Curriculum-Instruction-Assessment Resource Site

Media & Digital Information Literacy

Perhaps one of the most important skills for today's students is knowing what they are looking at when they use the Internet. Media and digital literacy are embedded throughout the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards. Teaching these skills do not fall to a particular grade or content area. It requires every teacher from PreK-12 to address these skills, to express the importance of smart and safe access to the endless information that is accessible online.

2. EducatorsThe ISTE Educator Standards challenge educators to deepen their practice, empower students and rethink traditional approaches to education.

1. StudentsThe ISTE Student Standards guide educators toward student-driven learning practices that prepare students to thrive in an evolving technological landscape.

We cannot ASSUME that kids know where to find information or that they're better than we are! We must teach them to be more savvy consumers of the digital information. These are some tools that can help you. But, none of these site have a silver bullet of everything you need in a neat and tidy package.

ISTE (site referenced above).

National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) - this site lists core principles that we all should be following when directing the students to the Internet.

Media Literacy Now - This organization has some tools and resources to help instruct and organize information.

There is a bill pending in the NJ State Legislature that will require grades K-12 Media Literacy Standards be integrated into the curriculum. In order to get ahead of this new mandate, let's do this now.

Journalism Code of Ethics - This journalism code of ethics is what drives reputable news institutions such as the New York Times. It's important that students and teachers can recognize reputable news sources and to confirm and rely on those sources.

The Trust Project - assists in finding reputable outlets for news and are awarded the designation for honest and transparent news reporting. Something to keep in mind is that news is a business and the push to get the news out first can lead to reckless reporting. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done except to continue to demand honest reporting, regardless of who is first to break the story.