HARTFORD, Conn., March 5, 2018 – CPTV is pleased to share that today at SXSWedu, PBS and KQED, the public media station serving the San Francisco Bay Area, announced a partnership to offer preK-12 teachers free certification in media literacy. The PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED recognizes educators who excel in creating and implementing instruction with media, and provides support to help all teachers accelerate these skills.
According to the National Association for Media Literacy Education, a media-literate person is defined as one who possesses the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create and act using all forms of communication. By building on the foundations of traditional literacy, media literacy becomes a practical skill that allows educators to contribute to conversations and communities of practice. Developing and honing these skills across several forms of media and communication are especially important for students in the modern classroom.
PBS and KQED will offer a pathway to certification through a submission process. Educators who exemplify strong media literacy competencies will be invited to submit a portfolio of work demonstrating their achievements on KQED Teach, KQED’s online professional learning platform. For educators who need support in building the competencies, free media literacy courses will be available on KQED Teach to help teachers improve their skills in specific areas.
“We understand that educators must juggle a number of responsibilities with limited time, so the PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED was designed to fit into the teacher’s schedule,” said Robin Mencher, executive director at KQED Education. “KQED Teach makes it easy for educators to submit their qualifications, or take self-paced online courses to advance their knowledge and use of media in the classroom.”
The KQED media literacy courses will help educators develop competencies including the ability to create original content using multiple media production techniques, share original media on a variety of online platforms designed to reach specific audiences, implement lessons that help students foster media skills and more.
Teachers who complete the certification program will receive a connection to their local PBS station, a certificate and a digital badge signifying their status as a PBS Media Literacy Educator, the opportunity to participate with and present alongside PBS in a wide variety of events and more.
The PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED will be available to educators in May 2018. To learn more, visit kqed.org/certification or stop by the PBS Teacher Lounge at SXSWedu in Austin from March 5-8, 2018.