In the AI age, media literacy education has never been more important. This course addresses the pressing need for students to develop media literacy skills, including critical thinking and deeper insights about the media messages they consume and produce each day. Media literacy promotes inquiry into stereotypes, representation, biases, ethical challenges, and other concerns that must be addressed in a world where AI s becoming ubiquitous.
Media literacy is not just an essential subject, but also an engaging approach to support teaching in all disciplines. Washington State is in the process of updating its English Language Arts standards to include media literacy. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) both have issued position papers on the importance of media literacy to each of their disciplines.
Through the Media Literacy Institute, participants will gain skills to effectively utilize evidence-based frameworks so that users of AI can create engaging lessons that empower students. The course will employ active learning techniques that are sure to yield "Aha!" moments. By the end of this program, educators will have the confidence and knowledge to foster media literacy in their classrooms.
Course Objectives
By the end of the institute participants will be able to:
- Understand basic media literacy theory and how to apply evidence-based frameworks and pedagogy to AI tools.
- Gain practice with close analysis and facilitating a media literacy class, including uncomfortable subjects, and become a confident presenter and co-learner.
- Learn how to integrate media literacy instruction into your school or district curriculum, creating engaging lessons that empower students.
Course Schedule
Participants will meet in 5 two-hour online synchronous sessions during the week of August 4-8, 2025.
In addition, there will be 6 hours of asynchronous work to be completed between sessions (approximately 1.5 hours each day, Monday through Thursday). An optional 4 clock hours of extra project work is also available.
- Session 1: August 4, 9:00-11:00am PDT
- Session 2: August 5, 9:00-11:00am PDT
- Session 3: August 6, 9:00-11:00am PDT
- Session 4: August 7, 9:00-11:00am PDT
- Session 5: August 8, 9:00-11:00am PDT
Course Details
This institute is an intensive 16-hour course. There are five online synchronous sessions, and six hours of asynchronous work. Participants receive 16 clock hours for full participation in the course. An optional four clock hours of extra project work is also available.
The Zoom link will be emailed to participants prior to the start of the course.
The course fee for this course is $300.
Registration is limited to 30 participants.
Register with the following link: UofW_Media_Literacy_Institute
Meet the Instructors
Michele Johnsen is an Affiliate of the Center for Media Literacy. She comes to the field as an award-winning media strategy and communications expert. Her focus is on human rights and the effects of digital communication on democracy and culture. Michele has led media literacy education workshops for educators throughout the US, as well as for international educators and journalists, including at the United Nations Civil Society Conference. Michele’s workshops and trainings aim to build participants’ media literacy skills so that individuals of all ages, cultures, religions, and nationalities can become empowered media consumers and producers. Michele holds an MA in Public Diplomacy from the University of California’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.
Monika Hanley is an Associate of the Center for Media Literacy and a Media Literacy and Disinformation educator and researcher with a master’s degree in international relations, a Master of Law in Human Rights Law, and BA degrees in Political Science and Linguistics. A two-time Fulbright Scholar, her work explores how individuals and communities navigate truth, intuition, and authority across digital platforms, as well as media literacy in the age of AI. Monika has led media literacy initiatives in both academic and public sectors and frequently collaborates on global curricula.
This course is a collaboration between University of Washington Center for Excellence in Media Literacy and the Media Education Lab
For questions, please contact ConnectEd@uw.edu.