English for Media Literacy for Educators – US Embassy
About This Course
Welcome to the English for Media Literacy for Educators (EML-E) MOOC! Our goal is to provide a productive and enjoyable online learning experience for you and other English educators around the world. Together we will explore innovative ways to teach media literacy in our English language classrooms. We hope that you will gain many new ideas and activities to integrate into your teaching. Soon your English language students will begin their journey toward becoming informed, ethical, and creative 21st-century citizens. Enjoy your experience in our MOOC!
English for Media Literacy for Educators is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) designed to English for Media Literacy for Educators (EML-E) is an exciting Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) designed to introduce you to the theory and practice of teaching about media literacy in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom.
Through informative videos and practical readings, you will explore approaches for teaching English for media literacy that are not only effective but engaging and enlightening. You will learn theory and strategies necessary for successful media literacy instruction for youth at varying levels of English proficiency.
In the media literacy education context you will also gain new ideas for teaching students how to analyze, critique and communicate their thoughts in English. In addition, you will gain useful knowledge and resources that you can share with your education colleagues and others who are interested in this critical 21st century skill – media literacy.
Through participation in this MOOC, you will have the opportunity to share ideas with peers and apply course content to your teaching context. Get ready to learn about EML-E and be part of an international learning community with teachers around the world!
This course was developed by George Mason University, as part of the Online Professional English Network (OPEN). The OPEN program is thrilled to have you join our academic community. This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360.
The course is preceded by an optional orientation module. This orientation will help you familiarize yourself with Canvas and how to get support. It is not mandatory, and it will be open for the duration of the course.
Watch this video for a brief introduction to our course!
Course Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- use techniques and strategies to teach students how to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate in English using media;
- encourage active inquiry and critical thinking in all skill areas, such as through fact-checking, identifying reliable sources, and understanding bias;
- understand and utilize media for instructive practices that develop informed, reflective, and engaged learners and citizens;
- find reliable online sources and adapt them for use in your EFL classroom;
- explore how to use or adapt a resource or activity from the OPEN Program EML MOOC for use in the classroom;
- teach fellow educators about key media literacy approaches, frameworks, and strategies that they can use in their own classes.
Expectations
This is a 5-module self-paced Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). You are expected to spend 3-5 hours per module completing course tasks. You can work at your own pace, but we recommend that you complete one module per week to finish the required coursework by the course close date.
In each module, you will read articles, watch videos, and take quizzes. Each module also contains an optional, ungraded extension task. These tasks will help you build an English for Media Literacy for Educators portfolio. You will also be able to access and read many EML activities posted by your classmates in the discussion boards included throughout the course. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from your peers!
About The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program offers two types of professional development opportunities for English language educators: Global Online Courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The OPEN Program Courses are freely open for any interested participants.
All OPEN Programs courses use the latest in instructional technology to provide participants with an interactive distance-learning experience and are designed to familiarize participating teachers with current methods and issues in the field of English as a Foreign Language.
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program also connects participants with U.S. English language teaching experts and creates a professional network of international colleagues.
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) program offers virtual learning opportunities to foreign English language educators, professionals and learners worldwide. OPEN promotes the mutual exchange of culture and provides free access to teaching and learning materials that can be reused, adapted, and shared with others. OPEN professional development opportunities are developed by U.S. academic institutions and experts in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) offers professional development courses for English language teachers and educators, as well as other professionals around the world. The goal of the program is to increase the capacity of participants to use English effectively in their professional contexts, increase access to openly licensed learning materials, increase understanding of U.S. society, culture and values, provide opportunities for mutual exchange, and build the capacity of participants to apply what they have learned within their educational and professional communities.
Who
The OPEN program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State (Links to an external site.), Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with funding from the U.S. government, is administered by FHI 360.
The professional development opportunities offered through the program are designed and taught by a variety of partners, including universities, non-profit companies, private sector partners, and consultants. Together, the U.S. Department of State, FHI 360, and our partners offer online professional development opportunities to English educators and learners in over 100 countries.
What
OPEN offers online courses on a variety of topics, including teacher training topics such as Critical Thinking, Educational Technology, Assessment, and Teaching English to Young Learners, among others, as well as English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses such as English for Media Literacy, English for Journalism, and English Communications for Health Professionals, among others.
Where
OPEN professional development opportunities are offered entirely online. Courses are offered asynchronously via the Canvas learning management system (LMS).
Courses Offered:
- Integrating Critical Thinking Skills into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting
- Teaching Grammar Communicatively
- Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom
- Teaching English to Young Learners
- Professional Development for Teacher Trainers
- Content-based Instruction
- TESOL Methodology
- Assessment of English Language Learners
About Canvas Network
Canvas Network is an open space for educators to share, experiment, analyze, and create.
OUR MISSION:
To promote OPENNESS, INNOVATION, and EXPERIMENTATION in education by providing educators access to professional development courses and programs that will help them thrive and succeed in their careers.
To Canvas Network ‘open’ means:
- Open entry and open access. Open entry for learners around the globe and continual access to course content after the course end date.
- Open content. Open licensing options and content sharing to Canvas Commons where other instructors reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute content.
- Open platform and ecosystem. Open platform to integrate and innovate with third-party tools.
- Open data. Open, de-identified Canvas Network data for researchers to analyze and synthesize.
- Platform neutrality. Your course. Your goals. Your way. We provide the platform for open innovation and experimentation.
About US Embassy
What does the US Embassy Do?
The primary purpose of an embassy is to assist American citizens who travel to or live in the host country. U.S. Foreign Service Officers also interview citizens of the host country who wish to travel to the United States for business, education, or tourism purposes.
U.S. Embassy, LondonEmbassy in London, England
The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relating to the United States held in the United Kingdom.
Embassy of the United States, BeijingOffice in Beijing, China
The Embassy of the United States in Beijing is the diplomatic mission of the United States in China. It serves as the administrative office of the United States Ambassador to China. The embassy complex is in Chaoyang District, Beijing.