What happens when you bring people together in a common space to discuss media literacy and the world? Synergy. This word is what to me encompasses what transpired at the 4th International Media Literacy Research Symposium in Madison, Wisconsin. After two years, the world at a standstill and so much of our lives devoted to online work versus face-to-face, this … [Read more...] about Global Collaborations/Synergistic Relationships — The International Media Literacy Research Symposium
Media Literacy Education
Developing Agency with Virtual Kindergarten Students via GamePlay and Design
Abstract This case study used traditional games to engage 4- and 5-year-old students learning online during the 2021-22 school year. The theme of the unit was on decision-making and agency. Learners were exposed to the algorithmic nature of certain board games traditionally geared to younger children. They increased the agency involved in these games by designing the board … [Read more...] about Developing Agency with Virtual Kindergarten Students via GamePlay and Design
Making the Human Connection to Algorithms is a Monumentous Task
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
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
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
Lifelong Learning Culture Demands “Multidimensional Literacy”
Some generations grew up hearing from their parents that if they chose to pursue a career in Medicine or Law, they would carry the "burden" of studying for the rest of their lives. Times have changed; nowadays it must not be considered a “burden.” Today, lifelong learning is the watchword for any citizen and for the development of nations; moreover, it cannot be seen as a … [Read more...] about Lifelong Learning Culture Demands “Multidimensional Literacy”
From practice to policy? What lies beneath
Can media literacy policy be developed to deliver social justice, to empower the most vulnerable subalterns so that they can feel represented? There are technological, ideological, and socio-political structures that govern media messages and this creates the paradox that media literacy cannot study what remains unarticulated. An upcoming virtual global summit holds the rich … [Read more...] about From practice to policy? What lies beneath
A Function of Today’s World: Social Media
For most of us, our worlds today function around social media from the time we wake up in the morning until the time we go to sleep at night, and this impacts our day to day lives. We see constant images from our cell phones, laptops, and television all persuading and manipulating us. Because of this persuasion and manipulation from the media industry, we must ask ourselves, … [Read more...] about A Function of Today’s World: Social Media
Agents of Influence: Testing Our Educational Video Game
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic changed our world forever, we at Alterea began to develop a spy-themed, educational, digital event called Agents of Influence. This event was designed as a week-long, interactive story meant to educate players about threats online. We launched our event in October of 2020 to help fight the “infodemic” that surrounded the presidential election … [Read more...] about Agents of Influence: Testing Our Educational Video Game
My Introduction to Media Literacy
I first came across media literacy not as an advocate nor as a teacher but as a high school senior in 2017. My junior year of high school coincided with the 2016 Presidential election. Buzzwords like “fake news” and “disinformation” saturated the pixels on my computer screen, and questions about journalistic integrity and objectivity permeated the very ink of the articles I … [Read more...] about My Introduction to Media Literacy
Snacking on Media Literacy: Young Children, Sustainability, and Design in Media Literacy Education
Abstract: This case study illustrates a cross-curricular learning experience, anchored in standards, where teachers and students actively engaged in co-constructed, inquiry-based learning and design thinking. The particular question this case study addressed was “How might students connect with environmental citizenship in authentic ways through media literacy … [Read more...] about Snacking on Media Literacy: Young Children, Sustainability, and Design in Media Literacy Education
Media Education and Ecological Modernism: Embodiment, Technology and Citizenship
Abstract: The field of media education, emerging within the instrumental vision of modernity, has largely ignored its unspoken modernist assumptions. In this article, we argue the time has come to fully engage an embodied view of media from an evolutionary, ecological perspective—what we might call ecological modernism. This is a perspective that views media as evolving … [Read more...] about Media Education and Ecological Modernism: Embodiment, Technology and Citizenship
Engaging with Things: Speculative Realism and Ecomedia Literacy Education
Abstract: In recent years, media scholars and educators have made an effort to address ecological issues in their work. Ecomedia literacy adapts the principles and practices of the media literacy movement in order to prepare the public to critically engage with the relationship between media and the environment. However, this article argues that the philosophical frameworks, on … [Read more...] about Engaging with Things: Speculative Realism and Ecomedia Literacy Education