Librarians: Public - U.S. Media Literacy Week

Intro to Audio Storytelling: Soundscape Building Blocks

Free online workshop for grade K-12 educators. Register here!

Get a taste of audio storytelling by exploring ways to use sound to communicate ideas and create a more immersive audio story. In this workshop, we’ll focus on all things soundscape, especially the way sound effects can draw in the listener. You’ll create a sound-rich audio story, then discover ready-to-use resources to start making audio in your classroom. If you’re new to audio, this is a great place to start. And if you’ve already got some experience, you’ll gain new skills and ideas. (Then come back for more on Thursday, Oct 26!)

Artificial Intelligence, ChatPGPT: The Future is Here!

Celebrate U.S. Media Literacy Week by attending this in-person session to learn about the different types of Artificial Intelligence that may shortly have big impacts on our lives. The website ChatGPT and other online AI services have taken the world by storm. The ability of websites that can create text and images from simple commands, called “prompts,” is revolutionizing education, business, and the economy. In this interactive presentation, you will learn about the latest AI tools and also explore the ethical, moral, and legal issues related to this technology that are both exciting and frightening.

Presenter is Jerry Crisci, New City, NY resident; recently retired District Technology Chief at the Scarsdale Central School District. Ten years ago he created the Center for Innovation at Scarsdale. Lastly, in 2022 he was awarded the TELL Award for Outstanding Innovative Leader by the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center of Southern Westchester BOCES.

Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools

Join this conversation with PEN America, where they will highlight their recent report Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools.This report on book bans offers the first comprehensive look at the bans throughout the 2021-22 school year. Join PEN America’s Nadine Farid Johnson to discuss their findings. The conversation will feature insight from teachers working against these trends to ensure their students have the freedom to read.

Tackling Mental Health with Digital Literacy

At the end of 2021, the US Surgeon General declared a youth mental health crisis across the US. While the scope of the issue is enormous and lacking a single root cause, digital literacy can be a tool in our nation’s toolbox for how we can help young people navigate the news and social media. Join this discussion to learn more about the connection between media literacy and mental health, and what media literacy interventions can have a positive impact.