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A project of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program
Below is Part I of a summary of the Aspen Institute roundtable on public media reform held on December 8, 2010, to mark the release of “Rethinking Public Media: More Local, More Inclusive, More Interactive,” by Barbara Cochran, Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Journalism at the University of Missouri School of [...]
Dozens of digital and media literacy programs are taking hold in communities across the nation and around the world. The following portraits of success illustrate the many creative initiatives that bring together diverse stakeholders to deliver on the promise of digital citizenship for all. If you have a story of success that should be included [...]
Thanksgiving week is a great time to don the chef’s hat and apron, imagine that you’re America’s next Top Chef and contemplate what delicious creations can come out of the kitchen. Traditional fare? It’s there. But the real excitment comes from making that fabulous new dessert you found on the foodie site. If the ultimate reward is sitting down to a bountiful [...]
Tossing money at technology in K-12 schools is hardly the answer to promoting students’ media and digital literacy. So says a new report from the Aspen Institute, “Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action,” written by Renee Hobbs, a professor at Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater.
The Knight Commission recognized that people need tools, skills and understanding to use information effectively, and that successful participation in the digital age entails two kinds of skills sets: digital literacy and media literacy. Digital literacy means learning how to work the information and communication technologies in a networked environment, as well as understanding the [...]
This excerpt is from Larry Magid’s thought-provoking post, ”Digital Citizenship Includes Rights as Well as Responsibilities,” appearing in Huffington Post on November 7, 2010.
by Larry Magid
A lot of people have been talking about “digital citizenship” lately and, of course, I agree that being a good digital citizen includes respecting others and oneself. Clearly that means being nice to [...]
To mark the release of Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action, a new white paper by Professor and Founder of Temple University’s Media Education Lab Renee Hobbs, the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation hosted a roundtable discussion featuring representatives from government, education, media and other fields. The discussion immediately followed the paper’s release at the Family Online Safety Institute’s annual conference on Internet Freedom, Safety & Citizenship on Wednesday, November 10.
The following slides were presented by Blair Levin at the Knight Commission Anniversary Symposium in Washington, D.C., on September 29, 2010. Levin, who served as the executive director of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan before becoming a fellow with the Aspen Institute, outlines his vision for broadband policy and highlights the details [...]
Sean McLaughlin is a man with a plan for bringing universal broadband to communities in northern California’s Humboldt County. If he has his way, Humboldt County will also have a plan — a new General Plan that includes policies to develop a local communications infrastructure and services that meet the information needs of its residents.
McLaughlin [...]
The staff and fellows at New America Foundation’s Media Policy Initiative have been busy this year formulating policy and regulatory reforms to foster the development of media that satisfy the needs of democracy in the 21st century. Their work has centered on advancing the recommendations of the Knight Commission as articulated in the Commission’s report, [...]
Taking stock of the information resources available and identifying what information resources the community needs to remain strong, healthy and dynamic are the first steps toward building a healthy, informed community. Share what’s happening in your own community and join us in highlighting new and ongoing projects that measure and improve the information health of America’s communities.
Having a computer in the home is widely considered a starting point for improving kids’ educational opportunities and learning environment today. Renee Hobbs points out in this recent op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer that, without good instruction in how to use the digital tools available, a computer in the home can actually have the opposite effect.
Hobbs cites a new study conducted at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy which found that students in grades five through eight, particularly kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, tended to post lower scores on standardized tests once computers and high speed Internet access reached their homes.
The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, with senior sponsorship from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, presented this year’s Forum on Communications and Society (FOCAS) on the theme, “News Cities: The Next Generation of Healthy Informed Communities.”
For the sake of our children, and for the competitiveness of the nation, America ought to be aggressively developing a new category of educational content, delivered using high-speed Internet access. Unfortunately, America is not grasping the opportunity that broadband presents. As the leaders of the team that prepared the National Broadband Plan that was presented to Congress in March, we have seen that the public debate on broadband focuses too much on how our networks compare with those in other countries. Instead, the discussion should focus on how to use those networks here in America and rethink how we deliver key services.
The League of Women Voters took up the Knight Commission’s challenge to help meet the information needs of America’s communities during a workshop at its 2010 convention in Atlanta last month. The session, entitled “Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy and Citizen Participation in the Digital Age,” provided an opportunity for LWV members to explore what role the national [...]
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