Critical Thinking with Media in the Age of AI
Program Description:
We live in an era of information overload. Every scroll, click, and share puts us in contact with content designed to persuade, provoke, or mislead, and AI has made that content easier than ever to fabricate and spread at scale. For educators, the stakes are uniquely high: teachers are not only navigating this landscape themselves, but shaping how an entire generation of students learns to engage with it.
Critical media literacy (CML) is the skill set that makes the difference between a passive consumer and an active, discerning reader of multimodal content. It means asking who created a piece of content and why, recognizing the techniques used to bypass our rational judgment, understanding how algorithms shape what we see, and knowing how AI-generated text, images, and video can mimic trustworthy sources.
This fully online, asynchronous (self-paced) program gives educators a practical, accessible, and equity-centered foundation in CML, equipping them to apply these skills in their own lives and model them for their students. In a classroom environment increasingly shaped by rapid curricular change, book bans, and the mainstreaming of AI-generated misinformation, critical thinking about media is no longer optional. It is essential.
Dates & Registration
This program is fully online and asynchronous (self-paced). There are no scheduled meetings or live sessions to attend. You complete coursework on your own schedule, with deadlines to keep you on track.
- Three-week program running July 6 through July 24
- Self-paced within the session window. Complete work on your own schedule
- Assigned deadlines for submitting coursework
- No required meetings or live attendance
- Optional zoom office hours available
Price: $295
For more information, questions, or to register: Email tcacademy@tc.columbia.edu
Instructors
Sarah Chepkirui Creider
Lecturer, Applied Linguistics & TESOL
Sarah Chepkirui Creider is a lecturer in the Applied Linguistic and TESOL program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a conversation analyst, and specializes in teacher-student interaction; teacher reflection; and political conversations, particularly among mixed-race groups. Her work has been published in Linguistics & Education; the Journal of Contemporary Foreign Language Studies; Learning, Culture & Social Interaction; Discourse Studies; Language and Information Society; and the Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice. Her book (co-authored with Hansun Waring), Micro-reflection on Classroom Communication: A FAB framework, was published by Equinox in 2021. Sarah has a doctorate in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her work, as both an academic researcher and facilitator, is focused on what she calls a “micro-revolution” — the possibility for change inherent in each moment of everyday interaction.
Yoo Kyung Chang
Clinical Professor, Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, New York University
Yoo Kyung Chang is a clinical professor and academic director of Information Systems and Technology at Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies, School of Professional Studies, New York University. Her research and professional expertise lies in the design and development of technology to support and understand learning and human development. Her current research focuses on the cognitive, affective, and metacognitive implications of data-driven design in diverse contexts ranging from online learning to media consumption behavior, game-based approaches to media literacy education, technology-assisted health behavioral support, esports training, MR and AI.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Understand what critical media literacy skills are
- Be able to apply critical media skills in their daily practice, in and out of the classroom
- Be able to foster critical media literacy skills in their own students.
- Be able to facilitate critical classroom conversations about media
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for teachers, educators, and caregivers who support young people (6th - 12th grade) in educational, non-profit and other contexts (e.g., afterschool programs) as well as Teachers College students who are interested in critical media literacy in and out of the classroom.
Upon Completion
Participants who successfully complete this program will earn a verified Certificate of Participation and an official Digital Badge—valuable credentials that showcase your commitment to professional growth and can be shared on LinkedIn or digital portfolios.
View our sample program badge and certificate below:
Licensed educators in NY state are also eligible for a Continuing Teacher Leader Education (CTLE) certificate for a total of 15 CTLE hours.
Important Notice: This is a non-credit program. Completion does not provide academic credit toward any degree program at Teachers College or other institutions. No transcript credit will be awarded.