News from the Alliance for a Media Literate America
Offering the latest information about the AMLA, the National Media
Education Conference and media literacy education in the U.S.
Join the Conversation. Join the AMLA.
Welcome to the May Update. The National Media Education Conference and Research Summit are just around the corner, and AMLA members are busy planning a fantastic event. This edition of the Update brings you highlights of the conference, along with the latest news in media literacy education. |
AMLA Welcomes Advisory Council Members
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 The AMLA is proud to announce the addition of three new members to our Advisory Council. Randy Testa is the vice president of education and professional development for Walden Media. A former grade-school teacher, Randy earned his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Dale Allender (pictured left) is the Associate Executive Director of the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE). Dale also directs NCTE's West Coast office on the campus of the
University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches
multicultural literature at the Graduate School of Education.
 Henry Jenkins (right) is one of the country's most innovative thinkers on video gaming and learning. He is the Director of Comparative Media Studies at MIT and one of the founders and directors of The Education Arcade. He is also one of the featured speakers at June's National Media Education Conference.
The AMLA National Advisory Council comprises professional colleagues, thinkers and leaders in the fields of education, public health, communications and media, and non-profit organizations.
Welcome Randy, Dale and Henry. We look forward to working with you and learning from you.
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AMLA Introduces Visionary
Core Principles Of Media Literacy
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The AMLA has put together some of the best minds in media literacy to develop a set of Core Principles as a foundation for our field. The principles are intended as a springboard for vibrant and ongoing dialogue, and they will also serve as a first step in the development of clear, measurable media literacy outcomes and benchmarks.
We believe that these Core Principles articulate a common ground around which media literacy educators and advocates can coalesce. The more people who endorse and use them, the more power we will all have to effect change.
To demonstrate broad support for the principles, the AMLA's national Board of Directors is asking the membership to formally ratify these Core Principles with a "yes" vote on this year's election ballot.
Be sure to read the Core Principles on the AMLA website.
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| Annual Elections
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You should be receiving your AMLA annual election ballot in the mail any day now, and we urge you to vote and return the ballot by June 4.
On this year's ballot, AMLA members have a chance to vote for candidates for the Board of Directors and to ratify the the Core Principles of Media Literacy Education (see story above).
Visit the AMLA website to read about the candidates in this year's election. Members also have an opportunity to post comments about the candidates on the Election Bulletin Board.
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| Members On the Move & Making News
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AMLA members Renee Cherow-O'Leary, Robert W. Kubey and Renee Hobbs will be participating in MEDIA: Overseas Conversations (IV), an international conference on MEDIA literacy-ecology-studies-education.
According to conference co-director Jordi Torrent (also an AMLA member), the conference will feature panelists from around the world discussing issues such as media policy, comic books, childhood language
development, digital social networking and media education
The conference will be held in New York City May 30 - June 2, 2007. Conference attendance is free of charge, but you must RSVP. Visit the conference website for a complete program.
AMLA member Nick Pernisco's Understand Media, has released a new DVD titled "Teaching Media Literacy: Asking Questions." The website also offers free Podcasts that introduce the core concepts and key questions of media literacy. Visit the site at understandmedia.com.
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| Member Opportunities
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Just Think has a few paid internship spots available in their Youth Media Educators (YME) for the '07 summer intensive. If you are a high school age student, you can earn $1,000 while becoming a critical thinker, creative producer, peer teacher and youth entrepreneur. Check out justthink.org for details.
Democracy Now! Is hiring a full-time Outreach Organizer who is committed to making Democracy Now! a household name and bringing the program to new stations. The New York City based position starts in June.
Democracy Now! is the largest public media collaboration in the US, distributing a daily, global, grassroots news hour to over 500 TV and radio stations across the country. Information about the position can be found at the Democracy Now! website.
Call for Submissions:
The American Library Association journal Knowledge Quest, which reaches 10,000 school librarians and educators, is requesting submissions for its January/February 2008 edition, which will focus on Visual Literacy.
The edition will examine the purpose and process of teaching students to compose, consume, communicate and think critically and creatively in a visually saturated world.
Questions addressed will include: What are the basic elements of visual design? How is a visual representation different from a text? How does a student learn to read, understand and communicate visually? What effective practices and strategies can school librarians use to teach students to become fluent, critical and creative users of visual information and ideas?
Visit the ALA website for details about the journal and instructions for submissions.
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Links are provided for informational purposes, do not imply endorsement by AMLA, and were live when this issue was published.
To contact the UPDATE staff with content or technical questions, e-mail amla@amlainfo.org
Alternative Contact: 888-775-AMLA
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IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER FOR THE NATIONAL MEDIA EDUCATION CONFERENCE!!
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Online registration is still available for the AMLA's NMEC & first-ever Media Literacy Education Research Summit, which will be held from June 23-26 in St. Louis. The conference is chock full of exciting and inspirational presentations, screenings and keynote addresses that you won't want to miss. Here is a sampling of what the conference has in store for you. Visit the conference home page for a full schedule of events. PRESENTATIONS:
· Using the Broadcasts of Edward R. Murrow in the Classroom, presented on Sunday, June 24 by Frank Baker of Media Literacy Clearinghouse. · The Vital Link Between Health Literacy and Media Literacy, presented on Tuesday, June 26 by Lynda Bergsma and Jennifer Peters of the University of Arizona's Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. · Using Blogs, Podcasts and PDAs: The Search for Communification in the Classroom, presented on Sunday, June 24 by Vanessa Domine of Montclair State University. SCREENINGS:
Ad it Up: a Media Literacy "Reality Show" Pilot. This Telly award winning video stars high school students who learn about media literacy hands-on in a production studio. Presented by Brian Primack of the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday, June 24. Open a PDF file of all 75 workshops, screenings and events, or read biographies of the outstanding keynote speakers, Robin Blake, Renee Hobbs, Douglas Rushkoff and Henry Jenkins. |
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