Invite Renee Hobbs and colleagues to offer a keynote address, give a workshop, or offer consulting services.

Learn More About Renee Hobbs

Members of the Media Education Lab team offer programs, workshops and consulting on topics including: 

• Introduction to Digital Literacy
• Making Media with a Cell Phone
• Teaching the Conspiracies
• Digital Literacy in a Post-Truth World
• Understanding Fake News: Focus on the New Economics of Online Media
• Create to Learn: Introduction to Digital Authorship 
• Copyright Clarity: How Fair Use Supports Digital Learning
• 12 Flavors of Digital Literacy
• The Blurring of Art, Journalism & Advocacy: Understanding Contemporary Propaganda in a Digital Age
• Digital Literacy in K-6 Urban Education
• What Sign are You? How Teacher Motivations for Digital Learning Shape Instructional Practice
• Awesome DigiLit PD: Designing Effective Approaches to Professional Development in Digital Literacy
• Linking the Literacies: Critical Media Analysis and Reading Comprehension
• When Everyone's an Author: Implications for Students, Educators, Librarians and Technology Specialists
• Why News Matters: Bringing Current Events into the Classroom

Contact Renee Hobbs via email (hobbs@uri.edu) or text (978 201-9799) to learn more about program fees, scheduling, and other information.  

SAMPLE TOPICS FOR KEYNOTES & WORKSHOPS

Digital Literacy in Libraries: Past, Present & Future.  Literacy changes in response to changes in culture, technology and society. In this orientation to digital literacy, we'll explore the question: What essential competencies are needed to be citizens in a digital age? How do people develop digital literacy competencies in school, public and academic libraries?

Digital Literacy in a Post-Truth World. In this workshop, we acknowledge the rise of propaganda and disinformation and consider how the changing nature of authority is reshaping how we understand news and information. We discuss: How do people decide what to believe and who to trust? What are some effective ways that librarians support learners in the activity of critical analysis and reflection upon their choices of information and entertainment?

Library Screen Scene: Film and Video in Libraries. In this workshop, we learn about library programs and services that support viewing, creating, learning, collecting and connecting when it comes to film and video in school, public and academic libraries. What are the best practices of film screening and discussion events? How are libraries helping people to create media? What strategies for incorporating streaming media are most effective? How do social media partnerships help advance film and media literacy education in libraries?

Teaching the Conspiracies. In this workshop, we will discuss the rise of conspiracy theories and demonstrate some pedagogical strategies for exploring them in the context of media literacy education in school, public and academic libraries. A model lesson is offered with interactive analysis of "best practices" in addressing sensitive topics in the classroom. 

Making Media with a Cellphone. Everyone can be a media maker! The experience of creating media shifts personal identity and helps to create a sense of social responsibility as a digital author. In only 45 minutes, you will create a piece of media and upload it to YouTube. Designed for beginners, this workshop will boost your confidence and stimulate new ways of using media production in your professional life. All you need is a cellphone and a gmail account.

Copyright Clarity Learn what you CAN do with copyrighted material like print, images, videos, and music for teaching and learning. Learn when it is legal for students to use copyrighted materials in their own creative work. Learn how to make a fair-use determination about the appropriate and legal use of copyrighted print media, music, and images. Discover the importance of eliminating copyright confusion and replacing it with copyright clarity to support digital learning. 

Understanding Fake News: Perspectives from the Scholarship on Digital and Media Literacy. The rise of "fake news" can be examined in relationship to the development of the field of digital and media literacy education, which includes a variety of "new literacies" including information literacy, visual literacy, media literacy, news literacy and digital literacy. In this talk, we examine how digital technologies reshape concepts of credibility, expertise, authority, verification, ownership, authorship and virality, affecting the practice of analysis of both mainstream media and social media. By recovering the practice of propaganda education, we consider key concepts and strategies for addressing the many new forms of media designed to influence public opinion, including sponsored content, disinformation, and public relations. We consider strategies that support the development of digital ethics that enable people to be socially responsible as both creators and consumers of information.

Why Teacher Motivations for Digital Literacy Matter. What flavor of digital literacy do you like best? Today, there are a lot of flavors to choose from. In this session, we'll explore terms like connected learning, blended learning, media literacy, information literacy and web literacy and use the Digital Learning Motivations Profile to recognize the variety of motives that lead educators to teach with and about media and technology. Improve your collaboration and professional development training skills by understanding how motivations shape instructional practices in digital literacy. 

ADAPT OUR MEDIA LITERACY SURVEY TO FIND OUT HOW YOUR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY IS DOING  

Contact Renee Hobbs to learn how you can track the implementation of media literacy instructional practices in your school or community