Conferences
UPCOMING:
Stay tuned for updates. PAST: December, 2019: Net Neutrality and News & Information, Storrs Library in Longmeadow, MA. October, 2019: Net Neutrality, Storrs Library in Longmeadow, MA. July 8, 2019: PH International's Media Exchange for Global Achievement group June 9, 2019: "Applying Critical Media Literacy: Representations of Race and Equity in Mainstream Media" for the Families for Racial Justice Group in Newton, MA. June 3, 2019: News and information evaluation, Storrs Library in Longmeadow, MA. July 8, 2019: We gave a talk at the PH International's Media Exchange for Global Achievement group. June 9, 2019: We did a talk called "Applying Critical Media Literacy: Representations of Race and Equity in Mainstream Media" for the Families for Racial Justice Group in Newton, MA. June 3, 2019: We did a talk at the Stores Library in Longmeadow, MA on news and information evaluation. April 1, 2017: Scholastic Media Association Conference February 4, 2017: North East Media Literacy Conference February 25, 2017: Critical Media Literacy Conference November, 2015: Digital media literacy education: Visions and possibilities for the digital generation. Media Education Summit; Boston, MA November, 2015: Self-awareness and self-expression: Youth sense-making of secrecy, privacy, publicity, and security. Media Education Summit; Boston, MA November, 2015: Teacher training in media literacy: Exploring struggles, successes, and next steps. Media Education Summit; Boston, MA September, 2015: Stories from teachers: Teacher training in comprehensive media literacy. International Digital Storytelling Conference; Amherst, MA September, 2015: Stories of privacy: Youth, social media, and privacy concerns. International Digital Storytelling Conference; Amherst, MA October, 2014: Courtroom and classroom considerations: Legislation for and development of comprehensive media literacy. New York Bar Association Annual Conference: The informed citizen: Media literacy in the classroom; Stony Brook, NY May, 2014: Media literacy & social justice: Making Massachusetts a leader. Boston Education for Social Justice Conference; Boston, MA November, 2013: Media literacy activism, legislation and education. Mid-Atlantic American and Popular Culture Association; Atlantic City, NJ September, 2013: From the classroom to the courtroom: Efforts in media literacy legislation. The Historical Roots of Media Literacy Symposium; Providence, RI |
Book RELEASEAllison Butler’s Educating Media Literacy, published in 2020, is available both digitally and in print, accessible here.
WEBINARS
January 31, 2017: Post-Election, Post-Truth:
Using Comprehensive Media Literacy to Assess and Evaluate News and Current Events How do we go beyond identifying “fake news” to help our communities make sense of the current news and information environment? Utilizing media literacy concepts to promote understanding Allison Butler, steering committee member of Mass Media Literacy and director of the Media Literacy Certificate Program at UMass Amherst, led participants through exercises that can be used with students and community members. The webinar also included a resource guide for use with both colleagues and patrons. August 16, 2017: Introduction to Media Literacy: Applying Concepts and Understandings to the 2016 Election Coverage This webinar discusses the concepts of media literacy and how librarians can make use of media literacy to support students, families, and community patrons. Withsssst a focus on the lead-up to the 2016 election, this webinar draws on language and imagery from the 2 major party candidates' campaigns though the lens of critical media literacy. Resources and tools for media literacy inclusion were included. Grants awarded
Mass Media Literacy has been the recipient of 2016 Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants from the towns of Truro, Wellfleet, and Brewster in bringing Comprehensive Media Literacy Education to Nauset Regional High School.
Media Literacy Presentations
2014: Digital media: Friend, foe, or something in between? Arlington High School Health and Safety Day Assembly, Arlington MA
2014: Media literacy: Advertisements and gender. Shutesbury Elementary School 2014: Media, Gender and Power Intensive. Four Rivers Charter School |
Media Literacy Curriculum Integration
2016: 4th grade reading and history lessons, Dorchester Collegiate Academy
2015: 6th grade geography lesson, Pittsfield Middle School 2015: 12th grade politics lesson, Academy of the Pacific Rim 2014-2015: Teacher Training and Lesson Plan Implementation, South Community High School, Worcester MA |
Workshops and training
MML recently conducted a training for all of the 10th grade teachers at a Worcester, MA, high school. We followed up with the participating teachers for a post-training discussion of their classroom implementation and asked them to complete a detailed survey of their efforts.
The Nauset Regional School District and Lower Cape Community Access TV sponsored an educator workshop: Comprehensive Media Literacy Education and Theory and Video Production. August, 2015 Eastham, MA |
Publications
Butler, A., Ladd, L. (2016). Teacher training, lesson plan development, and classroom integration: Notes on the process of building a media literacy curriculum. Media Education Research Journal, Volume 6, issue 2
Butler, A. (2016). Policy, Participation and Practice: Assessing media literacy in the digital age. In Frechette, J. and Williams, R. (Eds.). Media Education 4 @ Digital Generation, pp.119-131. New York: Routledge.
Butler, A. (2012). Majoring in change: Young people use social networking to reflect on high school, college and work. New York: Peter Lang.
Butler, A. (2010). Media education goes to school: Young people make meaning of media and urban education. New York: Peter Lang Press.
Butler, A. (2016). Policy, Participation and Practice: Assessing media literacy in the digital age. In Frechette, J. and Williams, R. (Eds.). Media Education 4 @ Digital Generation, pp.119-131. New York: Routledge.
Butler, A. (2012). Majoring in change: Young people use social networking to reflect on high school, college and work. New York: Peter Lang.
Butler, A. (2010). Media education goes to school: Young people make meaning of media and urban education. New York: Peter Lang Press.