Today’s students spend numerous hours every day consuming media, but that doesn’t mean they always understand what they are seeing.
According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, which is celebrating U.S. Media Literacy Week this week, the rapid proliferation of media and technology is outpacing schools’ ability to equip citizens with the skills they need to navigate the media landscape safely and responsibly.
This dilemma led NYSUT’s ELT to launch “The Middle and High School Guide to Media Literacy,” a new webinar series designed to build student media literacy skills.
In this four-part virtual series, which is free for all NYSUT members, educators from all content areas will learn how to help students in grades 6-12 think critically about the media they encounter and use that information to make responsible decisions in and out of the classroom.
“Today’s students are bombarded with information, algorithms, and misinformation from the moment they wake up,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “Our students must learn to verify sources, recognize bias and think critically about what they see online. These are essential skills for life and citizenship, now more than ever.”
The ELT series is created and taught by two library media specialists, Karissa O’Reilly, member of the Carmel Teachers Association, and Cynthia Sandler, member of the North Salem TA, who believe media literacy is essential to democracy and civic engagement.
“Literacy is the foundation of democracy. It's one of the core essential pieces of being able to sustain democracy. When the citizens of a country are not literate, they don't have access to the information that they need to stand up for themselves, vote effectively, and understand and participate in our world,” said O’Reilly. “In our modern times, literacy doesn’t just mean textual literacy,” she added. “It means being able to understand all the ways that information is coming at you and being found.”
But responsible media consumption is only half of civic engagement. “You are also empowered to create your own media and make sure your voice is heard in a meaningful way,” Sandler said.
To be effectual, media literacy instruction can’t be confined to the library; it has to be embedded across different subjects, from core areas to electives, O’Reilly said.
In the first and second sessions of the media literacy series, educators will learn how to access and verify reliable information.
“Ultimately, we want people to use their critical thinking skills and learn to cross-reference as much as possible,” said Sandler.
The third session will cover misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, and the fourth will focus on integrating media literacy skills into individual subject areas.
“Whether it’s figuring out how to talk about current events or how to deal with controversial subjects in your particular domain, it’s important that educators teach students how to think about something, not what to think,” said Sandler.
The webinar series represents only NYSUT’s latest effort to support civic education and media literacy in New York schools. Earlier this year, NYSUT called on legislators to invest $22.5 million to expand civics and media literacy opportunities in school and mandate that every school employ a library media specialist. NYSUT also launched a $50,000 grant fund to help NYSUT locals establish or expand Seal of Civic Readiness programs.
This free series, which begins in February, is worth 4 CTLE hours. Educators must attend all four sessions to receive a certificate of completion.
For more information or to register, visit: nysut.cc/elt-media-literacy