Media Literacy Week is sponsored nationally by the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) with a mission to highlight the power of media literacy education and its essential role in education today.
For more information about National Media Literacy Week, visit medialiteracyweek.us.
Media Literacy Week is organized and sponsored by IU Columbus and IU Indy, with events hosted IU campus wide. No matter your location, you can connect virtually (and often in person)!
Media Literacy: Break The Bubble Tabling Event
12:00-1:30 p.m.; IU Columbus Main Street, Learning Center
Information, activities and giveaways that will help you manage life online.
Leif Weatherby’s "Language Machines (Introduction): AI between Cognition and Culture" with Terry Dibble and Trevor Potts
9-10:15 a.m.; IU Indianapolis: Cavanaugh Hall Room 219
"AI Literacy as Media Literacy--Understanding underlying structures," with Trevor Potts, Terry Dibble and Adam Maksl
10:30-11:45 a.m.; IU Indianapolis: Cavanaugh Hall Room 219
"Avatarization of Social Media & Gaming" with Zeb Wood
2-2:45 p.m.; IU Indianapolis Idea Garden - Hine Hall, Room IP106
The future of media belongs to avatars: digital doubles are shaping how we create, connect, and consume. As our digital selves grow more persistent and branded, the lines between who we are and how we appear online blur, making avatarization less a trend and more the language of all future media.
AI Demystified: Understanding and Using Artificial Intelligence with Kevin Jones and Pamela Morris
6-7 p.m.; Bartholomew County Library conference room
Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) confusing and scary, or something you want to try? Join us for an hour of clear, jargon-free explanation. This session will cut through the hype and show you what AI is, how it's already used and—most importantly—how you can use tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini as powerful digital assistants. We’ll cover the basics, address common fears, and walk through a few practical demonstrations. Bring your curiosity and we will explore the exciting potential of AI for yourself and for society.
Talking Leaves Launch
12-1 p.m.; West end of CLC lawn (rain location: Summerville Room)
The Talking Leaves Launch Event is a party to celebrate the creativity of the Columbus AirPark campus. The new magazine is revealed, and attendees receive their own copy. Come to hear contributors and to eat pizza.
Generative AI: The Rise of Misinformation.
1-2 p.m.; IU Bloomington Center of Excellence for Women and Technology Media Makers or Zoom link (Meeting ID: 854 7962 9478)
Discover how generative AI is reshaping the information landscape — and how to tell fact from fiction. In this interactive session, you’ll explore how AI tools create realistic text, images, and videos; uncover the key drivers behind AI-powered misinformation; and test your skills in our “Spot the Fake” activity. Learn to identify red flags, understand why false content spreads, and walk away with practical tools and fact-checking strategies to stay informed and digitally responsible.
“Agnotology” with KT Lowe and Joe Huber
2-3:15 p.m.; IU EAST HY 142 or Zoom link (Meeting ID: 812 2386 8949 and Password: MLW)
Agnotology is the study of public discourse that intentionally deceives; the study of manufactured ignorance. Explore smoking advertisements as great example of publicly manufactured ignorance that led to public health issues (arguably, a public health crisis) for many decades to come.
Preparing Middle Schoolers for the Ups and Downs of Smartphones and Social Media with Jennifer Berger from Ready, Set, Screen
7-8 p.m.; Zoom via go.iu.edu/SocialMediaPrep
This eye-opening presentation challenges the usual assumptions about how teens and kids can be safe, smart, and healthy in the digital age — and what media literacy is — and illuminates what kids actually need to thrive online. Drawing from 16+ years of classroom experience with more than 10,000 teens and two years of surveying and interviewing parents and their kids, Jennifer Berger offers a unique perspective as a community educator who witnessed media literacy education transform students. This isn't another doom-and-gloom talk about social media dangers. Instead, you’ll learn how libraries, schools, and families can fill the critical gap in media literacy education, moving from awareness to meaningful action.
AI's Impact on Environment and Communities
10:30-11:45 a.m.; IU Indianapolis: Cavanaugh Hall Room 219; Zoom link (Password: MLW)
Have you considered the physical environmental impact of your digital space usage? Our panel of experts ranging from a biomedical informatics scientist to community activists breaks down the cost of artificial intelligence on our planet. Join Tara Callahan, Jackson Lemaster, Laine Roberts and Katie Stergar as they explore this topic with participants
"Navigating the AI Era: Challenges and Opportunities" Panel
6-7 p.m. CST; Crown Point Community Library
Join us for a panel discussion, followed by a Q&A with community experts exploring the positive and negative aspects of AI at school, work, and everyday life. Moderated by Cynthia O'Dell, Professor of Psychology, IU Northwest and Intern, Crown Point Community Library. Panelists Include:
Green Teaching for an Infodemic: Integrating Habits of Critical Thinking about Media into Environmental Issues
This event pairs teachers and school librarians.
Registration required
Belzer Middle School will be doing a media literacy escape room all week focused on using media literacy skills to “decode” information. Puzzles will be available to share.
For more information about Media Literacy Week, please contact Pamela Morris (pammorri@iu.edu) at IU Columbus or Kym Kramer (kakramer@iu.edu) at IU Indianapolis.
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