Media Literacy Challenge Archives

Media Literacy Challenge: Emotional reasoning

Media Literacy Challenge #4: Emotional reasoning

Nate Noorlander March 9, 2026 8 Comments

“The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.” E.O. Wilson, sociobiologist The embedded claim is that our emotional and psychological lives are not keeping pace with our technological development; our psychologies are still climbing out of an ancient period of human development, but our tech is not.

Media Literacy Challenge #3: Knowing your limits

Nate Noorlander February 24, 2026 12 Comments

To be literate with the media, we have to be honest about our own limits and vulnerabilities. Perhaps we spend too much time pointlessly confusing ourselves with random bits of information from strangers. Or we’re unduly influenced by emotional language and images. Perhaps we’re easily flattered. Or we’re only motivated to find support for what we already think. Maybe we’re cynical about everyone with expertise, or, conversely, have too much confidence in our own small information networks.

Media Literacy Challenge #2: Corroboration

Nate Noorlander February 10, 2026 12 Comments

In 1983 Stanislav Petrov’s decision to “corroborate” the information his computer was giving him may have averted nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Petrov was the lieutenant colonel on duty at a Soviet command center responsible for monitoring Soviet early-warning satellites. When his computer told him the U.S. had just launched 5 intercontinental ballistic missiles that would make landfall in under 25 minutes, he had almost no time to react carefully….

Media Literacy Challenge #1: Lateral reading

Nate Noorlander January 30, 2026 22 Comments

The Nomadic Professor’s 2026 Media Literacy Challenge: Read Smarter Online! Twice a month throughout 2026, America’s 250th anniversary year, we’ll share one small skill to help you read better online—social media, YouTube, podcasts, newsletters, forums, magazines, journals, newspapers, and everything between. Challenge #1 is Lateral reading: learning about the source before read from the source.

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Media Literacy Challenge #4: Emotional reasoning

Media Literacy Challenge #3: Knowing your limits

Media Literacy Challenge #2: Corroboration

Media Literacy Challenge #1: Lateral reading

Blog Archive

Media Literacy Challenge #9: Polarization

Media Literacy Challenge #8: Journalism vs. advocacy

Media Literacy Challenge #7: The Quiet Majority

Media Literacy Challenge #6: “Attention budget”

Media Literacy Challenge #5: “The medium is the message”

Media Literacy Challenge #4: Emotional reasoning

Media Literacy Challenge #3: Knowing your limits

Media Literacy Challenge #2: Corroboration

Media Literacy Challenge #1: Lateral reading

What kind of history does the Nomadic Professor do?

Q&A with The Nomadic Professor: Behind the Scenes on the American History series

Whose “Last Frontier”?

Instructor/Parent Question: Do your courses center God?

Instructor/Parent Question: Do you teach a whitewashed version of history?

A Suggestion for Improving Student Writing

Media Literacy Is an Essential Skill. Schools Should Teach It That Way

Is Tibet really “an integral part of China”?

One “ping” to rule them all

Student Question: Was the French Revolution the beginning of modern history?

Does Homeschool Work? “Sourcing” to cut through the statistical noise

Blog Archive

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