Join this online course designed for school librarians to bring media literacy education to Rhode Island students. Participants will be trained to teach core library standards and habits of critical thinking about all media messages using a student-centered, curriculum-driven, inquiry-based pedagogical approach for media decoding. Participants will also increase their own media literacy skills and discuss ways school librarians can expand media literacy education in RI. 

The course will be delivered through three synchronous sessions and four asynchronous modules. The total time to complete the course is approximately 16 hours. The course will be facilitated by Wendy Gustavel, school librarian at Rocky Hill Country Day School, who has been trained by Project Look Sharp (PLS), the well respected organization behind the course. She will provide feedback and coaching for each participant as they create of their own media decoding activity that they deliver to students during the course. For more information see this video, Modern Media Literacy for K-12. 

Expectations for Participants to Receive Course Completion Certificate: A course completion certificate will be awarded for participants who complete course expectations. Participants can apply on their own for PLUs.  

• Attend two 90-minute and one 60-minute online synchronous sessions
• Complete required written work in four self paced modules (2 to 3 hours of work for each module)  
• Practice media decoding with students during the course

Registration is required. 

Schedule of Modules

Module 1 (Live Zoom Session - October 1, 2024 7-8:30 pm hosted by Chris Sperry of PLS)

• Basics of Media Literacy
• Introduction to Constructivist Media Decoding (CMD)
• Why This Work Matters for Today’s World and Today’s Students
• The Key Role of Librarians in This Work
• Making Connections in Our Course Community
• What to Expect During the Rest of the Course

Module 2 (Asynchronous, available starting October 1, 2024)

• CMD as an Inquiry Based Literacy Process
• Focusing on Questions
• Aligning CMD with Your Goals
• CMD in Action: Analyzing a CMD Video Demonstration
• Where to Begin: Finding and Using Existing CMD Lessons

Module 3 (Asynchronous, available starting October 15, 2024)

• Finding Media Documents for Decoding
• Developing Questions and Probes
• Designing a Decoding Plan
• Getting Started on a CMD Activity Plan

Module 4 (Asynchronous, availablew starting October 29, 2024)

• Reviewing the Basics of CMD: Goals, Media Documents, Questions
• Attending an Office Hour Session with course facilitator or in person training session on November 5th. Details forthcoming.
• Completing Your CMD Activity Plan
• Leading Your Own CMD Activity
• Reflecting on Successes and Challenges

Coaching Sessions 

• 2 hours In-person at Rocky Hill Country Day (East Greenwich) or
• 15 minute one-to-one session on Zoom with course facilitator

Module 5 (Asynchronous, available starting November 12, 2024)

• More Tips on Leading CMDs
• Cautions and Challenges of CMD Work
• Do No Harm
• Risky Documents and Topics
• Teacher Bias
• Testing Yourself – Effective and Ineffective Practices

Connecting Media Literacy Education Across Rhode Island Discussion (Live Zoom Session - November 19, 2024, 7-8 pm) 

Module 6 (Live Zoom Session - December 3, 2024 8-8:30 pm hosted by Chris Sperry of PLS)

• Sharing Our Experiences in Leading CMDs
• Opportunities for PD: Librarians as Leaders for Media Literacy
• Going Beyond CMD in Integrating Media Literacy in Schools
• Wrapping Up the Course: What’s Next?
• Continuing Connections We’ve Made in the Course

Facilitator Bio: Wendy Gustavel is the Nursery-Grade 12 Librarian & Instructional Facilitator at Rocky Hill Country Day School in East Greenwich, RI. Before becoming a school librarian, Wendy taught elementary school for 10+ years, directed the Teach for America-Connecticut Alternate Route to Certification Program, and advised students in the Johns Hopkins M.S.Ed. program. Wendy's passion for media literacy was sparked during her time in the URI GSLIS program and has continued to be a focus area in her work. Wendy curated educator resources for the Courageous RI media literacy curriculum and earned Project Look Sharp's Empowering All Students Through Media Decoding certification. Wendy also developed a media literacy seminar course which she currently teaches to 9th-grade students at Rocky Hill Country Day. 

This course is sponsored by School Librarians of Rhode Island, the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Office of Library Services.

If any reasonable accommodation is needed to ensure equal access or participation, contact the Office of Library and Information Services at (401) 574-9300 or email the event organizer not less than three (3) business days in advance of the meeting or program date. More advanced notice is highly advisable.