Celebrate Freedom of Information Day 2021

Freedom of Information Day takes place on March 16th- James Madison‘s birthday. It is commemorated on this day because Madison was a staunch proponent of a free press and flow of information to the public. The Freedom of Information Act was first enacted in 1966 and updated 50 years later in 2016 after a lengthy … read more »

The Hounds of Misinformation: What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About Media Literacy

A letter from Sherlock to Watson My dear Watson,  In a world overflowing with information, the ability to distinguish truth from deception is a skill as critical as any detective’s keen eye. This is why I find the study of ‘media literacy’ so intriguing—it is, in many ways, the modern art of deduction. I was … read more »

Celebrating Human Rights – Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All!

My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together. – Desmond Tutu, South African Theologian and Human Activist In December, we celebrate Universal Human Rights Month, which honors the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), an international document adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, … read more »

Two Sides to Students’ Right to Privacy: Safety vs. Intellectual Freedom

This week is Choose Privacy Week , an event sponsored by the American Library Association. While privacy has been part of our recent national discussion, privacy issues are nothing new to K-12 public education, which must follow at least three privacy rules and laws.  These include the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a … read more »

Engage Students in Civil War History Using Project Zero Thinking Routines

These questions form the powerful See, Think, Wonder thinking routine developed by researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. This routine and many others available through Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox (reviewed here) offer excellent frameworks to enhance student understanding of the complex economic, social, political, and moral considerations of the American Civil … read more »