The Neag School of Education will host the 10th annual Northeast Media Literacy Conference, “News Literacy in a Digital Media Age” on Friday, March 16 in the Bishop Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s event will emphasize exploring the importance of news literacy, the impact of new technology, the need to help youth develop critical thinking skills to understand and interpret media, and other important digital media issues effecting schools, communities and youth-oriented organizations.

“The Northeast Media Literacy Conference has been recognized for almost a decade as a key annual meeting of media literacy leaders and enthusiasts to learn and share with each other,” said Dr. Thomas B. Goodkind, conference creator and coordinator and a Neag School of Education professor of curriculum and instruction. “The program usually features two keynote speakers — recognized national and international experts in the field — as well as over a dozen workshops led by innovative theorists, practitioners and researchers in media literacy and technology.”

A special repeat feature of the conference will be the participation of 22 media leaders representing 22 nations, sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s International Leadership Program.

“The participation of these leaders in this distinguished State Department program at our conference is significant in that it appears to tie in directly with the continued, timely U.S. government recognition of the international interest and importance of media literacy,” said Goodkind.

The international visits to UConn also boosts the visibility and image of both the University and the Neag School of Education, while providing the potential for important world-wide contacts in media literacy and related fields.

Keynote speakers are Howard Schneider, nationally recognized speaker, educator and founding dean of the School of Journalism at Stony Brook University, and Dr. Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, award-winning American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) pediatrician and expert on the impact of the mass media upon young children. Both will bring leadership, knowledge and experience in media literacy to the conference, Goodkind said.

The conference will also feature 15 workshops, exhibitors and film showings. Registration includes a continental breakfast, buffet lunch, refreshments throughout the day, social hour, conference-related handouts and parking fee. Cost to attend is $95 per person; $45 for students (with ID).

For more information and to register, visit the Northeast Media Literacy Conference website at http://medialiteracy.education.uconn.edu or contact Dr. Thomas B. Goodkind at t.goodkind@uconn.edu or (860) 486-0290.