Christine is a Librarian/Media Specialist with the Cranford Board of Education
What do you do?
At Cranford High School, I write curriculum as needed i.e. plagiarism and journalism. I prepare library budget, document resource needs, and projections. Write grants, create, and implement programs e.g. book clubs, makerspace, open access, etc. Provide technical support and training to students and faculty. Collaborate with teachers on curriculum design and development. Advise the Dialogue Digital Newspaper, Podcast Club, the award-winning Prologue Literary and Art Magazine, and Student Council. I am also the Cranford Education Association PEP grant writer and serve on the Cranford Public Library Strategic Plan Committee.
Tell us about your latest work or project in media literacy.
I help students critically engage with the media they consume and produce, with a focus on the following areas:
Identifying Bias and Misleading Information: One of the key aspects of media literacy is recognizing bias in the media. This involves critically evaluating news sources, advertisements, social media posts, and other forms of content to understand underlying motives, agendas, and potential misinformation. I assist students and our journalism program in identifying both explicit bias.
Evaluating Credibility: Teaching how to distinguish between credible and unreliable sources is crucial. I often help users students the authority, accuracy, and timeliness of a source in multiple ways. This is especially important in an age where misinformation and disinformation can spread quickly through social media platforms. I use websites such as Snopes, FactCheck.org, and Ad Fontes.
Creating Media Responsibly: In addition to critically engaging with media, I support the idea of producing media in a thoughtful way. This includes encouraging respectful, factual, and inclusive content creation. This involves helping students create podcasts and written content where they practice good sourcing, critical thinking, and ethical representation of facts.
Why is media literacy important to you?
Media literacy is important to me because it helps students engage in and navigate media in a thoughtful and critical way.
What are you most excited about in the media literacy field?
I am most excited about the growing recognition of its importance in an increasingly complex and digital world. In January 2023, New Jersey became the first state to require K-12 instruction on information literacy under the implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, which I believe will make students more media-savvy and responsible digital citizens.
Why did you become a NAMLE member, what benefits do you see to membership, and how will it support your work?
I became a NAMLE member because I thought I would find a group of like-minded educators who can become my sounding board for ideas and lessons. I was also very excited about the Foundations of Media Literacy Workshop and again, having a cohort of people to talk through ideas. The support via networking, professional resources, and access to research is so amazing, that I don’t know why someone wouldn’t want to be a NAMLE member—plus, it’s a free membership!
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