Media Literacy Now

If we want to make strides in 2025 to get #MediaLiteracy education into more schools around the country, we need to: ⚖️ Put pressure on our policymakers to pass legislation that prioritizes media literacy education in K-12 schools and provides funding to support teacher training, curriculum development, and implementation; and 🗣️ Mobilize grassroots advocates — parents, teachers, and other individuals — to start conversations in their local schools and communities and find ways to incorporate media literacy skills practice into the current curriculum. This is our focus for 2025 — but we can’t do this work without you. As we continue to advocate to get media literacy education into more schools and classrooms, can we count on your support? https://lnkd.in/ePSMVSZT

Have you seen the recent Teens, #SocialMedia, & Technology report from Pew Research Center? YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, & Snapchat remain widely used among U.S. teens. Across the platforms, **one-third of teens use at least one of these sites almost constantly.** "Almost constantly." 🤯 — that's alarming. & further justification that we need to be teaching #MediaLiteracy in K-12 schools.

✨ Highlights from 2024 ✨ ⚖️ Advocated successfully in Massachusetts and Indiana to help pass significant #MediaLiteracy education legislation. 🍎 Mobilized our network and our partnerships within the #DigitalWellness community with the result that SHAPE America included media literacy education in their revised standards for health education. 📚 Launched databases of more than 130 lesson plans and activities for both science and health teachers to better incorporate media literacy into science and health instruction. 🤝 Partnered with MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to produce a landscape report on media literacy education in Massachusetts and provide policy recommendations based on findings.  🧑🏫 Recruited more than 130 teachers to help us gather and vet teacher resources and identify important gaps and missing pieces. 🗣️ Produced a PSA to provoke conversations about media literacy education among parents, educators, and policymakers, and engage more individuals in the important work of getting media literacy into more K-12 classrooms. Whoa. Thanks to our driven community of advocates, 2024 was a busy year. And we're more committed than ever to continue our progress in 2025 to ensure more K-12 students receive media literacy education. Support our work and please consider making a year-end gift today: https://lnkd.in/ePSMVSZT

Media Literacy Now's Kyra Brissette joined Media Education Lab's Renee Hobbs to talk about #MediaLiteracy and our recent work in #Massachusetts. Watch/listen: https://lnkd.in/eHGR8fkK PS: The deadline for MA teachers/admins/staff to complete our media literacy survey is Friday, December 20th! More info: https://lnkd.in/ePDzNdaP

UPDATE: Fewer than half of #Massachusetts school districts have participated in our #MediaLiteracy survey. Because maximum participation is crucial, we have extended the deadline to December 20. If you take the survey & include your email address, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 gift certificate. We are aiming for at least 6 responses from each district. Leominster and Westborough are among the forward-looking districts that have responded robustly. But the responses from places like Springfield, Lawrence, and even Boston, have been quite low. You can view a recent summary of responses on our website (https://lnkd.in/ePDzNdaP) — see if your school district has participated & if not, reach out to your district's superintendent, curriculum directors, or school principals.

🎉 We are excited to share that we have a *NEW* Health Resource Library available on our website! Thanks to funding from the Harbus Foundation, a team of health educators and #MediaLiteracy experts curated a searchable database of resources, lesson plans, videos, and activities for K-12 health teachers. Curriculum topics include #DigitalCitizenship and #OnlineSafety, #DigitalWellness — including the potential physical and mental health impact of media use — education and tools for self-regulation, and media literacy skills applied to health information for informed health decision-making. What's more is that many of these resources are also applicable to parents and caregivers looking to start conversations at home about media literacy. Thank you to the outstanding team that spent countless hours gathering and reviewing resources and of course to the Harbus Foundation for supporting this work! 👏 Check out the Health Resource Library here: https://lnkd.in/ejY7mPBu

IMPORTANT: Feedback needed from #Massachusetts superintendents, teachers, and school staff! Media Literacy Now is producing a landscape report on #MediaLiteracy in Massachusetts, but to do so, we need information from district leaders, principals, curriculum directors, teachers, and other school staff. If you work at a Massachusetts school or district, please take 10 minutes to complete this survey. Maximum participation is crucial, which is why we've extended the deadline to December 20. More information: https://lnkd.in/efShiS-2 Take the survey: https://lnkd.in/eKDThAvA Please share with your network! 🙏

Let's equip our kids & teens with #MediaLiteracy skills! Media literacy prepares young people with an understanding of media sources and algorithms, intentions and influences, and tools for critical thinking and self-regulation for digital wellness. And these skills have never been more critical than they are now. This #GivingTuesday, can we count on your support to help get media literacy education into more schools and classrooms around the country? https://lnkd.in/ePSMVSZT

What is #MediaLiteracy? Like reading or math, media literacy is learned. The ability to navigate within our complex and ever-changing media landscape depends on acquiring skills and tools to know how to consume and evaluate information, ask critical questions, avoid manipulation, and engage in digital spaces safely and confidently. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eCcfn4q9

Most teens — 94% — wish their schools taught #MediaLiteracy, but only 39% got such instruction during the 2023-24 school year, according to a study from the The News Literacy Project. Say it with us 🗣️ Media literacy is an essential skill that should be taught to all K-12 students! Now is the time to take meaningful action. Join us & learn how you can get media literacy into more classrooms ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ep6DVum6