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Opening a Global Conversation

Opening a Global Conversation: Building Trust in Digital Communities

We're exploring  the connections between media literacy and intercultural dialogue in this session for teachers and teacher educators. 

DATE: TUESDAY, June 22 

TIME: 12 - 1:30 pm EST / 6 - 7:30 pm CET

LOCATION: Online. Register for the program here

GUEST PRESENTER: Dr. Luisa Conti, a researcher and lecturer specializing in intercultural dialogue in digital settings at the Department of Intercultural Studies at the University of Jena, Germany

In this session, Dr. Conti will invite participants to explore issues related to building trust and commitment to online dialogue by first considering digital artifacts such as a meme, news item, or photo as a way to explore their own perspectives on the media. Then, through a facilitated dialogue, participants will discuss similarities and differences in digital and face-to-face communications (and why some elements don’t always work as well as we would expect). Finally, participants will be introduced to the idea of “intercultural dialogic competence" and welcomed to join a year-long learning community for teachers and teacher educators.

About the Program

This webinar is being offered as an introduction to the year-long “Medialogue on Propaganda” a professional learning experience that is set to begin in mid-October of 2021. This program is designed to advance the quality of media literacy education in Germany by developing the knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills of German teachers and teacher educators.

In this program, participants experience collaborative professionalism as they construct a community of learners built on collegial solidarity, candid, thoughtful feedback, and collective responsibility. Through a variety of online workshops in Zoom and on-going asynchronous learning experiences, participants will gain confidence in teaching about contemporary propaganda, including disinformation and algorithmic personalization. We learn how media messages are constructed and how to assess their credibility. We will consider the consequences of harmful forms of contemporary propaganda and disinformation and pay heightened attention to cultural stereotypes that affect public policy. We hope to discover the value of intercultural dialogue through opportunities that bring together German and American educators.

We will even engage in creating a variety of simple media productions, including screencasts, infographics, and simple video production. Through partnerships as well as individualized coaching and support, participants will deepen their understanding of how to integrate media literacy concepts and pedagogy into their curriculum in ways that are responsive to the unique needs of their learners. 

Join the email list to learn more about the program. 

This program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the Media Education Lab (University of Rhode Island), Media Literacy Now, and the Media Education and Engagement Lab (University of Würzburg).