#critical-literacy
Every item in the public site that shares this topic, gathered across writing, book notes, and publications.
- Entries
- 44 total
- Writing
- 40
- Book notes
- 0
- Publications
- 4
Writing
2026
- Jan 20, 2026 AI Literacy, AI Illiteracy, and the Trouble With Naming the Gap
Why the phrase "AI illiteracy" sounds useful at first, but may distort how we think about literacy, access, and responsibility.
2025
- Nov 21, 2025 The Illusion of Simplicity
Why checklists feel reassuring in complex digital systems, and why they often fail when what we really need is literacy and judgment.
2024
- Jun 4, 2024 Breaking Out of Our Own Biases: A Journey to Self Awareness
How to notice your own biases and widen your perspective.
2023
- Dec 8, 2023 The Online Misinformation War: Navigating a Cacophony of Competing Narratives
How misinformation spreads online and why readers need stronger habits.
- Dec 7, 2023 Reckoning with Slavery’s Legacy Across America
A short reflection on Clint Smith's How the Word Is Passed.
- Aug 29, 2023 Bridging the Divide Between Code and Conscience: Navigating the Intersection of Algorithms and Ethics
How code and ethics shape media and information literacy.
- Aug 9, 2023 Navigating the Future of Media and Information Literacy: A Transdisciplinary Approach
How media and information literacy can keep pace with a changing web.
- Jan 21, 2023 Digital Wildfires: Tending to Social Media in the Classroom
How to tend to social media and critical media literacy in class.
2022
- Dec 28, 2022 Transdisciplinarity as a Gateway to Critical Literacy
How wicked problems can open critical literacy across disciplines.
- Feb 19, 2022 Why Can’t We Agree On What’s True?
Why digital platforms make consensus about truth harder to reach.
2021
- Mar 24, 2021 Breaking Down the Misinformation & Disinformation Ecosystem
A framework for distinguishing misinformation from disinformation online.
2020
- Dec 2, 2020 Shades of Gray
Why life is often more shades of gray than black and white.
- Dec 1, 2020 Trust, But Verify
Why verification and reputation matter in online information.
- Nov 18, 2020 How to Give Accurate & Critical Feedback
Why feedback works better when it is accurate, direct, and constructive.
- Nov 2, 2020 Doors of Perception
How perception shapes what we think is true and why that matters.
- Oct 29, 2020 Combating Misinformation & Disinformation
How to tell misinformation and disinformation apart online.
- Oct 28, 2020 When Critical Evaluation Goes Too Far
When critical evaluation goes too far and starts to flatten nuance.
- Oct 3, 2020 Trading Up The Chain
How misinformation and speculation move up the media chain.
2019
- Aug 7, 2019 Truth, lies, & learning in an online disinformation war
How disinformation war reshapes learning, truth, and safety online.
- Jan 23, 2019 Critical Media Literacy
Why critical media literacy is essential for online life.
2018
- Dec 6, 2018 Critically evaluating online information while under attack
How to help readers evaluate online information under pressure.
- May 17, 2018 What is “Critical Pedagogy”?
How critical pedagogy differs from critical literacy and why it matters.
- May 11, 2018 What is “Critical Literacy” in Education?
Why critical literacy shapes my teaching, research, and worldview.
- Feb 23, 2018 “Tell me about yourself” in a critical autoethnography
How critical autoethnography connects identity, culture, and reflection.
2017
- Dec 20, 2017 Everything you need to know about encryption but were afraid to ask
Why encryption matters even when it feels inconvenient.
- Oct 27, 2017 The three types of web pages you’ll find online
A simple guide to three types of web pages.
- Oct 19, 2017 Sincerity and Truth in Labeling of Online Information
How to judge credibility and sincerity in online information.
- Oct 5, 2017 Making healthy skepticism happen in teaching and learning
How healthy skepticism helps us evaluate information online.
- Aug 10, 2017 Develop an assessment of critical online information literacies
How to assess whether online information is credible and useful.
- Aug 2, 2017 Develop a criteria for critical evaluation of online information
How to help students evaluate online information more critically.
- Jun 20, 2017 What You Need to Know About “Acceptable Use Policies”
What acceptable use policies are really trying to protect.
2015
- Nov 19, 2015 Building Critical Media Literacy in the Deictic/Ambiguous Nature of Online Text
How critical media and web literacy reshape what we mean by text.
2013
- Jul 18, 2013 Innovative Teaching and Learning with Digital Media Texts, Tools & Technologies
How digital media texts and tools can support innovative teaching.
- Jul 16, 2013 Chrome Extensions to Protect Yourself as You Search and Sift Online Information
How to protect your data while searching and browsing online.
- Jul 13, 2013 My Philosophy, or My “Credo” in Research, Teaching, and Learning
My teaching and research credo, shaped by connected learning and launching IT&DML.
- Jun 11, 2013 Privacy, Identity, & Protecting Yourself (and Your Students) Online
How privacy and identity shape safety for you and your students online.
- May 10, 2013 Empowering Students in the Reader/Writer Nature of the Web #teachtheweb
How making, connected learning, and critical literacy support student agency.
- Apr 2, 2013 Inquiry and the Learning Process
Why inquiry matters in teaching, learning, and educational technology.
2012
- Aug 22, 2012 Facilitating Critical Evaluation Skills through Content Creation: Empowering Adolescents as Readers and Writers of Online Information
My dissertation on critical evaluation and online content creation.
- Aug 7, 2012 Storify and Curiosity
A quick test of Storify and the role of curiosity in trying tools.
Publications
2024
- 2024 When you know better, do better: Developing antiracist, digitally literate educators through critical media literacy
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.
2023
- 2023 Digital Wildfires: Tending to social media in the ELA classroom
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.
2018
- 2018 Empowering students as critical readers and writers in online spaces
Book chapter · O'Byrne, W Ian. (2018). Empowering students as critical readers and writers in online spaces. Best Practices in Teaching Digital Literacies.
2013
- 2013 Facilitating critical evaluation skills through content creation: Empowering adolescents as readers and writers of online information
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.