DUCC (Developing & Using Critical Comprehension)

Are you an educator looking for modern ways to boost your students' digital literacy skills? Are you concerned about how your students interact with technology and online information? Check out DUCC! We're seeking educators to pilot our innovative program in classrooms at the start of 2025. Explore the sheet below for more details about our free, accessible curriculum, featuring animated videos and engaging games! #Educator #ElementarySchool #DigitalLiteracy #MediaLiteracy #SEL #Curriculum #FreeCurriculum #EdTech #InnovativeTeaching #TeachersOfLinkedIn #TeachingResources #ClassroomTools #TeachingWithTech #ClassroomInnovation #FreeForTeachers

Our re-designed website is live! While the lesson plans and multimedia content aren't available yet, you can read about our curriculum and team and join our mailing list. Check it out at www.danieltheducc.org

Last week, we welcomed our subject matter experts back to DC to review and revise our curriculum. The experience and expertise this group brings to the table is beyond impressive. We cannot wait to launch our new website and pilot the lessons, animated videos, and games in the next few months. Huge thank you to Conrad Hughes, Amanda Morin, Stephanie M., Mary Beth Hertz, Katherine Mauro, Lauren M. Shea, Ph.D., Alejandra Ramos Gómez, and Dr. Sara Wicht for all their work on this project. As we prepare for our launch, we are still looking for teachers and administrators open to using our curriculum in their schools and classrooms. Please share and send us a message here or at talktoducc@american.edu if you're interested or know someone who might be!

Grateful to be supporting the DUCC - Developing & Using Critical Comprehension - project in the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab at the American University School of Public Affairs. Stephanie M. and Alejandra Ramos Gómez are representing our team! Excited to be working with the rest of the DUCC team - Christine German, Laura Kralicky, Emily Stingle, Nora Lewis, Amanda Morin, Mary Beth Hertz, Lauren M. Shea, Ph.D., Katherine Mauro, and Dr. Sara Wicht. For more information about this important work, check out https://loom.ly/vwZCH0U and the Peril Research site at https://loom.ly/KJq61UU!

Shout out to our DUCC (Developing & Using Critical Comprehension) team, who was references in this recent blog from The International Educator (TIE) https://lnkd.in/gdugHx4j

Exciting news from the DUCC team! In late May, we welcomed our subject matter experts to DC for a curriculum development workshop. Our outstanding consultants and advisers specialize in digital and media literacy, SEL, child psychology, critical thinking, and curriculum writing, among other areas. We're thrilled to collaborate with them on curriculum development. Welcome to the team, Katherine Mauro, Stephanie M., Mary Beth Hertz, Alejandra Ramos Gómez, Lauren M. Shea, Ph.D., Dr. Sara Wicht, Amanda Morin, and Conrad Hughes! Throughout the summer, we'll be busy writing lessons in preparation for our pilot launch in late Fall. In addition to lesson development, we're eager to expand our network of educator partners. If you or anyone you know is an educator or school administrator, we invite you to connect with us to explore how the DUCC curriculum can enrich your school and benefit your students. Reach out to us here on LinkedIn, visit www.danieltheducc.org, or email us at talktoducc@american.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Hello, LinkedIn community! The DUCC team is excited to build our network here and connect with current and future supporters and partners. DUCC, which stands for Developing & Using Critical Comprehension, is a primary prevention program with the goal of reducing susceptibility to harmful online content. We're doing this by building critical comprehension skills in youth through digital literacy and social-emotional learning. Our team is currently working on building out our curriculum and preparing for a beta-launch this fall. In the interim, we have information and resources available on our website, www.danieltheducc.org. For those new to DUCC, here’s our story: DUCC began in Spring 2022 as a project in Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss' class at American University. A team of us joined the Invent2Prevent competition, sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security, where we were tasked with creating a project that prevents targeted violence or terrorism. Our goal was to equip students with critical online skills early on to prevent radicalization, so we created digital literacy content for elementary school teachers. We became finalists, won first place, and joined the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) to further develop our project. Within PERIL, we continued our work, partnered with the McCain Institute for a year-long sustainment program, and devised a plan to create an innovative K-5 curriculum. To realize our vision, we, along with Dr. Brian Hughes, applied for the DHS TVTP Grant Program. In Fall 2023, we were awarded the two-year grant to scale up our project nationwide. This project has been years in the making, and we are ecstatic to see it all coming together now. See the one-pager below for more information about what's in the works!