Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship are overlapping content areas that should be integrated into every subject taught in today’s classrooms. The skills associated with Media Literacy lead students to think critically and curiously about the messages they consume, create, and engage with through a variety of forms of communication. Those associated with Digital Citizenship enable students to use technology in ways that are safe, responsible, ethical, and kind.
Who is involved in this work? Any and all educators can help students navigate today’s digital landscape with skills that empower them to thoughtfully analyze media messages and to make their own voices heard. That said, Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship are core subjects in the teacher-librarian’s repertoire and Ed Tech specialists often take a lead role in supporting Digital Citizenship.
Media Mentorship Events
Professional Development
Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship + AI Events
This free, full-day, in-person, hands-on professional learning experience will be offered by ESD EdTech specialists at five locations across Washington state. The events are open to any K–12 educator who wants to build a strong foundation in Media Literacy, Digital Literacy, and Digital Citizenship to ensure safe, ethical, and appropriate AI use in K–12 education.
Register for “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship: Foundations for Ethical and Appropriate K–12 AI Implementation” in Vancouver, WA, May 19, 2025, 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Register for “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship: Foundations for Ethical and Appropriate K–12 AI Implementation” in Anacortes, WA, May 30, 2025, 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Register for “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship: Foundations for Ethical and Appropriate K–12 AI Implementation” in Bremerton, WA, June 2, 2025, 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Register for “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship: Foundations for Ethical and Appropriate K–12 AI Implementation” in Yakima, WA, June 4, 2025, 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Register for “Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship: Foundations for Ethical and Appropriate K–12 AI Implementation” in Spokane, WA, June 6, 2025, 8:30 am–3:30 pm
Media Literacy in the AI Era Sessions
This series of six free Zoom sessions is open to any K–12 educator who wants to expand their understanding of media literacy to include critical thinking about the role of AI. Sessions will feature presentations by experts in the field, practical explorations of free, ready-to-use classroom resources, and ethical considerations of AI’s impact on media literacy. Educators are not required to attend all six sessions and will receive clock hours based on the sessions actually attended. Please note that one of the sessions has a new date that’s different from the date listed in pdEnroller.
Register for “Media Literacy in the AI Era” running June 17, 2025–June 26, 2025, 4:30-5:30 pm
Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Community of Practice Meetings
Register for 2024–25 Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Community of Practice Meetings running October 17, 2024–May 15, 2025, 5–6 pm.
These virtual meetings are open to any K–12 educators, with any level of Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship experience, who are interested in sharing ideas with other educators. They happen once a month and are facilitated by Mark Ray, who supports participants in learning from each other, engaging in discussions, and sharing questions, challenges, and solutions. Earn clock hours for time spent in Zoom sessions.
Previous Professional Development
During the 2022–23 school year, a cohort of 25 teachers and teacher-librarians, along with four PLC Mentors, engaged in a pilot program intended to build capacity for integrating Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship into instruction, as well as collaborating with colleagues. The series, which included synchronous sessions on Zoom with guest speakers and asynchronous activities, was evaluated by the Puget Sound ESD Strategy, Evaluation and Learning team. The Ambassadors Program Evaluation Report provided helpful feedback, leading to revisions for the next iteration of the program.
During the 2022–23 school year, several professional development opportunities were offered in response to some of this helpful feedback. One series focused on “Tools for Teaching Media Literacy to Children and Teens,” while the other focused on “Tools for Aligning Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Instruction to School and District Goals.”
During the 2024–25 school year, an asynchronous, self-paced course with a variety of modules to choose from was offered. Some modules introduced definitions and learning objectives for Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship, while others explored instructional resource collections.
Additional PD Opportunities
Learn about other Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship learning opportunities for K-12 educators.
Standards, Organizations & Definitions
The Washington State Learning Standards Review project is actively looking at ways to integrate Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship into standards.
Existing Washington State standards that are especially relevant to Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship include:
- Media Literacy
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NAMLE (the National Association for Media Literacy Education) provides Key Questions to Ask When Analyzing Media Experiences, Core Principles of Media Education, and the following definition:
The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication
NCTE (the National Council of Teachers of English) includes additional definitions in their position statement, “Media Education in English Language Arts.”
- Digital Citizenship
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RCW 28A.650.010 provides the following definition: "’Digital citizenship’ includes the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to current technology use, including digital and media literacy, ethics, etiquette, and security. The term also includes the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, develop, produce, and interpret media, as well as internet safety and cyberbullying prevention and response.”
ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education) provides the following standard for a Digital Citizen:
Students recognize the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of living, learning and working in an interconnected digital world, and they act and model in ways that are safe, legal and ethical.
They also list several Digital Citizenship competencies.
- Information Literacy & School Library Standards
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The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information literacy as “the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.” The ACRL provides this Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education(link is external).
The American Association of School Libraries adds that students should be able to “recognize when information is needed” and to “locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” using critical thinking skills. The AASL provides this standards framework.
The Washington Library Association School Library Division provides this Library Information and Technology standards Framework.
More Information
