#critical-literacy

Why the phrase "AI illiteracy" sounds useful at first, but may distort how we think about literacy, access, and responsibility.

Why checklists feel reassuring in complex digital systems, and why they often fail when what we really need is literacy and judgment.

How to notice your own biases and widen your perspective.

How misinformation spreads online and why readers need stronger habits.

A short reflection on Clint Smith's How the Word Is Passed.

How code and ethics shape media and information literacy.

How media and information literacy can keep pace with a changing web.

How to tend to social media and critical media literacy in class.

How wicked problems can open critical literacy across disciplines.

Why digital platforms make consensus about truth harder to reach.

A framework for distinguishing misinformation from disinformation online.

Why life is often more shades of gray than black and white.

Why verification and reputation matter in online information.

Why feedback works better when it is accurate, direct, and constructive.

How perception shapes what we think is true and why that matters.

How to tell misinformation and disinformation apart online.

When critical evaluation goes too far and starts to flatten nuance.

How misinformation and speculation move up the media chain.

How disinformation war reshapes learning, truth, and safety online.

Why critical media literacy is essential for online life.

How to help readers evaluate online information under pressure.

How critical pedagogy differs from critical literacy and why it matters.

Why critical literacy shapes my teaching, research, and worldview.

How critical autoethnography connects identity, culture, and reflection.

Why encryption matters even when it feels inconvenient.

A simple guide to three types of web pages.

How to judge credibility and sincerity in online information.

How healthy skepticism helps us evaluate information online.

How to assess whether online information is credible and useful.

How to help students evaluate online information more critically.

What acceptable use policies are really trying to protect.

How critical media and web literacy reshape what we mean by text.

How digital media texts and tools can support innovative teaching.

How to protect your data while searching and browsing online.

My teaching and research credo, shaped by connected learning and launching IT&DML.

How privacy and identity shape safety for you and your students online.

How making, connected learning, and critical literacy support student agency.

Why inquiry matters in teaching, learning, and educational technology.

My dissertation on critical evaluation and online content creation.

A quick test of Storify and the role of curiosity in trying tools.

Book chapter · O’Byrne, W Ian; Crandall, Bryan Ripley; Price-Dennis, Detra; Witte, Shelbie; Goering, Christian Z; Dail, Jennifer S. (2024). When you know better, do better: Developing antiracist, digitally literate educators through critical media literacy. Teaching for Equity, Justice, and Antiracism with Digital Literacy Practices.

Journal article · O’Byrne, W Ian; Crandall, Bryan Ripley; Dail, Jennifer S; Goering, Christian Z; Mora, Raúl Alberto; Price-Dennis, Detra; Witte, Shelbie. (2023). Digital Wildfires: Tending to social media in the ELA classroom. Critical Media Literacy.

Book chapter · O'Byrne, W Ian. (2018). Empowering students as critical readers and writers in online spaces. Best Practices in Teaching Digital Literacies.

Dissertation · O'Byrne, W Ian. (2013). Facilitating critical evaluation skills through content creation: Empowering adolescents as readers and writers of online information. University of Connecticut.