A Letter from Guest Editor, Belinha De Abreu, PhD Arriving at this journal topic and the many articles therein came from a variety of conversations, conferences, and meetings that were discussing the issue related to artificial intelligence and the algorithm. In exploring the possibilities of where technology was taking us, it became clear that the next step … [Read more...] about Making the Human Connection to Algorithms is a Monumentous Task
Human AI
Reflections on Living with a Journal Topic for a Year: The Human-Algorithmic Question: A Media Literacy Education Exploration
A Letter from Karen Ambrosh, Managing Editor of The Journal of Media Literacy In January of 2022, Belinha, Melda and I began the conversation of how we would build the next journal issue around Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence. Understanding that algorithms are the building blocks to machine learning and artificial intelligence was the first step. Often these terms are … [Read more...] about Reflections on Living with a Journal Topic for a Year: The Human-Algorithmic Question: A Media Literacy Education Exploration
The Human Algorithmic Question: A Social Justice Imperative
A Letter from Guest Editor, Melda N. Yildiz, EdD As Artificial intelligence (AI) systems and machine learning algorithms have been used to automate decision-making processes from education to economic sectors, there is an inevitable impact on democracy and social justice. Cathy O’Neal (2016) reveals real-life impact stories of algorithmic injustice in her book, “Weapons of … [Read more...] about The Human Algorithmic Question: A Social Justice Imperative
The internet is a gorgeous ball of filth: Surfacing the role of algorithmic awareness within writing pedagogy
Abstract Post-secondary students, while regular internet users are not savvy in technological literacy practices, especially algorithmic awareness. Despite research that points to a clear gap in student understanding of the workings of artificial intelligence and machine learning, outside the field of library and information science little attention to developing these … [Read more...] about The internet is a gorgeous ball of filth: Surfacing the role of algorithmic awareness within writing pedagogy
Teacher Education: Critical Media Literacy for STEM Teacher Candidates
Abstract This article offers a review of a graduate level course called Critical Media Literacy (CML) designed for pre-service STEM cohort teacher candidates. It provides an overview of the course topics and projects that prepare pre-service STEM teacher candidates to integrate critical media literacy into their STEM teaching practices. Critical media literacy extends … [Read more...] about Teacher Education: Critical Media Literacy for STEM Teacher Candidates
The Prevalence of Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance Capitalism, Disinformation, and Biased Algorithms Amplify the Need for Critical Skills Applied to Media
Abstract Algorithm-driven technologies are transforming our world. Digital algorithms possess the epistemological algorithmic authority to shape, reinforce, and limit society by determining what we see and do not. While some public and private efforts exist to mitigate the harmful effects of these powerful digital technologies, few measures exist to prepare K-12 students for … [Read more...] about The Prevalence of Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance Capitalism, Disinformation, and Biased Algorithms Amplify the Need for Critical Skills Applied to Media
Reimagining Critical Literacy in the Age of the Algorithm
Abstract Algorithms are playing an ever-increasing role in the way that we understand and interact with our world. This paper provides an overview of Artificial Intelligence technologies, explores the promise of algorithms as well as the issues and considers the implications of algorithms on education and literacy practices. Keywords Algorithms, Literacy, AI, Artificial … [Read more...] about Reimagining Critical Literacy in the Age of the Algorithm
It Doesn’t Always Add Up: The Ugly Truth of AI in Education
Book Review of Cathy O'Neil’s “ Weapons of Math Destruction” Abstract Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) has become a major part of our lives, from the virtual assistant software, like Alexa and Siri, to recommended videos on YouTube. As artificial intelligence begins to infiltrate every aspect of society, investigating the impact of AI in education integration is … [Read more...] about It Doesn’t Always Add Up: The Ugly Truth of AI in Education
Algorithmic Deconstruction to Give Back Control to Readers and Consumers of Media
Abstract This short paper introduces a three-stage pedagogy for engaging with algorithmically curated digital news media. The model is based on the work of W. James Potter and his cognitive theory of media literacy. The paper argues that algorithms amplify media effects through curation and repetition. A brief survey of the technical make up of news recommendation … [Read more...] about Algorithmic Deconstruction to Give Back Control to Readers and Consumers of Media
To Have The Data or Not: Disabled People and Bias
Abstract Artificial intelligence has recently shown that it has the potential to benefit making in various ways. The production of a benefit is dependent on several phases, including data collecting, data labeling, and data analysis. At the same time, recent incidents show that artificial intelligence's biased outputs are dividing society. Ignoring persons with disabilities, … [Read more...] about To Have The Data or Not: Disabled People and Bias
Is it Paranoia? A Critical Approach to Platform Literacy
Abstract Social media platforms have received increasingly bad press coverage over the course of the last decade for everything from problematic uses of algorithms to the ability of authoritarian regimes to leverage them as a way to impact elections. Unfortunately, this emphasis on critique, though justified, has led to a paranoid form of thinking in which many understand that … [Read more...] about Is it Paranoia? A Critical Approach to Platform Literacy
Teaching Algorithmic Literacy within a Media Literacy Program
Abstract The prevalence of algorithms in daily life and the growing role of algorithms in societal decision making and governance has led to a call for teaching algorithmic literacy as a specific part of media and digital literacy. Several researchers have recently attempted to define algorithmic literacy and proposed scales to measure algorithmic knowledge; initial results … [Read more...] about Teaching Algorithmic Literacy within a Media Literacy Program
Immersive Pedagogy: Teaching New Media in the Metaverse
Abstract This article outlines the immersive pedagogy and structure for a second-year university course on new media and technology taught inside virtual reality (VR) using a series of metaverse platforms. The immersive pedagogy model is introduced as a conceptual framework for designing courses inside VR. The model includes a scale of immersion to bridge pedagogy and … [Read more...] about Immersive Pedagogy: Teaching New Media in the Metaverse
Sowing the Seeds of Algorithmic Literacy: K-4 Practices for Studying If-Then Structures, Perspective, and Persuasion
Abstract Even students too young to study algorithms or algorithmic bias per se can learn the habits of mind that will later help them to understand algorithms and to search out and identify bias. At La Jolla Country Day School, students in grades K-4 study if-then-else logic, perspective/point of view, and the difference between information and persuasion, all of which are … [Read more...] about Sowing the Seeds of Algorithmic Literacy: K-4 Practices for Studying If-Then Structures, Perspective, and Persuasion
“Profits as the Telos”: The Logic of Reaganomics and Wallace’s Technologies of Efficiency
Abstract David Foster Wallace's unfinished novel The Pale King considers the IRS’s usage of the fictional ANADA (Audit-No Audit Discriminant Algorithm) as a tool for maximizing profit and increasing taxpayer compliance using the threat of information-based surveillance. Despite being a government entity, the novel’s IRS begins to increasingly resemble a for-profit corporation, … [Read more...] about “Profits as the Telos”: The Logic of Reaganomics and Wallace’s Technologies of Efficiency
The Ecology of Algorithmic Literacy: Extending Practices Beyond Representational Media Literacy
Abstract The significant effect of algorithms on media consumption requires new literacy practices that extend beyond representational media literacy. In this case study, I evaluate traditional media and information literacy instruction in a library setting and argue for the inclusion of algorithmic literacy, which is an essential and foundational skill for source … [Read more...] about The Ecology of Algorithmic Literacy: Extending Practices Beyond Representational Media Literacy
Algorithms and Climate: An Ecomedia Literacy Perspective
Abstract Drawing on examples of Bitcoin and climate disinformation, this article demonstrates why Big Tech algorithms have a significant environmental impact and how media literacy educators can respond. Big Tech algorithms reinforce the economic models of surveillance and carbon capitalism, which are dependent on two forms of extractivism: data harvesting and resource … [Read more...] about Algorithms and Climate: An Ecomedia Literacy Perspective
AI Literacy for K-12 Classrooms in the Era of the AI Explosion
Abstract The article sheds light on how understanding what Artificial Intelligence (AI), including its capabilities, limitations, and influence on our daily lives, is becoming crucial to be integrated into lessons that our students learn every day. It emphasizes that AI literacy needs to be integrated into important literacies students learn in schools such as media … [Read more...] about AI Literacy for K-12 Classrooms in the Era of the AI Explosion
