Free Speech in an Era of Digital Platforms
DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 TIME: 10:00-11:00 AMLOCATION: Online. Free  REGISTER HERE  In this seminar, we consider the scope of rights granted to Americans by the First Amendment and examine both the benefits and drawbacks of free speech in the era of digital platforms…
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Digital Literacy and Fandom Culture
Read here about our full webinar series on Leading from the Library.In this webinar, we'll discuss how interest and participation in fandom culture contributes to the development of digital literacy skills. Drawing on principles of connected learning and the Virginia Tech Digital Literacy Framework, participants will explore how learning…
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Media Literacy is for Everyone
In response to the enthusiasm and excitement around our last event in October, we are excited to officially invite you back to Rhode Island PBS for the next event in the recurring series, “Media Literacy is for Everyone”.  DATE: Tuesday, February 11 TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 PM ESTLOCATION: Rhode Island PBS, 50 Park Ln, Providence, RI We're dedicated to the process of building relationships, identifying…
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Digital Authorship Graduate Course
Digital Authorship (EDC 534) is offered in the Spring of 2025 semester by Professor Renee Hobbs. It is one of four required courses in the Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy. The course is offered fully online in an asynchronous format for Anytime Learning.​DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS JANUARY 20, 2025 ABOUT THE COURSE: The course examines how AI tools can be used for creative expression and…
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Book Party, Media Literacy in Action, 2nd Edition
Join Renee Hobbs for a book party to celebrate the publication of Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition!DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 2025TIME: 12 PM - 1 PM ESTLOCATION. Online. REGISTER HEREHelp students…
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Together We Rise
Together We Rise: The First 100 Days Co-Creating Connections and Possibilities in a Time of Transition A weekly webinar addressing themes of political transition, stress reduction, and media literacy. Sessions will include guest speakers, guided discussions, and mindfulness practices Next MEETING: Monday, Feb 17, 2025Time: 2 PM - 3 PM EST We will meet online weekly over the course of 100 days,…
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Participatory Storytelling and News
Participatory storytelling is reshaping news and public discourse, driving both polarization and civic engagement. Join us for “Participatory Storytelling and News” as we unpack insights from Kate Starbird’s research on misinformation and modern media ecosystems. Drawing on the Tech Policy Press December 2024 podcast interview with Starbird, this session explores how educators can better…
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AI ChatBot Ethics
AI-powered chatbots are reshaping how we interact online, but they also raise pressing ethical and practical concerns—especially for parents and teachers. Join us for AI ChatBot Ethics as we examine how children and teens engage with these tools, from companionship to questionable information sources. Drawing on the BBC TechLife podcast “Dating a Chatbot” and recent high-profile stories, we’ll…
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Surviving Election Season & Beyond
Media Literacy for Concerned Citizens Disinformation, political ads, and scams…oh my! Is it safe to turn on your TV or go online these days without fear of the things that go bump in the night? Media literacy is a practice that can help you tame the media monsters, providing you and your loved ones the questions to ask about the many media messages we receive each day to identify bias,…
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Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition 2025
The blurring of entertainment, information, and persuasion is reshaping work, life, and citizenship. As a result, our relationship to media has never been so important nor so complex. By asking critical questions about what they watch, listen to, read, and use, students can be better prepared to be responsible communicators who can use a variety of formats and genres for self-expression and…
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Create to Learn
Create to Learn helps learners create multimedia texts as they develop both critical thinking and communication skills. Written by Renee Hobbs, one of the foremost experts in media literacy, this book introduces a wide range of conceptual principles at the heart of multimedia composition and digital pedagogy. Its approach is useful for anyone who sees the profound educational value of creating…
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The Library Screen Scene
PUBLISHED JULY 15 from Oxford University Press order your copy now!In the past two decades, several U.S. states have explored ways to mainstream media literacy in school…
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Exploring the Roots of Digital and Media Literacy through Personal Narrative
Explore the multidisciplinary nature of media literacy education It's been said that the lack of scholarship about the history of media literacy has been a source of some of the conflicts and debates among scholars and practitioners. Media literacy stands at the intersection of the fields of media studies and education, and these scholars have divergent perspectives on the past, present and…
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Teachers Guide, Media Literacy in Action
 This Teacher’s Guide will help you get the most out of the new textbook by Renee Hobbs, as it offers practical guidance on using this textbook in the classroom. Whether you are an experienced teacher or teaching media literacy for the first time, this guide…
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Deconstructing Disney
Deconstructing DisneyThis fun, intergenerational workshop explores what we love and hate about Disney films, characters and brands from the past and present. If you’re a kid, teen, parent, educator or anyone who works with youth, you will learn how people’s knowledge, beliefs and attitudes can be harnessed and expanded for deeper learning through simple instructional strategies. Discovering how…
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Librarians on YouTube
Librarians are often challenged to connect with their communities (learners, fellow educators, and the public) with limited time, among competing priorities, and especially recently, across distance. Among many creative approaches to engagement, YouTube offers a fresh approach for librarians to build connections beyond the physical spaces of the library and outside of formal learning environments…
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Pushing Back
This guide is designed to help high school educators build learners’ skills in both analyzing and creating media messages, helping learners better understand how media affects them, and how to make healthy lifestyle decisions that will improve the quality of their lives.FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAMSThe Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs participated in the…
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Internet: Indispensable or Evil?
OverviewIn these four lessons, students use the episode Adam Ruins the Internet (Season 2, Episode 12) as a starting point to discuss the role of the Internet in modern culture and learn about media policies that shape people’s online…
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Digital and Media Literacy: A Process of Learning
Digital and Media Literacy: A Learning Process …
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Understanding Implicit Bias: The Power of Reflection
Developed by Elizaveta Friesem, Media Education LabLESSON 1: Edward Adelson’s Checkerboard IllusionLESSON 2: The Implicit Association TestLESSON 3: Considering the Consequences of Implicit Bias OverviewDOWNLOAD THE LESSON PLANS HERE Students develop a better understanding of their own…
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All About Media
It's never too early to be smart about media!Give emerging readers the tools to learn about media, evaluate it, and understand it. Readers will learn essential critical thinking concepts along with important topics such as understanding how to find sources and how to properly source, privacy and Internet safety, evaluating ads and news reports, and determining the differences between facts,…
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Discovering Media Literacy
Visit the website Discover Media Literacy to see lesson plans for staff development programs with teachers, along with videos and student work samples linked to our book!…
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Students Taking Action, Not Drugs (STAND)
The STAND (Students Taking Action, Not Drugs) project invites young people to use the power of mass media to design, create and deliver meaningful messages to help other teens resist drug use. This online curriculum includes nine lesson plans to help your students make public service announcements (PSAs) that can be aired or displayed to a large national audience. The STAND project combines the…
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