Monday, October 13, 2008

An Invitation...


Rebooting the News: Reconsidering an Agenda for American Civic Education

It's no question I have been spreading the message lately that we need to start getting kids to think about media messages and analyze media messages especially with the media surrounding the upcoming election. There is an exciting opportunity in Philadelphia this month...a short, strategic convening for journalists to find common purpose with teachers, educational administrators and public-policy researchers on the meaning and teaching of news literacy. This event is occurring because there is an epic change underway in the way American citizens prepare themselves for self government and it's time to consider what to do about it.
  • Younger Americans are abandoning traditional news products in large numbers. Yet a growing number of teen-agers and young adults are highly engaged with media in multiple forms.
  • American newspapers endure their worst year in decades; yet the Daily Kos political website records 33 million "hits" in one month and online political fund-raising is setting records.
Journalists, teachers, public-policy researchers, engaged citizens...should we be concerned? Do these changes threaten participatory democracy or promise to enliven it? This year, the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) adopted news literacy as a critical focus for its membership with a kickoff gathering in August at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Now The Media Giraffe Project, the Media Education Lab at Temple University and the National Constitution Center invite you to help answer this question – and develop a set of news literacy strategies for our communities and for the nation.

With "Rebooting the News: Reconsidering an Agenda for American Civic Education," they will try to answer this question ..and more...
How can we best help young people engage with news media in ways that help them understand and contribute to contemporary society
Hosted by the Media Education Lab at Temple University in collaboration with the Poynter Institute for Media Studies this event will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia October 23rd - 25th and will be attended by Howard Schneider, dean of the Stony Brook University School of Journalism; Ellen Hume of the Center for Future Civic Media at MIT; and a host of other participants.

While the program is limited to 50 delegates to ensure a dynamic conversation keep your eyes opened for ways to to attend virtually and see session conversations that will be archive. I for one have registered and am looking forward to engaging in some of these critical conversations...are they happening at your schools? IF NOT, come to Philadelphia next weekend and get the ball rolling...

1 comment:

  1. The skills necessary to participate in civic and political life including speaking and writing, critical thinking, understanding other perspectives, and the give-and-take process of consensus building in a democracy. Civic Attitudes Respect for diverse viewpoints, a belief in the importance of participation in political processes and civic life, an understanding that the common good sometimes supersedes one’s own desires, and valuing participation in public and civic life.
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    hennry
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