AI in Education | Media Education Lab

Together We Rise - September

Marie Celestin and Renee Hobbs offer a community gathering called Together We Rise. This event is free and open to the public. Join us to reflect on your lived experience during a time of political transition. DATE: Monday, September 7, 2026TIME: 1 - 2 PM ESTLOCATION: Online. Click here to register. This…

AI and Authorship

Where is the line between acceptable and unacceptable AI use? For some people, any use of AI is both unacceptable and unethical. These folks could be considered “conscientious objectors of artificial intelligence.” Whether it’s the impact of data centers on our communities and environment, the influence of wealthy, BigTech oligarchs on our democracy and civic culture, or the trauma inflicted upon…

More Than Deepfakes

More than DeepfakesAn online resource designed to inform and facilitate critical discussions on AI-generative media literacy DATE: Monday, September 14, 2026TIME: 12 PM EST / 11 AM CST / 10 AM MST / 9 AM PST / 6 PM CETLOCATION: Online. Click here to register. Did you know that a low-quality 5-second AI-…

Back to School with Media Literacy in Action

See what the author of Media Literacy in Action has planned for Fall 2026 semester and learn about the Instructor Resources available for media literacy educators DATE: Monday, August 24, 2026TIME: 12 - 1 PM ESTLOCATION. Online. Click here to register. Thousands of students are using…

Preparing K-12 Schools for AI

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping education, and K-12 schools are under growing pressure to respond thoughtfully and responsibly. As AI tools become more accessible, educators and leaders must develop a shared understanding of how to use them effectively while addressing the challenges they introduce. DATE: Tuesday, September 1, 2026TIME: 2:00 PM (ET) | 11:00 AM (PT)LOCATION:…

Inside the AI Factory

How can we use AI to teach about AI? DATE: Tuesday, August 25, 2026TIME: 12 - 1 PM ESTLOCATION: Online. Click here to registerDavid Foster will share a prototype AI literacy mini-module designed for high school and early college students. The module uses a visual “AI Factory”…

Leading from the Library: Coming Soon!

More details on this topic coming soon! Date: Wednesday, November 11th Time: 12pm-1pm ET Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gMoZf2tWTOmUhe6wvyTqhg FEATURED PRESENTER: Coming soon!ABOUT THE WEBINAR SERIES: The Leading from the Library Series explores the unique role that…

Leading from the Library: Coming Soon!

More details on this topic coming soon! Date: Wednesday, October 14th Time: 12pm-1pm ET Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gMoZf2tWTOmUhe6wvyTqhg FEATURED PRESENTER: Coming soon!ABOUT THE WEBINAR SERIES: The Leading from the Library Series explores the unique role that…

Leading from the Library: Poetry Reflecting on AI with Kodi Saylor

More details on this topic coming soon! Date: Wednesday, September 16th Time: 12pm-1pm ET Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gMoZf2tWTOmUhe6wvyTqhg FEATURED PRESENTER: Coming soon!ABOUT THE WEBINAR SERIES: The Leading from the Library Series explores the unique role that…

Together We Rise - August

Marie Celestin and Renee Hobbs offer a community gathering called Together We Rise. This event is free and open to the public. Join us to reflect on your lived experience during a time of political transition. DATE: Monday, August 3, 2026TIME: 1 - 2 PM ESTLOCATION: Online. Click here to register. This is…

AI and Human Dignity

As Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, lands in the middle of an accelerating global debate over AI governance, educators and media literacy advocates face a pointed question: what does it mean to keep human dignity at the center of technological change? Signed on May 15, 2026, the 135th anniversary of Pope…

Vibe Code Your Media Feed

As Big Tech algorithms flood our feeds with rage bait, AI slop, and emotionally manipulative content designed to maximize engagement at the expense of our attention and civic health, media literacy educators have more than a pedagogical argument to make. We have tools to build with. The practice of "vibe coding," combined with open web standards like the Fediverse's ActivityPub protocol, now puts…

Disassembling Mis/Disinfo, Reassembling Democracy

Did you miss the panel discussion at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Los Angeles? DATE: Tuesday, May 26, 2026TIME: 12 PM ESTLOCATION: Online. REGISTER HEREJoin us for a reprise of the panel discussion titled, “Disassembling Mis/Disinformation, Reassembling Democracy: Theory, Practice…

What's Happening In Massachusetts?

JOIN US!Meet some of the Massachusetts school leaders, educators, librarians, and tech specialists who are implementing media literacy in schools! DATE: Monday, March 30, 2026TIME: 2 - 3 PM LOCATION: Online. What's happening with media literacy in Massachusetts? Confirmed PresentersKyra Brissette, CEO, Media Literacy NowJessica Garbowski, Digital Literacy teacher,…

Leading from the Library: Navigating the AI Landscape with Learning Communities

As a topic, artificial intelligence can feel incredibly overwhelming. From rapid new developments to intense debates, our AI landscape can be complex and challenging. With increased calls for AI literacy programming, educators and librarians are left trying to make sense of this complicated landscape for their own teaching. This session will consider learning communities as a way to navigate our…

MEL Monthly Meeting

These gatherings are designed exclusively for the 71 people who are currently affiliated with the Lab as core team members, fellows, affiliated faculty, graduate students, or project collaborators.As our work continues to grow in reach, scale, and impact, these monthly meetings give us space to stay connected, share updates, coordinate…

Together We Rise: December 2025

Dear friends of the Media Education Lab community,Like many of you, we are still processing the school shooting that took place at Brown University last week and the days of fear and anxiety that followed. Many members of the MEL community, including myself, live, work, teach, and study in and around Providence, Rhode Island. Many of you reached out to us in the past days, appreciating the…

Media & Family Conference

The Catholic University of Croatia (CUC) hosts the "Media and Family in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" conference on December 10, 2025, focusing on media's impact on family life, alongside broader communication conferences addressing disinformation, with participation from international experts, promoting media literacy and digital citizenship, reflecting CUC's engagement in contemporary…

Empowering Citizens of the AI Age

Empowering Citizens of the AI Age: Competencies and Strategies for MAIL Education in European K-12 SchoolsAs artificial intelligence becomes deeply integrated into young people’s daily lives and increasingly shapes the media ecosystem, it is essential that “AI natives” develop competencies to critically engage with AI-generated content and its potential misuse. This study seeks to establish a…

New Models for Academic Peer Review: A JMLE Discussion

What are some alternatives to the double-blind peer review system of academic journals? Not surprisingly, there are quite a few! Each model is trying to fix different weaknesses of traditional double-blind peer review (bias, slowness, opacity, gatekeeping). Join JMLE Editors for an informal conversation to learn more about the options available as we consider a path forward.…

Fact Checking with AI Superprompts

This session introduces participants to Mike Caulfield’s evolving project — from SIFT Toolbox to Deep Background — and demonstrates how educators and learners can use “AI superprompts” to enhance fact checking, contextualization, and critical reasoning. We’ll explore the theory behind the method, see real-world demonstrations, and then move into an interactive breakout room activity where…

Vibe Coding with AI

As AI tools make it possible to create apps, games, and interactive experiences without ever writing a line of code, a new practice called “vibe coding” is raising big questions for educators, technologists, and learners alike. Popularized by New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose, vibe coding invites anyone with an idea to build software by describing it in plain language, but it also stirs…

Whose Future Is It?

In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, we face a fundamental question: Who is designing the future—and for whom?DATE: Friday, October 10, 2025 THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED. Stay tuned for new date/time coming soon. TIME: 12 PM ESTLOCATION: Zoom. Register. This session draws…

AI Literacy for Young Learners

AI LITERACY FOR YOUNG LEARNERSHow to support children in developing sociocritical AI literacies DATE: Wednesday, October 1TIME: 4 PM ESTLOCATION: Zoom. Register here THIS MEETING HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED from September AS THE RESULT OF A SNAFU AI is everywhere. On one hand, AI applications are improving…

Searching With AI

With AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude reshaping how people search for information, traditional search engines like Google face new competition—and new scrutiny. But as more users turn to generative AI for answers, critical questions arise: How reliable are these AI "searches"? What happens when algorithms hallucinate facts, reflect hidden biases, or omit information entirely? Join the…

Media Literacy Institute 2025

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…

From Stone Age to AI

From the first campfire stories to the algorithms shaping our digital lives, information networks have always played a central role in how we understand the world and each other. In "Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI," Yuval Noah Harari explores how networks of…

Media Literacy: Critical Thinking for an AI World

MEDIA LITERACY Critical Thinking for an AI WorldStarting April 12, 2025 Work with a team of Palestinian and American educators to create a media literacy program for Palestinian young adults to build resilience and critical thinking skills WHY IT MATTERSIn today's digital age, navigating the complexities of media is crucial for everyone. Media literacy plays a crucial role in…

Questioning Generative AI Through Zinemaking

Read here about our full webinar series on Leading from the Library.The self-publishing history of zines includes a long tradition of resistance through storytelling and art. While the explosive growth of generative AI in our society has been embraced by many, those interested in media literacy may have doubts about seemingly endless AI…

Media Literacy is for Everyone

In response to the enthusiasm and excitement around our last event in October, we are excited to officially invite you back to Rhode Island PBS for the next event in the recurring series, “Media Literacy is for Everyone”. DATE: Tuesday, February 11 TIME: 5:00 - 7:00 PM ESTLOCATION: Rhode Island PBS, 50 Park Ln, Providence, RI We're dedicated to the process of building…

Digital Authorship Graduate Course

Digital Authorship (EDC 534) is offered in the Spring 2026 semester by Professor Renee Hobbs. It is one of four required courses in the Graduate Certificate in Digital Literacy. The course is offered fully online in an asynchronous format for Anytime Learning. DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS JANUARY 20, 2026…

Book Party, Media Literacy in Action, 2nd Edition

Join Renee Hobbs for a book party to celebrate the publication of Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition!DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 2025TIME: 12 PM - 1 PM ESTLOCATION. Online. REGISTER HEREHelp students…

Together We Rise: The Next 100 Days

Together We Rise: The Next 100 Days Co-Creating Connections and Possibilities in a Time of Transition The program continues! Join us for reflection and fellowship. This weekly webinar addresses themes of social connection, political transition, stress reduction, and media literacy. Sessions include guest speakers, guided discussions, and mindfulness practices. We are co-…

AI ChatBot Ethics

AI-powered chatbots are reshaping how we interact online, but they also raise pressing ethical and practical concerns—especially for parents and teachers. Join us for AI ChatBot Ethics as we examine how children and teens engage with these tools, from companionship to questionable information sources. Drawing on the BBC TechLife podcast “Dating a Chatbot” and recent high-profile stories, we’ll…

MediaEd Forum 2025

Join us for the 18th MediaEd Forum!We've changed the name of the Northeast Media Literacy Conference (now in its 18th year) to reflect the growing global diversity of our online knowledge community!Conference Theme: Testing Media Literacy in Times of CrisisFriday & Saturday, January 10-11, 2025 ONLINE VIA ZOOM -…

AI NotebookLM & Steven Johnson

Have you played with Google’s NotebookLM AI model, and specifically explored how it can be used to create VERY realistic / human-sounding audio podcast conversations IN MINUTES using collections of articles, books, or other media? Are you a fan of author Steven Johnson, author of 13 books as well as…

Perspectivas: Literacidad (alfabetización) Mediática en el Mundo

Perspectivas: Literacidad (Alfabetización) Mediática Alrededor del MundoTe damos la bienvenida a la primera serie de webinars en español organizada por el Laboratorio de Educación Mediática, Media Education Lab por su nombre en inglés. Nuestra organización se dedica a promover la educación para la alfabetización literaria mediante la investigación académica, colaboración interdisciplinaria y…

Media Literacy, Artificial Intelligence, and American Values

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Dr. Renee Hobbs, professor of communication studies at the University of Rhode Island, will be the featured speaker for the 2024…

The AI Challenge: Tool Or Tyrant?

Read here about our full webinar series on AI in the Classroom In this webinar, we will discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI), and especially generative AI (ChatGPT, Dall-E, etc.) is catalyzing a vast transformation of our society. We are seeing the first few effects, such as computer programmers who are…

MediaEd Forum

Join us for the 17th MediaEd Forum!We've changed the name of the Northeast Media Literacy Conference (now in its 17th year) to reflect the growing global diversity of our online knowledge community!Conference Theme: Confronting the ChallengesFriday & Saturday, January 12-13, 2024 ONLINE VIA ZOOM…

Media Literacy Matters

Renee Hobbs is thrilled to be a featured presenter at the European Digital and Media Literacy Conference in Brussels, which puts the many faces of digital and media literacy in the European spotlight during the Belgian EU presidency. February 27 - March 1, 2024Brussels, BelgiumThe conference is focused on showcasing and exchanging initiatives, tools, projects and practices that can be…

How Media Literacy Week Promotes Community

DAY: Monday, December 18th, 2023TIME: 12 pm EST | 6 pm CET | 1030 pm ISTLocation: Register for Webinar Here. In this webinar, Pamela Morris and her colleagues and students will review and reflect on their experience in developing Media Literacy Week in Columbus, which was sponsored locally by…

AI 101: Introducing students to generative AI

Read here about our full webinar series on AI in the Classroom In this webinar, we’ll share a model for introducing students to some of the “big questions” about machine learning and generative AI. While many students have experience using generative AI, not all do - and many are unaware of the ways in which…

AI in K12

Read here about our full webinar series on AI in the Classroom In this webinar, we’ll review some key implications for K12 educators, ways to leverage generative AI effectively, and strategies for staying informed in this rapidly evolving landscape. The arrival of easily accessible generative…

FemWork

Read here about our full webinar series on Inequalities and Media Education In this second webinar, we will explore the future of work that is at the centre of debates related to the emerging digital society. Concerns range from the inclusion, equity, and dignity of those at the far end of the value…

Media Club - A Skeptical Take on the A.I. Revolution - Part 1

Join hosts Dr. Kristina Cordero, Dr. Cristina Mota, and Kate Dalton to discuss the implications of ChatGPT as it relates to media literacy and educational practice more broadly. This will be a collaborative session, grounded in Ezra Klein's January 6th 2023 podcast: A Skeptical…

Developing a Professional Learning Community for Media Literacy in Palestine

In the West Bank, Educators Reframe Media Literacy as a Survival Skill for Life Under Conflict A 21-month U.S. State Department–funded program trained 17 Palestinian educators, reached 138 youth through youth workshops, and amplified young Palestinians’ media literacy creative work to reach 4.9 million…

Instructional practices in media literacy education and their impact on students’ learning

Issues of pedagogy, alignment, and context in assessing measures of media literacy.

Media Literacy in Massachusetts: A Landscape Scan

The first-ever major statewide initiative to document the scope of media literacy education in American public schoolsClick here to read the report To better understand the status, challenges, and opportunities for advancing media literacy…

Media Literacy in Action, 2nd edition 2025

The blurring of entertainment, information, and persuasion is reshaping work, life, and citizenship. As a result, our relationship to media has never been so important nor so complex. By asking critical questions about what they watch, listen to, read, and use, students can be better prepared to be responsible communicators who can use a variety of formats and genres for self-expression and…

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