New Media Literacies Project

I found this website Project New Media Literacies (NML). The motto is listed as "CREATE CIRCULATE CONNECT COLLABORATE". This is exactly what the Networked Student video was telling us. The student first creates, then he circulates what he has created, he connects with others, and collaborates in learning along with them. This one is a research initiative at MIT's Comparative Media Studies program. It explores how to best equip young people with social skills in order to become full participants in this new media landscape. It also raises public understanding about what it means to be literate in an interconnected, multicultual world.

At the top of this site they have an about various tabs you can click on to learn more. There is an about us tab that lists the director and other staff involved. There is a learning library tab that has numerous link to learn more about media literacy and how to get involved. Under the research tab, it states the project began in 2005. Also that their goal in to invite educators at every level to participate in an ongoing dialogue related to their research questions. Under the strategy guides tab, it is specifically directed to educators. They feel that the New Media Literacies need to be integrated across the curriculum in how educators teach and think about traditional school content. They also discuss issues of visualization and simulation; literature issues of appropriation.

This site offers a model for how these skills might be better integrated into the curriculum. They are developing a series of teacher strategy guides which will inform and inspire teachers working in that field. This will spark further experimentation and innovation. Their first Teachers' Strategy Guide: Reading in a Participatory Culture, offers strategies for integrating the tools, approaches, and methods of Comparative Media Studies into the English and Language Arts classroom. The Mapping Project is NML's newest Teachers' Strategy Guide, and is currently in development. This project will collaborate with social studies classrooms to review evolving digital strategies and the ways we, as a people, envision ourselves in the digital landscapes. The Mapping Project is an area I definitely want to learn more about as I prepare to become an educator of history and social studies. There is so much to absorb and learn, but it seems very cutting edge and exciting.