Beyond the Algorithmic Feed
Social media is being rebuilt from the ground up. Instead of reinforcing echo chambers through centralized algorithms, emerging federated platforms like Bluesky aim to create more user-centric, customizable, and humane spaces for online interaction. Join us for "Beyond the Algorithmic Feed," a MediaEd Club conversation exploring the architecture and ethics of decentralized social networks. Before…
Read More
Media Literacy: Critical Thinking for an AI World
MEDIA LITERACY Critical Thinking for an AI WorldStarting April 12, 2025 Work with a team of Palestinian and American educators to create a media literacy program for Palestinian young adults to build resilience and critical thinking skills  WHY IT MATTERSIn today's digital age, navigating the complexities of media is crucial for everyone. Media literacy plays a crucial role in building resilience…
Read More
Media Literacy is for Everyone
In response to the enthusiasm and excitement around our last event in October, we are excited to officially invite you back to Rhode Island PBS for the next event in the recurring series, “Media Literacy is for Everyone”.  DATE: Tuesday, February 11 TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 PM ESTLOCATION: Rhode Island PBS, 50 Park Ln, Providence, RI We're dedicated to the process of building relationships, identifying…
Read More
Digital Authorship Graduate Course
Digital Authorship (EDC 534) is offered in the Spring of 2025 semester by Professor Renee Hobbs. It is one of four required courses in the Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy. The course is offered fully online in an asynchronous format for Anytime Learning.​DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS JANUARY 20, 2025 ABOUT THE COURSE: The course examines how AI tools can be used for creative expression and…
Read More
Book Party, Media Literacy in Action, 2nd Edition
Join Renee Hobbs for a book party to celebrate the publication of Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition!DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 2025TIME: 12 PM - 1 PM ESTLOCATION. Online. REGISTER HEREHelp students…
Read More
Together We Rise: The Next 100 Days
Together We Rise: The Next 100 Days Co-Creating Connections and Possibilities in a Time of Transition The program continues! Join us for reflection and fellowship. This weekly webinar addresses themes of social connection, political transition, stress reduction, and media literacy. Sessions include guest speakers, guided discussions, and mindfulness practices. We are co-constructing the support…
Read More
Participatory Storytelling and News
Participatory storytelling is reshaping news and public discourse, driving both polarization and civic engagement. Join us for “Participatory Storytelling and News” as we unpack insights from Kate Starbird’s research on misinformation and modern media ecosystems. Drawing on the Tech Policy Press December 2024 podcast interview with Starbird, this session explores how educators can better…
Read More
AI ChatBot Ethics
AI-powered chatbots are reshaping how we interact online, but they also raise pressing ethical and practical concerns—especially for parents and teachers. Join us for AI ChatBot Ethics as we examine how children and teens engage with these tools, from companionship to questionable information sources. Drawing on the BBC TechLife podcast “Dating a Chatbot” and recent high-profile stories, we’ll…
Read More
BlueSky Educational Networking
Thousands of educators are using the social media platform BlueSky to connect, share ideas, and collaborate. With so many social networking platforms now available, where should innovative teachers and educators connect? Especially since November 2024, one answer is BlueSky, thanks in part to the #EduSky…
Read More
Digital Ubuntu/Empathy of Children
In the second interactive session, co-hosts Aurra Kawanzaruwa and Yonty Friesem will share case studies of digital empathy/Ubunto with children. Participants will discuss how can media education and digital citizenship across the globe support children's rights and connections. What are the concepts of Ubuntu/Empathy when children are engaged online? As children get more and more surrounded by…
Read More
Introduction to Digital Ubuntu/Empathy
In the first webinar, co-hosts Aurra Kawanzaruwa and Yonty Friesem will share their personal journey to explore empathy/Ubunto as they work in the area of media education and digital citizenship across the globe. Additionally, they will set up the stage to discuss the connection between the scholarship and practice of media education with the concepts of Ubuntu/Empathy. As we get more and more…
Read More
Media Club: Gen Z, Digital Media and Transcultural Lives
In this session, Kiran Vinod Bhatia and Manisha Pathak-Shelat will share the methodological approach and key arguments proposed in their book Gen Z, Digital Media and Transcultural Lives: At Home i…
Read More
What Conspiracy? Media Education in/and the Mirror World
Read here about our full webinar series on Inequalities and Media Education. One of the most striking outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the spirited and public opposition to vaccinations and vaccine mandates. The gradually fraying line between virtual and offline “real” worlds increasingly…
Read More
MediaEd Forum
Join us for the 17th MediaEd Forum!We've changed the name of the Northeast Media Literacy Conference (now in its 17th year) to reflect the growing global diversity of our online knowledge community!Conference Theme: Confronting the ChallengesFriday & Saturday, January 12-13, 2024 ONLINE VIA ZOOM…
Read More
Media Literacy Matters
Renee Hobbs is thrilled to be a featured presenter at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference in Brussels, which puts the many faces of digital and media literacy in the European spotlight during the Belgian EU presidency. February 27 - March 1, 2024Brussels, BelgiumThe conference is focused on showcasing and exchanging initiatives, tools, projects and practices that can be integrated…
Read More
E-Cig Influencers
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States and cigarette smoking is implicated in 1 in 5 adult deaths, resulting in over 480,000 premature deaths per year. 1 in 10 high school students vape, and there are 2.1 million teenage e-cigarette users in 2023, with more than 1 in 4 using e-cigarettes daily. Learn how you can talk to teens about the social…
Read More
Autism & Hate: Media literacy and neurodivergence
In the UK over 50% of all teenagers at risk of terroristic activity are diagnosed autistic, the rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant sentiment post Brexit have grown considerably, this has combined with the fame of Andrew Tate and the Manosphere. I’d like to talk about how neurodivergent people are susceptible to this kind of messaging and how media literacy can be used as a tool to curb this…
Read More
Immigrant Influencers on TikTok
Read here about our full webinar series on Inequalities and Media Education In this third webinar, we will explore the challenges and opportunities of algorithmic (in)visibility for Latin American immigrant TikTokers. We will delve into the ways in which their content creation processes reflect their…
Read More
Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition 2025
The blurring of entertainment, information, and persuasion is reshaping work, life, and citizenship. As a result, our relationship to media has never been so important nor so complex. By asking critical questions about what they watch, listen to, read, and use, students can be better prepared to be responsible communicators who can use a variety of formats and genres for self-expression and…
Read More
The Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic.
Our team from the Media Education Lab is proud to announce the publication of The Routledge Handbook of Media Education Futures Post-Pandemic.This handbook showcases how educators and practitioners around the world adapted their routine media…
Read More
Teachers Guide, Media Literacy in Action
 This Teacher’s Guide will help you get the most out of the new textbook by Renee Hobbs, as it offers practical guidance on using this textbook in the classroom. Whether you are an experienced teacher or teaching media literacy for the first time, this guide…
Read More
Internet: Indispensable or Evil?
OverviewIn these four lessons, students use the episode Adam Ruins the Internet (Season 2, Episode 12) as a starting point to discuss the role of the Internet in modern culture and learn about media policies that shape people’s online…
Read More
All About Media
It's never too early to be smart about media!Give emerging readers the tools to learn about media, evaluate it, and understand it. Readers will learn essential critical thinking concepts along with important topics such as understanding how to find sources and how to properly source, privacy and Internet safety, evaluating ads and news reports, and determining the differences between facts,…
Read More