Literature: A Portal to Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning
Leigh Kellmann Kolb, Assistant Professor of English and Journalism at East Central College
July 17, 2020
There has been an influx of reading lists for white Americans to more deeply understand the long history and enduring egregious examples of systemic racism in our country in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a rational and important reaction: we know that reading increases knowledge, ...
Empowering HS Journalists to Report on Race, Equality, and Social Justice
Jane Bannester, Ritenour High School Broadcast Journalism Teacher
June 14, 2020
My name is Jane Bannester and I’m a teacher at Ritenour High School in St. Louis, Missouri. On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by 28-year-old white police officer Darren Wilson in the city of Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis. It happened on a Saturday. Ou...
Diagnosing Propaganda Techniques in Campaign Ads: Civic Discourse and Media Literacy
Leigh Kellmann Kolb, Assistant Professor of English and Journalism at East Central College
January 13, 2020
Presidential election years present ample opportunities for lessons in media literacy; depending on your outlook and your class dynamics, this is either exhilarating or terrifying. Either way, it’s necessary for us to play a role in helping students navigate the overwhelming messages that surround them. ...
Media Literacy Resources: Navigating a Digital Society
Michelle Turner and Leigh Kolb
September 5, 2019
To thrive and not just simply survive in a digital society, media literacy is a must. People of all ages need to be able to digest and analyze vast amounts of information from various sources. It is critical educators help students effectively create, access, analyze, and evaluate messages in a vari...
Lesson: Is it news or opinion?
Malorie Paine, Kingsbury High School, Memphis, TN
February 8, 2019
At an almost alarming rate, students these days are unable to determine news writing from opinion writing. In my two Journalism I classes, I conducted a pre-assessment experiment where students evaluated a news article and opinion article from the local newspaper. I asked students to read both pieces,...
Media Literacy in 2018: Top Five
Leigh Kolb, Assistant Professor of English and Journalism at East Central College
January 1, 2019
One of the most exciting aspects of weaving media literacy instruction into the classroom is the rich source material that we are able to glean from news and entertainment media, pop culture and social media. It can also feel overwhelming to try to keep our instruction on pace. When Beyoncé dropped...
Combating Apathy in an Era of “Fake News” and Standardized Testing
Leigh Kolb, English and Journalism Instructor at East Central College
January 1, 2018
Fake news. Bias. Alternative facts. Journalism is under attack, and our students certainly feel the apathy that results in this constant cycle of distrust. For students who might be interested in journalism, the job market seems dubious and there’s been increasing vitriol about mainstream news outlets...
Ancient Texts, Modern Media Literacy
Leigh Kolb, English and Journalism Instructor at East Central College
September 24, 2017
Perspective. This is a word we use often when we delve into the fundamentals of media literacy. Whose perspective are we getting, and who is in control of the message? How is this perspective different from what we are used to? Are many perspectives being considered? When we teach media literacy,...
Commentary vs. Journalism: Are journalists biased?
Michelle Turner, Washington High School, Washington, MO, and JEA 2016 Broadcast Adviser of the Year
July 23, 2017
A recent poll by Gallup reports that 62 percent of Americans believe journalists are biased in the arena of politics. The majority of those polled feel journalists favor Democrats in their reporting. This isn’t a shocker. Poll after poll has similar results: Americans believe journalists are biased...
Character Ed should link in lessons on Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship
Michelle Turner, Washington High School, Washington, MO, and JEA 2016 Broadcast Adviser of the Year
April 17, 2017
The need for Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship in school curriculums cannot be denied. However, I have a radical proposal. Can we emphasize in those lessons themes that include kindness and respect for others? Just a few weeks ago, I saw two prime examples of why incorporating Character Education...
