Review: Media Literacy

Today, I’m sharing my review of the Media Literacy course by The Nomadic Professor.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary subscription for review from Timberdoodle and The Nomadic Professor. All views expressed are my own.

With the rapidly advancing development of AI, teaching our young people to discern wisely when it comes to media influences seems more critical than ever. Actually, this is a vital skill for everyone. It is sad to say that adults are just as susceptible to being deceived as the younger generation.

Media Literacy

What is media literacy?

“…media literacy is the subject that trains a person to recognize the ways politics, psychology, and technology impact and shape the tenor and messaging of mass communication, and that trains a person to pay attention to the most worthwhile sources, to read between the lines, to attend to unseen influences and goals, and so on.”

What’s Included

The Nomadic Professor Media Literacy course is a 10-month online subscription geared toward high school students. It includes 36 topics under five main units: fundamentals, history, politics, skills, and language. It is typically completed in one semester by a high school junior or senior.

This course covers many topics to help students navigate the ” information superhighway, ” starting with the question, “What is ‘media literacy’?” and wrapping up with current concerns about artificial intelligence.

Each unit presents the information in various ways to reinforce the concepts and cater to a broad spectrum of learning styles.

• On-screen text to read
• Video lecture
• Guided notes to utilize alongside the video
• Vocabulary to learn or review with flashcard sets on Quizlet
• Activities and worksheets to reinforce real-life concepts
• Discussion topics
• Writing prompts

Resources for the parent or instructor include:

• Course handbook
• Answer keys for the guided notes
• Grading rubrics
• Online record-keeping

My Thoughts

From “doom scrolling” to “fake news” to scams of all kinds—not to mention young children carrying around smartphones from the time they can barely toddle—understanding the risks we face being online is imperative for all of us.

If you are looking for a practical elective for your high school student or a current-events “continuing education” course for yourself, I highly recommend The Nomadic Professor’s Media Literacy course.