About the Conference

The 2024 MediaEd Forum (formally known as the Northeast Media Literacy Conference) builds on over two decades of experience facilitating intellectual exchange and community building across disciplinary and geographic boundaries to advance the field of media literacy education. Founded in 2003 by Dr. Thomas Goodkind, the conference was supported by the University of Connecticut School of Education for 11 years. After a few years' hiatus, in 2017 NMLC was resurrected by Yonty Friesem and hosted by Central Connecticut State University. The 2018 and 2019 conferences (then the Northeast Regional Media Literacy Conference) were produced by Carolyn Fortuna, in 2018 hosted by the University of Rhode Island College of Education and Professional Studies and in 2019 hosted by the Feinstein College of Education and Human Development at Rhode Island College. In 2020, produced by Pam Steager and Michelle Ciccone, NMLC took place online for the first time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the Northeast Media Literacy Conference aims to foster international collaboration and momentum on some of media literacy education's most pressing issues with Michelle Ciccone and Iglika Ivanova as co-chairs. ''

Since 2024, as part of the Media Education Lab strategic plan, the conference was renamed as the MediaEd Forum to be more inclusive, foster international collaboration and momentum on some of media literacy education's most pressing issues. With three co-chairs, Barbara Burke, Inglika Ivanova and Cathatinre Reznicek, we decided to change the name to MediaEd Forum represents the online global community that meets once a year in January.

2024 Co-Chairs

Barbara Burke is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Morris. Her research explores online community building, and the reciprocal nature of media messages and ideas about identity. She earned her MA in Telecommunication Arts from the University of Michigan, and her MA and PhD in American Studies from Purdue University. In addition to working in mass media, she has taught at Ivy Tech Community College (Indiana), has been a Guest Instructor at the University of Iceland, and a Fulbright Scholar at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia).

Iglika Ivanova is a PhD candidate and lecturer at Sofia University, Bulgaria, whose research interests gravitate towards the challenges at the intersection of media, technology and democracy. Iglika's professional resume brings together work experience and insights from various fields related to media literacy - media, academia, civil sector, public administration (policymaking). In 2019, Iglika joined the Media Literacy Coalition – an association that coordinates the efforts of more than a dozen of the non-governmental organizations working in the field of digital and media literacy in Bulgaria.

Catharine Reznicek currently works in both K-12 and Higher Education settings. She is the Director of Education Technology for the Ventura County Office of Education where she works with educators and administrators on technology integration including media literacy. She is also a lecturer at California State University at Channel Islands where she teaches Media Literacy and Youth Culture and Computer Literacy for Educators. Both courses address numerous topics of media literacy education and its place in our lives.

Supporters

The Media Education Lab is a proud producer and organizer of the MediaEd Forum (Formally known as the Northeast Media Literacy Conference). The Media Education Lab is an online community that advances the field of digital and media literacy education through leadership development, scholarship, and community engagement.