The Center for Media and Information Literacy was established in 2011 at Temple University as a hub for research, outreach, education, and professional development on issues involving media literacy and information literacy locally, nationally, and internationally. Our keywords are Explore, Innovate, Create, Share. Our work is strategically aligned around three areas:
1. Scholarship: Develop and implement a multidisciplinary research agenda examining the impact of media and technology, with a focus on media literacy education
2. Media industry: Encourage the integration of media literacy and information literacy principles in content developed for television, online, gaming and other media.
3. Community outreach: Provide community outreach, public programs, and educational services targeted to the needs of youth and local school and after-school educators
CMIL is working globally with UNESCO and the Alliance of Civilizations as an appointed “global chair” in media literacy through the University Twinning and Networking program (UNITWIN). Locally, we are working with a number of Philadelphia and New Jersey area schools and providing after-school programs to develop innovative media and information literacy curriculum in K-12.
Members of CMIL were part of the team that developed My Pop Studio, an online interactive game designed to teach media literacy skills to preteen girls. The website integrates games, blogs, and user-generated content with development in critical thinking. CMIL is also a founding partner of the Philadelphia Youth Media Collaborative. The Collaborative brings together the myriad of organizations in the Philadelphia region working in youth media in the areas of production, professional development, and education to build and enhance the youth media community and distribution of their creative projects.
See a few of our current projects here.