NAMLE: National Association for Media Literacy Education

As a Broadcasting major, and with the help of one of my mentors, I stumbled upon an organization dedicated to media literacy. In an increasingly digital age, this is important to any educator or student learning necessary 21st century skills. The National Association for Media Literacy Education may not be the first resource that pops into a teacher’s head, but certainly a hidden gem when it comes to a forum for discussing current trends in digital learning, communication and inquiry-based critical thinking.

The organization’s core principles include:

1. Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create.
2. Media Literacy Education expands the concept of literacy to include all forms of media (i.e., reading and writing).
3. Media Literacy Education builds and reinforces skills for learners of all ages. Like print literacy, those skills necessitate integrated, interactive, and repeated practice.
4. Media Literacy Education develops informed, reflective and engaged participants essential for a democratic society.
5. Media Literacy Education recognizes that media are a part of culture and function as agents of socialization.
6. Media Literacy Education affirms that people use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages.

Many of the organization’s members are teachers of literacy, English, technology, and media — and unexpected network of educators that collaborate with each other on the topic of media literacy. The next NAMLE Conference will be right here in Philadelphia during Spring 2015.

NAMLE is just one of many resources available to educators across the country. Teachers should not be sitting in their classrooms, closed off to other like-minded individuals. Let’s come together and make an effort to reach out to others to continue the conversation!