Way to go Illinois! A wonderful state with one of my favorite cities in the world. Chicago, I love you (even though you have questionable deep-dish pizza and hot dogs…there, I said it).
This year Illinois became the first state to make media literacy instruction mandatory for all its high school students. The bill reinforces the tremendous value of building strong research skills. In a world where so much information is available at the click of a button (or voice command to Siri) arguably the most valuable thing we can teach our kids is the ability “to learn how to learn.” Evaluating all that information, thinking critically about it, and sorting through it all can help our kids be successful in whatever direction they choose to go.
Why This Bill Matters
The Illinois Media Literacy Bill is a great first step. It can help educators and administrators advocate for more resources and professional development around media literacy, digital literacy, and digital citizenship instruction. Now it is up to the state to provide those resources. It could also help add some guidance and direction to educators on how to approach these complex and ever-changing subjects. I haven’t seen a comprehensive curriculum come out of this initiative just yet, but I’m hopeful. If there is one or one comes out after this post is published, please let me know via email (info@kermodeeducation.com) or in the comments.
Why Other States Should Follow Illinois
In short, there might not be a more important skill set for our kids to learn. Media and our digital world shape how we see the real one. It affects our worldview, the way we vote, and how we react to contentious issues. We desperately need to consume content with a more critical understanding of how it has been created and why. Bills like the one in Illinois help create urgency around non-traditional and ever-changing curriculum areas like media literacy.
Every state should have a Bill like the one in Illinois. They should even go much further to make sure students are getting the media literacy training they need to thrive in the coming decades. The digital world is integrated into all facets of our lives, and media literacy can be integrated throughout the curriculum as well.
We Can Do This!
I’m not saying it will be easy. It won’t. Our digital world is complex, emotional, and ever-changing. But with the support of our leaders, the passion of our educators, and the help of media literacy resources like Kermode, Common Sense Media, and Media Smarts (among many others), we can make our world a better place for everyone who consumes media online and off.
I look forward to seeing what Illinois does with this Media Literacy Bill and if other states follow their lead. And I can’t wait to get back to Chicago!
