, hyperlinks

• Navigating search tools, databases, and digital libraries

• Creating content in digital formats—blogs, slides, podcasts, short videos

The combination isn’t just additive; it’s synergistic. When students practice both, they learn to transfer skills. They learn to ask questions like: Which source best serves my purpose? What evidence supports this claim? How does the medium shape the message?

The media center as a learning hub

A school media center isn’t a quiet warehouse of books anymore. It’s a dynamic space where reading, research, and creation collide. Media specialists act as curators, teachers, coaches, and sometimes editors of curiosity. Their role in promoting literacy across formats includes several core responsibilities:

• Curating a balanced collection that spans print and digital resources

• Teaching information literacy—how to locate, evaluate, and organize sources

• Integrating media literacy—how to interpret visuals, video, and online narratives

• Collaborating with classroom teachers to design projects that require both reading formats

• Supporting students in responsible digital citizenship and ethical use of information

In this setup, the library becomes a lab where reading is not a solitary act but a collaborative process. Students aren’t just absorbing content; they’re choosing formats, testing ideas, and presenting conclusions in ways that fit the medium and the message.

Practical strategies that work in real schools

If you’re curious about how schools translate this goal into everyday practice, here are some approachable, real-world strategies that keep both traditional and digital literacies in motion:

• Build a combined collection. It’s not enough to have a great shelf of classic novels. Pair them with eBooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines. A reading space that flexes between cozy corners and high-tech hubs invites different kinds of engagement.

• Teach source literacy across formats. Start with something simple—an article on a current event—and unpack it with the students: Who published it? When was it updated? What evidence supports the claims? Then compare it to a blog post, a video, and a chart. The goal is to sharpen judgment across formats, not just in one lane.

• Design cross-format projects. A science unit might require a traditional research report plus a multimedia presentation. A history unit could pair a primary-source document with a short documentary and a reflective blog post. Students learn to adapt their thinking to the strengths of each medium.

• Use real-world tasks. Have students assemble a mini-media kit: a short, print summary of findings and a digital version with hyperlinks, a visual infographic, and maybe a quick podcast summary. This mirrors how professionals share information in the real world.

• Foster digital citizenship. We’re not just teaching students to find information; we’re teaching them to share it responsibly. Discuss citation practices, respectful online communication, and the ethics of remixing content.

• Leverage familiar tools. Platforms like Libby/OverDrive for digital books, Sora for school lending, Britannica for reliable reference, and even simple word processing or slide tools can become learning labs when used with purposeful guidance. The key is to model thoughtful selection and credible use, not just how to click.

• Encourage reflective habits. After a project, ask students to compare their experiences with traditional and digital sources. Which format helped their argument most? Where did they stumble, and how could they improve next time?

A few classroom- and library-friendly examples

Let’s anchor this with a couple of crisp examples you might see integrated into a school week:

• The mystery of credibility. Students compare two articles on a science topic—one from a trusted encyclopedia and one from a site with less clear credentials. They map out differences in tone, sourcing, and evidence, then produce a short digital guide teaching peers how to spot red flags.

• The visual story. A literature unit invites students to create a visual presentation that captures a scene’s mood using imagery, color, and typography. They pair the visuals with a printed character diary, highlighting how mood shifts across formats.

• The information literacy scavenger hunt. A librarian-led activity guides students through a series of online and offline sources to answer a robust research question. The hunt ends with a joint mini-presentation that shows both print notes and a linked digital resource list.

A few guiding beliefs that shape every strategy

You’ll notice three ideas that tend to recur in successful programs:

• Literacy is a flexible, transferable skill. The same critical thinking you use to analyze a newspaper article should be usable in a YouTube documentary or a podcast transcript. The medium may change, but the core questions stay the same.

• The library is a launchpad, not a last stop. Access to diverse formats matters. But access alone isn’t enough; students also need guidance about when and why to choose one format over another.

• Learning is social. Reading in a group, debating a source, co-creating a multimedia project—these practices strengthen understanding and make literacy feel relevant, not abstract.

Common misconceptions—and why they miss the mark

Some folks still think literacy is just about getting every student to equal print-reading levels. Others assume digital literacy means speed-reading through tabs and swiping quick. Neither view captures the full picture. True literacy today means navigating a spectrum: from close reading of a printed text to quick, critical evaluation of online sources; from a pencil in hand to a stylus on a tablet; from a static page to a live, interactive video or podcast. It’s not about picking one path; it’s about building multiple lanes that students can drive confidently.

A note on the broader framework

If you’re exploring topics related to the GACE framework, you’ll find that the emphasis on developing students’ skills in both traditional reading and digital formats aligns with many state standards for literacy, information literacy, and media literacy. The aim isn’t to train a narrow set of exam-ready tactics but to embed durable capabilities that help learners think, create, and communicate across formats. When you see these ideas in action, you recognize how a well-supported media program becomes the backbone of a school’s literacy culture.

Closing thought: toward lifelong learners

The real payoff isn’t a single assignment or a single grade. It’s a shift in how students approach information—how they select sources, how they weigh evidence, and how they adapt their message to the audience and the medium. The dual focus on traditional reading and digital formats nurtures curious minds, resilient readers, and confident communicators. In a world where news cycles turn on a dime and every classroom encounters a hundred screens, that combination isn’t optional. It’s essential.

If you’re stepping into a media center or collaborating with teachers, keep this simple compass in mind: balance what you collect with how you teach it; honor the strength of printed text while embracing the power and responsibility of digital content; and treat every reading activity as a chance to sharpen judgment, creativity, and collaboration. When students leave your space, they should carry with them not just a bookshelf full of titles, but a toolkit for navigating information with clarity, integrity, and curiosity. And that, in the end, is literacy that lasts.