NAMLE
President's Column
December 2008
With Thanksgiving a memory and the whirlwind of December in full swing, now is the perfect time to give thanks to all of you, the passionate, committed, far-reaching friends of media literacy.
It's your energy and ideas that keep the field (and this organization) growing. Those of us fortunate enough to serve as your board want to be sure we're providing you with an organization that speaks to your needs, so I hope you'll share those needs with me.
When our conference rolls into Detroit in August 2009, I'll report back to you what I've learned and share details about future plans for NAMLE.
This month marks an exciting partnership for NAMLE with the Independent Film Channel (IFC). We've helped IFC organize and hold two town hall meetings in Philadelphia and Boston with other partners the Aspen Institute and the Media Education Lab @ Temple University as part of their outreach efforts for the documentary series The Media Project.
Where will you be in August 2009? Plan now to spend the first few days of August at the NAMLE Conference. Past attendees to this conference always remark on the value of the time spent and the ideas they can take directly to their classroom, library, afterschool program or workplace. Early bird rates will be in place soon to help keep the cost affordable so you can introduce new friends to media literacy and hone your skills as well.
Since being elected president in June, I've learned that many of you have struggled trying to renew your NAMLE membership using our online system. I'm happy to report that this problem has finally been resolved. Our new system is easy-to-use, secure and working effectively.
Please take a minute (that's all it will take) to renew or join NAMLE. It's your membership that makes so many of our projects possible, including the new Journal of Media Literacy Education. While many of you reading this e-newsletter are clearly interested in media literacy, many are not members of NAMLE. Give this gift to yourself...and NAMLE...today.
Have you gotten used to calling us NAMLE yet? (pronounced name-lee) This past year we changed our name (from AMLA) to better reflect our focus on media literacy education. But getting all the mentions in cyberspace changed is a daunting process. If you know of a place still listing us as AMLA, please let us know so we can make the change.
But wait...there's more! The Call For Proposals for the conference is now available, and the Call for Articles for the journal is waiting for your entry. We're working on new ways to share media literacy materials through our website, stories of members using the Core Principles of Media Literacy Education are being gathered, and new services for members are in the works. Are we missing an area of importance to you? Please let me know. I am eager to hear from our members and friends.
I look forward to hearing your ideas, stories and thoughts.
Sherri
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The NAMLE Marketplace: Your One-Stop Shop for the best in media literacy materials
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 Conference Update
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My First Conference Was Baltimore.
When Was Yours?
With the next NAMLE conference fast approaching, we thought we would take the opportunity to look back at past conferences through the eyes of those who were there. If you were in Austin in 2001, Baltimore in 2003, San Francisco in 2005, or St. Louis in 2007, we want to hear from you. What new concept or technique did you learn about? Did you make any personal or professional connections that have continued to impact your work? Why is a conference on media literacy education important? If you have a story, comment, or interesting perspective, please email Andrea Ellis at namle@namle.net as soon as possible. We'd love to hear from you. |
NAMLE Efforts Aimed at Easing Educators' Copyright Concerns
Have
you found a great piece of video that drives home the point of a
lesson? Are you feeling uneasy about the 'legality' of using it? A new
report aims to put to rest all the fears educators
have felt for years about whether they can legitimately use video taped
off the air or film clips - as well as other copyrighted material - in
classroom lessons and projects. NAMLE was part of a coordinated effort
by the media literacy community to develop "The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education,"
which simplifies the legalities of using copyrighted material in an
academic setting. The report provides a framework for using those
materials in classroom activities and student projects and lays out
what applications are restricted or permitted by law. Read all about it at the American University School of Communication website. |
Share Your Copyright Confusion
Have you wanted to use an excerpt from a copy-protected DVD in your work with students but felt unsure because of the legal issues? The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 prohibits the circumvention of technological protection measures, including the "CSS" technology commonly employed on DVDs. Because of this prohibition, many educators who want to make fair use of material, or use public domain material, cannot do so because they are concerned about whether circumventing the CSS technology found on most DVDs is illegal. We are looking for real-world examples that will help illustrate any adverse effect the current prohibition is having on teaching and learning. What we would like from you is: - examples of how you've been unable to use material from DVDs for fair use purposes (or public domain material) due to CSS, or have had to use severely degraded analog versions of noninfringing material due to CSS, and the effect that had on teaching and learning; and
- stories about what you would do with noninfringing material in your work with students if you could obtain protected material from DVDs without fear of breaking the law
Send your story to Katie Donnelly at kdonnell@temple.edu. |
Call For Proposals
 The call for proposals has been posted for NAMLE's new Journal of Media Literacy Education. The peer-reviewed journal will be published online three times a year. The call for papers and information about the journal are available on the NAMLE website, namle.net/publications/jmle. |
Members on the Move & Making News
Congratulation to Chris Sperry, who was recently named the 2008 Outstanding Educator for Global Understanding Award for Global Understanding by the National Council for the Social Studies. The award recognized Chris's role as the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development for Project Look Sharp at Ithaca College, including his contributions as author or editor of NCSS's global media literacy curriculum kits. The award was also based on his long-standing and excellent work as a social studies teacher at the Lehman Alternative Community School in the Ithaca City School District, in particular his unique practice of having students participate in the Middle East Debates each spring as well as his outstanding teaching practice in Facing History and Ourselves. Chris will be a Keynote Speaker at the NAMLE 2009 conference.
NAMLE member Bobbie Eisenstock, Ph.D. received the second round of funding for her BMI Project (Body Media Image) to develop a media literacy toolkit about eating disorders for college students. Awarded by the Center for Innovative & Engaged Learning Opportunities at California State University Northridge, the toolkit features media literacy strategies for deconstructing messages about body image and promoting healthy eating in a media saturated culture of thinness. The toolkit for BMI I is available now, and BMI II, including curriculum, will be available in spring 2009.
 NAMLE member Elana Rosen has been honored with the Jefferson Award for Public Service by the American Institute for Public Service. As founder and executive director of Just Think, a nonprofit media literacy program, Elana teaches young people how to think critically about the media.She also brings together youths from different cultures around the world to share their experiences. Just Think is a NAMLE organizational member. Read more about Elana's work here.
In other Just Think news, the board of directors has approved a merger with One Economy Corporation (OEC), a growing global nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people, connecting them to valuable tools for building better lives and entering the economic mainstream.
Just Think's strategic plan to Shift the Landscape of Learning in America included goals to scale direct delivery of programs and to greatly expand dissemination of the rich media curricula we have developed for 13 years. According to the board of directors, Just Think's strategic plan has been exponentially enriched by the merger.
NAMLE founding member Ellen Wartella, executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California, Riverside, has been selected as an "Everyday Superhero"
in recognition of her educational leadership and internationally
recognized research on the effect of media on child development. Read
more about Ellen's award here.
NAMLE member Jeff Share has a new book out: "Media Literacy is Elementary: Teaching Youth to Critically Read and Create Media: (Peter Lang, 2009).
What have you been doing? NAMLE members, send us news of your
activities, and we'll include it in the UPDATE. Email us at
update@namle.net
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Media Smart Research Awards
Cable in the Classroom has announced its 2008 Media Smart Research Awards program, which aims to encourage the teaching and learning of media literacy in American schools and homes. By publicizing and supporting the research of emerging media literacy scholars, Cable in the Classroom aims to expand the knowledge base on the status and effectiveness of media literacy instruction. Up to three Media Smart Research Awards of $2,000 each will be given for research papers in media literacy written by graduate students attending accredited colleges and universities in the United States. Undergraduate students at such institutions may, with the recommendation of their faculty advisor, also submit papers for consideration. This year's deadline is May 31, 2009. NAMLE's own Kelly Mendoza was one of last year's winners. Let's do it again this year. Details online.
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Calls for Papers, Articles & Entries
The Call for Proposals for the NAMLE 2009 Conference "Bridging Literacies: Critical Connections in a Digital World," has been posted. Read the call and submit online.
The Media That Matters Film Festival is now accepting entries for it's ninth annual short film competition. The deadline for submissions is January 9th, 2009. Read more at the festival's website.Call for Proposals: Media Literacy in / and the Arts: a special double issue of Afterimage (September/October 2009). Afterimage, the Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism, is seeking unpublished scholarly research, pedagogy, experiential narratives and coverage of all media literacy practices and applications in any media and in relation to all educational, artistic, and professional disciplines. Submit proposals for the following: feature articles (3,000-4,000 words); essays and narratives (1,500-2,500 words); portraits (850 words); artist portfolios; reviews (850-1,500 words) of exhibitions, books, films, videos, and educational materials. Include cv/resume with all submissions. Deadline for proposals: February 15, 2009. Email Karen vanMeenen, Editor, at afterimageeditor@yahoo.com with proposals and questions. |
Mark Your Calendars
It's not too soon to begin making plans for the NAMLE Conference 2009 "Bridging Literacies: Critical Connections in a Digital World," which will be held in Detroit, MI August 1 - 4, 2009. Visit the NAMLE website for more information. The 7th annual Northeast Media Literacy Conference will be held on Friday, April 3, 2009 at the University of Connecticut. The theme of the conference is "Rethinking Media Literacy Priorities in a Changing Information Age." Read more online. 3rd Global Conference: Visual Literacies: Exploring Critical Issues. Tuesday 14th July - Thursday 16th July 2009, Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom. Read the call for papers and more information about the conference at the conference website.
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New MLE Resources
NAMLE organizational member Common Sense Media has launched a new web site with a new look and a more comprehensive rating system to help parents determine what movies, television shows and electronic games are appropriate for their children. Check it out here. NAMLE member Bobbie Eisenstock's article "You Are What You Post," published in the
July/August issue of Cable in the Classroom Magazine, features a
teacher's guide for media literacy strategies for content consumers and
creators in the emerging new media environment. Download the article from the CIC archives. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released a new online resource that brings together information, research and activities about digital media literacy. The resource is aimed at promoting participation in and understanding of media literacy and is available at acma.gov.au/medialiteracy. Organizational member HOME, Inc has launched "Teen TV," a magazine-style Teen TV program with feature stories on the presidential campaign, local organizations, and much more. .. written, directed, acted, edited, and produced entirely by Boston teens. Learn about Teen TV and watch the program online. |
Opportunities
The University of Alberta Department of Secondary Education, Faculty of Education, invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level in Curriculum Studies in Media and Youth Culture. This position involves working in undergraduate teacher education and graduate studies. Consideration of applications will start January 2, 2009. Read the call for applicants here.
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We Need You!
Don't just sit back and ponder the best ways to advance media literacy education. Join a NAMLE Committee! New NAMLE President, Sherri Hope Culver, invites members to help advance the mission of media literacy education by joining a committee of the Board. Board Committees tackle specific projects and initiatives for the industry and the organization. Committees seeking interested volunteers are listed below. Please contact the committee chair directly. Communications Committee Jane Ballinger communicationschair@namle.net(manages website, UPDATE newsletter and external information) Marketing CommitteeJessica Z. Brown Marketingchair@namle.net(manages marketing strategy, press relations, etc.) Development Committee Cindy Pulley developmentchair@namle.net (manages fundraising from foundations, corporate giving, and government) Program Committee Amy Jensen propubchair@namle.net(manages programmatic development) Conference Committee Sharon Sellers-Clark NMECchair@namle.net(manages the NAMLE conference upcoming Aug. 2009) Membership Committee Jane Owens membershipchair@namle.net(manages membership recruitment, renewal and service)
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