All Lessons
This lesson details the 5 Media Literacy Questions we need to ask every time we consume information to ensure we learn the most from it. Who created this message? Which techniques are used to attract my attention? How might different people interpret this message? Which lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented — or missing? Why is this message being sent? Updated Dec. 2023
Updated March 1, 2023 – A Lesson on the Watzlawick, Bavelas, and Jackson book – The Pragmatics of Human Communication. Adds new thinking about Information and Cognitive Science to this seminal and highly influential work.
This lesson suggests that the most important 21st Century Learning Style to emerge is a “Network-of-Teams.” The 21st Century offers more opportunities to embrace more learning styles than ever before.
A lesson on Johann Gutenberg describing his innovations and some of the impact those innovations have had on the world, including the Reformation and the Age of Enlightenment. Updated Oct. 2023
This Constitutive Approach to Interpersonal Communication Studies suggests Communication can be measured by the stability of the network built.
Politeness theory describes how communication is enhanced and goals more likely achieved when ‘Civility” is a key element in communication.
Who is Charlie Munger? Wit and Wisdom From The World’s Most Irreverent Billionaire Charlie Munger is one of the great minds of the 20th century. Below is an attempt to capture that wisdom in one shareable place. “Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you...
Updated March 1, 2023 This Lesson is focused on finding the best ways to promote and support media literacy in the community. Our focus is on helping everyone, young and old, to develop critical thinking and media production skills needed to live fully in the 21st...
Several of these have names in Latin, but I mostly ignored that and used English. If anyone is bothered by my using "he" everywhere, note that "he" is the person arguing fallaciously. Ad Hominem (Argument To The Man) Affirming The Consequent Amazing Familiarity...
Develop the Skills to Understand Bias
This Lesson describes the basic Functions of Communication: Getting what you want, getting someone else to do something, entertainment, and learning. (Updated Oct 2022)
The theory was first put forth by Goffman, under the title of Frame Analysis (link to PDF of article). He put forth that people interpret what is going on around their world through their primary framework. This framework is regarded as primary as it is taken for...
Description of the Transmission Model of Communication, with a focus on Claude Shannon. Discussions of the components, architecture, constraints, and applications of the Transmission Model of Communication. And, how it has led to the development of the Fractal Model of Communication. Updated March 2023.
This lesson on the Neurophysiology of Religion looks at the cognitive science that tries to understand how we process Religious Information.
As we move through life, how we communicate is one of the most important skills for success. However, while many recognize the importance of communications, few spend any time understanding what makes a good communicator. Here are 5 keys to Effective...