MCTE Fall Workshop October 19, 2026:
Made for This Moment: English Teachers, Media Literacy, and the American Promise at 250
with Renee Hobbs
A quarter-millennium into the American experiment, English teachers find themselves at the center of the country's most urgent questions. How do we know what is true? Whose stories belong in our classrooms? What does it mean to compose, to read, and to think when the tools of attention are designed to capture us, and the tools of authorship now write back? ELA’s enduring focus on interpreting and composing texts, inspiring compassion and ethical relationships, and critically evaluating and appreciating language, media, and technology has much to offer people of all ages. In a climate of polarization, contested curricula, generative AI, and rapid demographic and technological change, the work of the ELA classroom has never mattered more. About the Presenter Renee Hobbs is one of the nation's leading scholars of media literacy education. She is the founder of the Media Education Lab and a Professor of Communication Studies at the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island. Her book Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education for a Digital Age (W. W. Norton, 2020) gives teachers and students practical tools to recognize, analyze, critique and create media in a moment when the line between information, entertainment, and persuasion is increasingly hard to draw. Across more than a dozen books and decades of work with K–12 teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers on four continents, she has championed media literacy as an essential practice of literacy that builds the infrastructure needed for a healthy democracy. Learn more: www.mediaeducationlab.com --Program Schedule--
--Program Schedule--
Breakfast and Registration opens at 8:30
Workshop 9:00-3:00 with break for lunch (provided)
--Pre-Service Teachers--
A registration discount is available. Additional info is described in the registration types.
**LOCATION** Minnesota Landscape Arboretum3675 Arboretum Dr, Chaska, MN 55318 (Click here for MAP)
Registration includes MCTE membership, admission to the Arboretum, continental breakfast, and lunch. All registrations must be made through this site. You may pay by credit card or by sending a check to MCTE's treasurer, Rachel Malchow Lloyd, at 425 Goodrich Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. After registering, you will receive an automatic invoice by email. If you do not receive this email, you may have mistyped your email address. If this happens, please contact Sierra Gilbertson at executive.secretary@mcte.org to double-check your registration. Shortly after the invoice, you will receive a confirmation email. If you are paying by school or personal check, your confirmation email will include instructions for submitting your payment. In order to avoid being double registered, please pay with the same account that was used for registration. Cancellation Policy Because meal counts and materials costs are due in advance of the event, we regret that full refunds can only be offered for cancellations prior to October 5, 2026. No refunds issued after October 5. Note: If you need interpreters or other assistive services, please contact MCTE's Executive Secretary, Sierra Gilbertson: executive.secretary@mcte.org. MCTE cannot be responsible for payment of these services without advance notification. A room for nursing mothers has been arranged.
Registration includes MCTE membership, admission to the Arboretum, continental breakfast, and lunch. All registrations must be made through this site. You may pay by credit card or by sending a check to MCTE's treasurer, Rachel Malchow Lloyd, at 425 Goodrich Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
After registering, you will receive an automatic invoice by email. If you do not receive this email, you may have mistyped your email address. If this happens, please contact Sierra Gilbertson at executive.secretary@mcte.org to double-check your registration.
Shortly after the invoice, you will receive a confirmation email. If you are paying by school or personal check, your confirmation email will include instructions for submitting your payment. In order to avoid being double registered, please pay with the same account that was used for registration.
Cancellation Policy
Because meal counts and materials costs are due in advance of the event, we regret that full refunds can only be offered for cancellations prior to October 5, 2026. No refunds issued after October 5.
Note: If you need interpreters or other assistive services, please contact MCTE's Executive Secretary, Sierra Gilbertson: executive.secretary@mcte.org. MCTE cannot be responsible for payment of these services without advance notification. A room for nursing mothers has been arranged.
