Together at last! Media Lit + Dig Cit.
This summer, KQED partnered with Common Sense Education to integrate our award-winning Above the Noise media literacy series into their new digital citizenship curriculum for high school. The two teams worked together to co-produce three new episodes of Above the Noise and incorporate KQED Learn resources into the Common Sense Education dig cit lessons. And, all these resources are available for free.
“The digital citizenship topics in these videos are so important and relevant to kids right now,” says Elizabeth Kline, Vice President of Education Programs at Common Sense, “and when it comes to delivering these types of ideas in a thought provoking way, KQED’s Above the Noise is way ahead of the curve. It’s a huge win for young people when organizations like KQED and Common Sense Education can combine our expertise in the areas of digital citizenship and media literacy for an engaging video collaboration like this.”
Above the Noise videos tackle topics that are timely and relevant to students’ lives. Series host Myles Bess presents the facts with flair, using relatable examples and humor, and gives a fair and balanced analysis of different perspectives on hotly debated topics. Students are then encouraged to do their own research into the issue and make up their own minds about it. They can take the learning further by joining a discussion about the issue with other students across the nation on KQED Learn, or even create and share their own media responses–like videos or infographics.
Executive producer Annelise Wunderlich says, “It was such a rich collaboration to co-produce these episodes of Above the Noise with the team at Common Sense Education. Our team of journalists, educators and video storytellers learned so much from Common Sense’s researchers and educators about how young people are navigating tough issues around online identity and behavior. It was a great creative partnership that drew from the strengths of both organizations.”
