NAMLE members Lynda Bergsma and Elana Rosen have been honored with the prestigious Cable's Leaders in Learning Award for "creating and implementing innovative ways to educate students and for making a substantial contribution to learning."

Lynda, the former NAMLE president, is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She was recognized in the Media Literacy Education category for her 17-year body of work, in which she uses media literacy education as a health promotion strategy for children, youth and families.


Elana is a former member of the NAMLE board of directors. She was honored for her work with the San Francisco-based Just Think Foundation. Elana is a founder of Just Think, which provides students with the skills they need to become critical thinkers and creative producers on important issues they see in the media.

NAMLE member Alan Michel, co-founder of HOME, Inc., was also a finalist for the award.

 

Independent Film Channel's The Media Project has launched its second season, hosted by Peabody- and Emmy Award-winning correspondent Gideon Yago (CBS, MTV). This season will cover topics on how the media shapes the American worldview.

All the episodes of "season one" for The Media Project are now available on iTunes. The episodes for "season two" will be available immediately after they air on IFC.

The Media Project also has a blogger, Meghan O'Hara, who writes about the series for the Huffington Post.

Frank Gallagher is Director of Education and Media Literacy for Cable in the Classroom (CIC), a NAMLE organizational member. Frank is a specialist in the areas of media and information literacy, internet safety, media education, and the impact of media on children. He is a consulting editor to CIC's publications, responsible for tracking the cable industry's work with schools, and serves on several boards including the National PTA and Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 

Prior to joining CIC in 1995, Frank was a middle school educator. He holds a master's degree in Instructional Systems Design from the University of Maryland.  In reflecting on the future of media literacy, Frank states, "Within the 21st Century Skills movement and the evolving fields of internet safety and digital citizenship, there is great potential for media literacy.  As policymakers realize students will need to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly use both old and new media tools, media literacy is nicely positioned to fill a critical need.  That's where the bulk of my time is currently spent and where I see the greatest opportunities."

"Member Spotlight" is a new monthly feature in the Update newsletter. If you would like to be featured in a Spotlight article, please contact us at namle@namle.net.

Gateway Media Literacy Partners (GMLP) reports its Board of Directors unanimously endorsed NAMLE's Core Princeiples of Media Literacy Education as a media literacy education resource it believes will help more educators to grasp and teach media literacy in formal and informal education settings.  GMLP's president and founder, Jessica Z. Brown, a NAMLE board member, says the CPMLE will serve us well when we conduct teacher workshops at our third annual GMLP Media Literacy Week, Oct. 4-11."

REGISTER TODAY 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 8th Annual Shortie Awards: Student Film and News Festival will be held in Washington D.C. on June 6th.  The festival is free and open to everyone. If you and your fellow filmmakers, friends, and relatives will be attending, please RSVP to Alyssa Baer abaer@mhznetworks.org. Visit www.shortie.org/festival/awards/ for festival details.

The VISUAL STUDIES WORKSHOP SUMMER INSTITUTE will be held JUNE 29-JULY 31, 2009, It will feature Photography, Artists' Books, Film, Video, Digital Imaging, Web Design, Media Literacy and more. Courses are offered for all levels and interests. You may choose to register for GRADUATE or UNDERGRADUATE credit through SUNY BROCKPORT. Karen vanMeenen will present a course titled MEDIA LITERACY: THEORY AND PRACTICE. The course introduces the theories and practices of media literacy education, leading to enhanced critical thinking skills and ultimately to media literacy in all aspects of citizens' lives. More information online.

New Mexico Media Literacy Project will host the 2009 Catalyst Institute on July 8-9 at Albuquerque Academy. The Institute will feature an intensive two-day introduction to media literacy concepts and skills, with an emphasis on financial literacy and marketing during the recession. Visit the NMMLP for more information.

Arts Education Partnership (AEP) Fall National Forum: Charting a Course for the Arts and 21st Century Learning
takes place on October 2-3, 2009 in Cambridge, MA. The forum offers an exploration of the connections and synchronicities between the arts and 21st century learning. The Fall 2009 Forum theme will consider the ways the principles of 21st century learning, particularly imagination, creativity and innovation, are incorporated, articulated and supported throughout the education system from pre-K to higher education. Registration information is available here, or you may contact the Arts Education Partnership directly at aep@ccsso.org.

Appalachian State University's Media Literacy graduate program will offer "Media Literacy & Curriculum Development" in the Fall of 2009. The course will meet one Saturday in September on the NC campus and once in December. The rest of the time will be conducted online. A full pdf description of the course content and concepts is available at the program website.

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.

Project Look Sharp will once again be holding its Summer Media Literacy Institute at Ithaca College in beautiful Ithaca, NY (a place that the Utne Reader once called "the most enlightened city in the United States). The dates are July 13-17, 2009; details are available at: www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/.

Call for Nominations: Media Literacy Award
During the 2009 NCTE Annual Convention in Philadelphia, the NCTE Commission on Media will present its fourth annual Media Literacy Award to an individual, team, or department that has implemented and refined exemplary media literacy practices in their school environment. June 15 is the application deadline.
www.ncte.org.

The Center for Art, Media and Communication (CAMaC) is seeking applications for the School Director Position. The center seeks a dynamic, innovative educational leader to help launch a new credit-recovery school for high school dropouts.  The CAMaC school will be a small,  year-round, accelerated high school that combines academics, media arts and project-based learning.  Contact Mike Sack at (215) 769-0340 x231 or msack@yesphilly.org.

Cable in the Classroom is soliciting proposals for their Media Smart Research Awards program, which bestows up to three awards of $2,000 each 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.