
Announcements		Cycle Sheets/ Modules		Syllabus

Digital Media Literacy Course: Empowering Students in the AI Era

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, equipping high school students with critical inquiry, rigorous source evaluation, and technological ethics is essential. Digital Media Literacy is a foundational 9th-grade course designed to help students transition from passive media consumers into critical thinkers who evaluate all information with a discerning eye.

Rather than simply conducting traditional research, students learn to interrogate information architecture across digital and physical spaces. The curriculum empowers students to evaluate peer-reviewed databases, analyze the mechanics of Generative AI, detect synthetic media, and audit algorithmic bias.

Core Framework & Key Competencies Alignment

1. AI Literacy, Prompting & Academic Integrity

Generative AI Mechanics: Understanding how Large Language Models (LLMs) function, distinguishing what AI is and is not, and navigating institutional academic integrity policies (Cycles 3 & 4).
Prompt Engineering & Human Agency: Applying structured prompt frameworks (role, context, task constraints, output format) using tools like Flint and Canva Magic Studio to scaffold learning while preserving personal voice and critical thinking (Cycles 4 & 6).
Ethics of Synthetic Asset Ownership: Analyzing the ongoing legal, artistic, and ethical debates surrounding AI model training data, copyright in the AI era, and synthetic media creation (Cycles 6 & 10).

2. Information Systems & Critical Evaluation

Database Mechanics & Advanced Syntax: Moving beyond standard search engines to interrogate peer-reviewed academic databases (Gale, EBSCOhost) using exact-phrase truncation, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), and LLM-assisted keyword generation (Cycle 8).
Physical & Archival Systems: Navigating library catalogs, examining primary source artifacts, and understanding how special collections and institutional archives organize knowledge (Cycle 2).
Primary vs. Secondary Evaluation: Differentiating raw historical/scientific data from secondary analyses and meta-reviews with a critical eye (Cycles 8 & 9).

3. Media Literacy, Fact-Checking & Visual Verification

Lateral Reading & Source Verification: Leaving the page to cross-reference claims against independent databases, evaluate domain authority, and spot misinformation vs. disinformation (Cycles 8 & 9).
Synthetic Media & Deepfakes: Analyzing visual artifacts, recognizing audio/video deepfake techniques, and executing reverse-image searches to verify content in digital news feeds (Cycle 10).
Media Bias & Systems Analysis: Evaluating media ownership models, recognizing cognitive traps like confirmation bias, and analyzing how engagement algorithms construct echo chambers and filter bubbles (Cycles 7 & 9).

4. Digital Citizenship, Data Privacy & Intellectual Property

Digital Footprint & Algorithmic Identity: Auditing personal data privacy, understanding telemetry and platform tracking across social media and AI platforms, and managing online reputation (Cycle 7).
Copyright, Fair Use & Creative Commons: Navigating digital ownership, distinguishing between traditional Copyright, Public Domain, Creative Commons licensing, and the Fair Use doctrine (Cycles 3, 6, & 10).
Balanced Media Habits: Designing a conscious, balanced personal media diet to foster agency and well-informed civic participation (Cycle 10).