The nonprofit 501(c)3 Children’s Media Workshop was founded in 1983 by Director John Schaefer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Organizational highlights include creating the largest teacher training network in US history (800,000 educators), the Visual Learning Program, using instant photography to teach literacies across the curriculum.
The CMW has conducted learning workshops around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Columbia Teachers College, the High Museum (Atlanta), the Museum of Contemporary Art (LA) as well as in Paris, Madrid, Casablanca, Rome, and Tokyo.
The CMW addresses the huge disconnect between our society and media of all kinds, from traditional to the addictive qualities of social media. With US school aged children spending 10 hours and 45 minutes a day on media, the skills to navigate this important part of their world are essential, and generally woefully lacking. Media Literacy—Work to do
CMW programming uses best learning practices (Interest – Doing – Learning) and the dominant language (media) to transform classrooms and empower teachers and students and the community at-large to be critical thinkers and life-long learners.
Nothing is more fun than learning.
Students vote to keep working/learning rather than taking recess.
Supporters and collaborators include:
CMW works in Bluff, Utah as part of a US Dept. of Education School Improvement Grant, using media to transform a predominately Navajo school into a 21st Century Learning Community.