October 2011 M-Passioned Member: Cynthia Lieberman
Name: Cynthia Lieberman
Title: Marketing and Media Strategist, Lieberman Communications and Co-Founder, CyberWise.org
What do you do?
I am an information architect and marketing and media consultant who specializes in influence marketing, social media and community engagement, primarily for the entertainment industry. I am also co-founder of CyberWise.org, an organization that helps grownups understand and use new media tools to invigorate education. An important focus of this site is to provide easy access to credible research and materials that will encourage educators to understand and integrate media literacy, digital citizenship and the appropriate use of technology into their curriculums.
Can you tell us about your latest work or project in media literacy?
We launched CyberWise this past summer after conducting research and attending conferences related to media literacy and digital technology and realizing there was a need for a bridge between those who are doing remarkable research and discovery and educators who are fighting the relentless uphill battle of trying to reform our 21st Century educational system, as well as parents and legislators who may lack basic media literacy knowledge and skills. One of the most valuable assets we offer are easy-to-understand “CyberWise Guide” video tutorials and in-depth companion guides on vital topics such as What is New Media?, Digital Citizenship and how to use presentation and social media tools such as Prezi, Glogster, Twitter and more into the classroom. The comprehensive CyberWise Companion Guides (PDFs) are designed to alleviate fears and help grown ups understand not just how but why digital and social media can be powerful tools for learning, and include lesson ideas, research articles, tips and examples of how other teachers use these tools in the classroom.
We are also curators of participatory learning tools and information. Posted regularly in the NewsWise section of our site are up-to-date trend stories, research and news on subjects ranging from Tech Tools in the Classroom to Digital Citizenship and Gaming and Education. We also e-mail a bi-weekly newsletter, The CyberWise Weekly, to subscribers, as well as a daily e-paper, The CyberWise Daily that provides up-to-the minute information for our Twitter followers and subscribers.
What is your favorite form of media?
The reality is, it is not about understanding and appreciating one singular form of media but how to ensure kids understand how to use various platforms responsibly and positively and in a symphonic manner. The globe is engaging in a revolutionary phase of collaborative thinking in a participatory culture, and therefore it is critical that we prepare our kids to successfully survive in today’s hyper-mediated world. Until now, our society has been living in a culture where media communications were a one-way street and big business had control over their messaging. Thanks to the advent of the Internet, mobile and social technologies, society has evolved into a participatory culture where we are no longer just a consumer but rather a prosumer with the freedom to act as contributors or producers of message content. The impact of this reality on our youth is enormous, and it is up to us to teach them about all media, and how to tell stories and share information in the proper context of each medium.
Why is media literacy important to you?
I am truly passionate about the positive potential of new media and have an ardent desire to help prepare young people use interactive tools confidently and wisely. We’ve learned that in order to do that effectively, we have to start with the grownups! After completing our M.A. degrees together in Media Psychology and Social Change (a pioneering field that focuses on how human behavior is affected by the media and how to use it to influence positive social change) from Fielding University/UCLA, we realized some of the great research being done at the higher academic levels is not always filtering down effectively to “the field”—that is k-8 teachers, administrators or parents or students for that matter. Cyberwise affords us the chance to apply our state-of-the-art education, storytelling skills and entertainment experience to bridge the gap between current groundbreaking research and the teachers on the ground who are dedicated to improving media literacy in our schools.
What are you most excited about in the media literacy field?
Media scholars Henry Jenkins, Howard Gardner and many others have written that ethical thinking is one of the most important skills that young people will need to navigate the interconnected world of their future. We are particularly inspired by the wonderful free curriculums available from organizations like Common Sense Media and the work being done by the Project New Media Literacies program led by Henry Jenkins and his team at USC’s Annenberg Innovation Lab. They’ve identified the skills that young people need to be media literate in the 21st Century. They are not technical skills, but rather social and behavioral skills like play, performance, judgment, and so on that are learned through cooperation and collaboration. The hope is by practicing these non-technical behaviors from pre-school onward, our youth will learn to extend these positive behaviors into cyberspace when they are older.
Why did you become a NAMLE member?
We became members because we want to support NAMLE’s mission, “To expand and improve the practice of media literacy education in the United States,” by applying our experience and education to help teachers gain access to the tools and information needed to achieve this goal. Diana and I both gave presentations at the NAMLE 2011 conference on media literacy and the integration of technology in the classroom, and Diana was honored to be NAMLE research award finalist for her paper, “New Media Literacy Education (NMLE): A Developmental Approach.” While attending, we were awestruck by the dedicated educators who are committed to improving student engagement and learning through the incorporation of media literacy into today’s 21st century classroom, even despite the challenges of our very cumbersome and complex, outdated education system. This experience only served as more fuel for our passion to get involved in the process.
What benefits do you see to the membership and how will it support your work?
We are in an era of “evolve or die” and based on the theory of evolution, it is not the strongest or the smartest that survive; it’s the most adaptable. Since we are not educators per se, it is extremely insightful to work hand-in-hand with the NAMLE members and to learn from them, with them and for them through the valuable resources that NAMLE provides. We can only hope that through this collaborative process we can contribute to the process of invigorating and transforming our education system and to help the future of our youth not only survive but also thrive.
BIO
Cynthia Lieberman is a marketing strategist who currently operates her own marketing and public relations consulting firm, Lieberman Communications. Ms. Lieberman brings more than 20 years of experience as a renowned leader in creative marketing and integrated public relations for a long list of prestigious companies including Warner Bros., Sony, Fox, Paramount, NBC/Universal, Fremantle Entertainment, Fox Family, and more. Along with her rich marketing, PR and social media experience, Ms. Lieberman has a B.A.in Electronic Media Management from CSUN and a M.A. (magna cum laude) in Media Psychology and Social Change from Fielding University/UCLA. She has served on the board of the Television Publicity Executive Committee and has received multiple Promax Medallion Awards in recognition of her creative marketing talents.
Category: Features, M-Passioned Members
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