Overview:
The New Media Literacies project (NML), funded by the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation, is developing a theoretical framework and hands-on curriculum for K-12 students that integrates new media tools into broader educational, expressive and cultural frameworks.

Our Project:
The NML team, led by Dr. Henry Jenkins and based at MIT's Comparative Media Studies program, is currently exploring K-12 digital literacy, guided by two questions: What do young people need to know in order to become full, active, creative, critical, and ethically responsible participants in a media-rich environment?, and what steps do we need to take to make sure that these skills are available to all?

The NML project promotes student-driven, creative, collaborative learning environments facilitated through digital media and new network technologies. Students learn not only technical skills but also conceptual frameworks which will help them to think about the role of media in their lives as consumers, producers, and participants. They will develop a critical framework for thinking about representation and expression; they will explore ethical issues surrounding participation and collaboration; they will discover new models of media expression; and they will learn more about the contexts within which media is produced and consumed.

Our Collaborators:
NML is collaborating with fellow MacArthur Digital Media projects "Kids Informal Learning with Digital Media", an anthropological study of K-8 behaviors based at the University of California/Berkeley, and the "New Media Literacy Afterschool Program (NMLAP)", an integrated system for testing and implementing media affordances in school, afterschool, and at home directed by the University of Chicago's Center for Urban School Improvement. NML has also partnered with Howard Gardiner's Good Works project at the Harvard School of Education, Boston's YWCA's "Youth Voices" program, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Our Timeline:
Work on the project's Phase I, a yearlong planning grant, commenced in April 2005. Phase I tasks included the creation of a community-oriented website, an external advisory board, a number of promising field-tested curriculum possibilities, and a comprehensive review of existing new media literacy work. At the end of Phase I, the project published a white paper detailing the project's theoretical framework. Phase II, a three-year extension which began July 1, 2006, will allow us to further substantiate, refine and test the project's working assumptions and curriculum prototypes. By the end of Phase II, a number of new media curriculum materials will be ready for use in both classroom or after-school program settings. We plan to distribute these materials via our website and free of charge.

How You Can Participate:
The New Media Literacies project encourages anyone interested in K-12 education and new media to participate in an extended conversation through this website portal; the success of the project depends on integrating input from a variety of disciplines on the current state of new media literacy, past practices, and future goals.

We encourage regular users to register at projectnml.org. As a registered NML website user, you can post or rate blog comments, contribute to our growing wiki of media-related vocabulary terms, post images to our community showcase of images, and critique working papers posted for review. You can also receive customized e-mail updates on new site material once a day, once a week, or once a month. We hope you drop us a line and join in the conversation on new media literacy and the future of education.