Course | Analyzing Media Messages: Bias, Motivation, and Production Choices

Facilitators

Angel Valerio
Angel is KQED’s program manager for STEM professional learning. Previously, she worked in South Los Angeles and East Oakland for 8 years as a high school life science teacher and instructional coach. She is passionate about the intersection of science, social justice, and uplifting youth voices.

Rachel Roberson
Rachel is KQED’s program manager for humanities professional learning. Previously, she was an English and social studies classroom teacher and teacher leader in San Francisco, Oakland, Austin, and internationally. Before becoming a teacher, she was a newspaper reporter in the Bay Area.

Rik Panganiban
Rik is the manager of online learning and educator certification at KQED. Rik was the head of Digital Learning at the California Academy of Sciences and the instructional design lead for Science Action Club.

With the explosion of the kinds of media now available, teaching students how to critically read media is more important than ever. Learn how media messages are built not just through scripts but production choices like framing and music and how these choices influence our interpretation and actions. This media literacy course is provided to you FREE from the public media station KQED.

In This Free, Hands-On Course You Will

Learn concrete steps for how to teach students to critically examine how media is made,
Examine media production choices and how those influence the message
Develop a framework for analyzing media in a variety of formats
Prepare students to be critical consumers of media, as well as more successful media makers

Who Should Take This Course

K-12 educators in all subject areas who want to develop skills and confidence with media making and media literacy.

Course Features

Learn online at your own pace with step-by-step videos and hands-on activities. Join live events with instructors and peers. It’s completely free!

Certificate of Completion

Earn a Certificate of Completion for 8 hours of professional development. Then apply for graduate units from one of our university partners.

Learning Objectives

Master the fundamentals of media analysis to enhance how your students consume, understand, and act on the media that they engage with:
Learn how bias – both the media producers’ and your own – plays a part in how media is made and interpreted
Explore how different production choices impact how a piece of media is received and understood
Do your own media analysis of a topic that is relevant to you and your teaching
Create a lesson plan that helps your students practice critical media analysis that aligns with your teaching objectives

Course Curriculum

Welcome
Introduction
Media and Bias
For further information, visit KQED Teach website.