August 2019
Partner Spotlight
Teaching for Democracy Alliance

"Media literacy is one of the six core areas we believe is important for high quality teaching about elections and voting. This is an emerging area to develop ways that media literacy can be integrated with other core elements like voter registration, action civics, etc. Media are one source of influence and construct young people’s framework for understanding an election, what issues are/aren’t being covered, and why they may/may not want to vote. Therefore, it’s critical for young people to be able to analyze, interpret, influence and create media as part of their pathway to democratic participation and having an impact on issues they care about." Read the full interview with the Teaching for Democracy Alliance.
5th Annual
U.S. Media Literacy Week
October 21-25, 2019
It's that time of year again! The 5th Annual Media Literacy Week is quickly approaching so it's time to start planning your activities and events for the classroom and at home! Check out MLW's newly redesigned website and stay tuned for more resources to help you plan! Questions? Send us an email at  medialiteracyweek@namle.net!
Analysis
Media Narratives Discourage Civic Participation
In this article, Tufts University's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) explores the relationship between low youth turnout in recent elections and negative media messages which portray young voters as apathetic. The article calls on members of the media to examine negative media narratives about youth and focus on including more—and more diverse—youth voices. [ read more ]
NewsGuard Analysis: Health Websites and Misinformation
NewsGuard reviewed data from nearly 3,000 websites in the U.S. and found that 11% of the news and information websites Americans rely on published misinformation about health, such as false claims about vaccines, cancer, and diabetes. These websites accounted for 49 million engagements on social media platforms during a 90-day period, collectively beating major outlets such as NPR, Business Insider, and Forbes. To learn more about the credibility of health information sites, watch NewsGuard analyst John Gregory and Executive Editor Jim Warren discuss the findings in an interview with Fox 32 Chicago.
Educator Resources
Kara Clayton Digital Workshops
Kara Clayton Digital delivered a two day workshop, "Video Production Made Easy for All Educators," at Northern Michigan University in June. Kara worked with K-16 educators and administrators at the 30th Annual Action in Education Summer Institute which was co- hosted by the Marquette-Alger RESA. Participants explored a variety of low and no-cost apps to infuse video into their curriculum and created two short video projects during the workshop. Kara Clayton Digital is available for professional development. Email Kara Clayton Digital for more information: info@karaclaytondigital.com
The 1619 Project: Curriculum Resources for Reframing U.S. History and Identity
The Pulitzer Center has created reading guides, engaging activities, and other resources to support educators in connecting The 1619 Project with students. The 1619 Project , inaugurated in a special issue of The New York Times Magazine , challenges us to reframe U.S. history by marking the year when the first enslaved Africans arrived on Virginia soil as our nation's foundational date. Explore the curriculum here .
K-2 Digital Citizenship Lesson
Common Sense Education just launched their new digital citizenship lessons for grades K-2 and high school! They now have timely and relevant digital citizenship lessons for all K-12 grades that educators can use to teach kids how to take ownership of their digital lives. Check them out!
Digital Storytelling Project:
Super Hero Mathematics
Meridian Stories has created a 12 page digital storytelling project curriculum guide designed for middle and high school students. The project is designed to be incorporated into existing curricula and completed in small groups in approximately 2-4 weeks. This Challenge targets the key 21st century skills of creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, digital literacy, and presentational skills. Download the full guide here.
Cyber Civics Mini: Digital Citizenship & Online Safety Lessons
This condensed version of CyberCivics turnkey middle school digital literacy program helps students become ethical, knowledgeable, and empowered digital citizens. The program includes six lessons from their year-long program, a school-wide (or organization-wide) license to six in-classroom lessons (no tech required), plus videos, send-home parent activities, and full support. The program cost is $199 and discounts are available for homeschool and after-school programs. [ more info ]
Opportunities
CFP: Journal of Media Literacy Education
Proposals are invited for articles for a special issue of the Journal of Media Literacy Education on the theme of Data Literacy and Education. This special issue will focus on the role of data and data literacy competencies in the context of education. Submission deadline: Sept 30 [ more info ]
Announcements
E.W. Scripps Company and News Literacy Project Announcement
The E.W. Scripps Company and the News Literacy Project (NLP) are teaming up to help the next generation of news consumers discern credible information from misinformation through virtual classroom lessons, training programs, and journalists’ visits with students. Through the partnership, journalists from Scripps’ Local Media and National Media divisions who are trained in NLP’s signature curriculum, the Checkology® virtual classroom, will work with students and educators in middle schools and high schools across the country, giving them tools to sort fact from fiction and identify the information that they can trust, share, and act on. [ read more ]
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National Association for Media Literacy Education