Media Literacy Education

In today’s digital age, being media literate is a prerequisite to being democracy ready. Media literacy entails the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. DemocracyReady NY is working to advance access to media literacy education for all students throughout the state, as part of their right to be prepared for civic participation.

DemocracyReady NY Resources:

• Preparing for Civic Responsibility in Our Digital Age: A Framework for Educators to Ensure Media Literacy Education for Every Student (2023)
• Developing Digital Citizens Report: Media Literacy Education for ALL Students (2020)

Resources from Our members: 

• Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University School of Journalism

  •  Digital Resource Center for educators 
  • Free online news literacy course through Coursera
• Ioana Literat's resource page, Associate Professor of Communication, Media and Learning Technologies Design at Teachers College, Columbia University

• Infographic on Lateral Reading developed by school library media specialist Kelly Wetherbee. 

• The Media and Social Change Lab (MASC) at Teachers College, Columbia University

• Project Look Sharp, the media literacy organization, has over 500 free lessons for integrating critical thinking about media messages into the teaching of core subject area content and standards at all grade levels and subjects as well as free PD materials for integrating media analysis throughout the curriculum. 

Activities & Advocacy Opportunities:

The DemocracyReady NY Coalition is pursuing a broad advocacy strategy to advance access to media literacy education for all students throughout the state, building on our policy recommendations. 

Take action for media literacy education in New York State today! Tell your representatives you support the Senate and Assembly bills S08217 and A08891 by using this email template and contacting them here, through Voter Voice. 

Webinars:

• What’s a School's Role? Learning Civic Engagement in a Digital World  (A Youth-Led Event)
  

  • DemocracyReady NY Youth Members  spoke with youth activists from Encode Justice and AI Consensus and interviewed media literacy educator Chris Sperry of Project Look Sharp at Ithaca College and Dr. Betty A. Rosa, New York Commissioner of Education, to investigate how schools have adapted to the rise of artificial intelligence, online misinformation, and digital activism.

• TC Take Action: Civic Learning/Media Literacy 
  • As a part of NY Civic Learning Week 2023, this event aims to educate TC students and New York state residents on media literacy and how it can affect civic readiness.
• Decoding Democracy: Media Literacy for Civic Readiness (2023)
  • Join Christopher Sperry of Project Look Sharp and Arlene Laverde, president of the New York Library Association as they explore ways to bring media literacy into the classroom across subject areas and the ethical, safety, privacy, and technological challenges of the media literacy landscape. Jaclyn Siegel, New York State chapter leader of Media Literacy Now, discusses avenues for advocacy to expand media literacy instruction in New York.

Past Coalition Advocacy:

Building on the success of Civic Learning Week, the Coalition hosted a successful virtual Lobby Day event on March 14, 2023 featuring Chris Sperry (Project Look Sharp), who presented some of the material featured in the Media Literacy CLW event, and Margo Cruz (Legislative Director for Asm. Danny O'Donnell).Some of the media literacy committee's requests, based on recommendations from Developing Digital Citizens, had been incorporated into a new bill, A5318. Combined with other elements from additional stakeholders, this bill was a revision to the Dignity for All Students Act, an important piece of school climate and safety legislation that was initially passed in 2010. Attached to the bill was a proposed $15 million appropriation that would fund professional development for library media specialists, the development and implementation of media literacy standards, and the development and implementation of policies and training related to suicide prevention. The March 14 event included a letter-writing session to legislators.