Most information is shared online through various digital platforms today. Media literacy helps students to interpret the information they see online and determine the reliability and bias of online information.
Why do students need to learn about media literacy?
Media literacy is a necessary skill to function as an active digital citizen in the 21st century. Technology is prominent in both classrooms and students’ lives in general on a daily basis, and students need to learn how to properly interpret and interact with digital media in order to navigate the digital world. Educators can help develop media literacy skills with students in a variety of ways.
Check out our list of ways to introduce media literacy to kids and how to use media literacy in the classroom for more helpful information.
See our list of the best online resources you can use to help your students become better digital citizens.
Click the website title to discover them.
The Center for Media Literacy
Leadership and Evidence-Based Resources
The Center for Media Literacy is an organization committed to promoting and supporting media literacy education. They provide leadership, public education, professional development, and evidence-based educational resources to help citizens gain the necessary media literacy skills to successfully navigate the current media culture.
On top of advocating for media literacy, CML has created the CML MediaLit Kit, which provides educators with the resources they need to promote and teach media literacy to students.
Media Literacy Now
Become a More Active Citizen
Media Literacy Now is a leader in the movement to create and provide an education system that provides students with the literacy skills to become active citizens within the 21st century. MLN functions as a politically neutral advocacy nonprofit and their work advocating policies and legislation and running public awareness campaigns have potentially impacted the education of 10 million students.
They include Resources for Educators and Librarians on their website with a comprehensive list of helpful tools and links to additional resources for teaching media literacy independent of Media Literacy Now.
Digital Citizenship Curriculum
Customizable Online Videos
Common Sense is a great resource for educators teaching students to become successful digital citizens. They’ve created the Digital Citizenship Curriculum for educators and parents to use as a resource in teaching media literacy from K-12. The curriculum offers online classes and activities at each grade level with lesson slides, videos, customizable resources, and bilingual materials.
Get Media L.I.T.
For Visual Learners of all Ages
Get Media L.I.T. (learn, inspire, transform) is an engaging and unique online resource for teachers that is free for teachers and students to use. It includes over 400 free pages of comics and curricula to promote social-emotional learning and digital citizenship. Each comic has a separate lesson included with the story for students to follow. They create lesson content for grades 3-10.
Most Likely Machine
Interactive Learning About Algorithms
Most Likely Machine is a fun, interactive activity to help students develop algorithmic literacy. The program teaches students about how algorithms work and their implications. The program is developed to support pre-teens and the goal is to teach them to be more responsible and conscious digital citizens. The program can be used as both an individual learning resource and as a supplemental classroom curriculum.
Learning for Justice
Create Lesson Plans and Advocate for Human Rights
Learning for Justice has a mission to end racial injustice and advance human rights for all. They provide free educational resources on a number of topics, including digital literacy. You can filter their lesson plans by age group, social justice domain, subject, and topic. Currently, there are 25 lesson plans on the topic of digital literacy for varying grade levels. They also offer a Learning Plan Builder, where you can create your own lesson plan and share it for others to use.