Build your content knowledge while being inspired to create engaging lessons for students when you watch full length, award winning programs from PBS and Montana PBS–and earn credit for doing it! This FREE professional development activity can be done when and wherever you are and is always open–no deadlines!  

Getting started is easy! 

• Explore this catalog of local and national productions from PBS and Montana PBS. 
• Fill out a form to sign up to view as many of the films as you want. 
• Watch your email for directions about how to watch the film and complete the reflection activity. 

NOTE: Please allow up to 10 business days to receive information about viewing the films. You will get an email from Nikki Vradenburg with the links to the films and the reflection activities. Due to the high volume of requests it may take NIkki longer to respond to your registration. Thank you for being patient!

Summer 2024

The 2024 Summer  Series of the Montana PBS Media Lab starts Tuesday June 11 at 10am-12pm.

Join Montana PBS and special guest, Traci Piltz, Technology Integration Specialist in Billings to learn the ins and outs of making media with elementary students. Montana PBS Media Lab is an interactive and hands-on virtual learning experience! 

In this session K-5 teachers will learn about the PBS Media Literacy framework encompassing six dynamic approaches: Spark, Model, Explore, Create, Document, and Share. Each session will focus on digital tools for making media projects with students and will begin with an introduction to two of the six approaches to integrating media and digital tools for using them, examples about how the approaches and tools can be used with students, step by step instructions for how to use the tools and time to explore and ask questions. This is HANDS-ON professional learning! Teachers will create projects and share them at the end of the workshop! 

Media Lab workshops are FREE and everyone who attends live has the chance to win cool prizes! Two OPI units will be granted to all participants who attend live sessions and participate! We will record Media Lab sessions for those who want to watch them later! 

Media Lab Schedule

• Tuesday June 11 Spark and Share
• Tuesday June 18 Model and Create
• Tuesday June 25 Explore and Document

Attendees can register once and get a link to all of the meetings

OPI Credit available
2 hour virtual sessions for K-12 Teachers

Dates and topics

All workshops will be on a Tuesday from 10am MST to 12pm MST

• July 2 Identification and Stigma
• July 9 Teacher Mental Health: Put Your Own Mask on First!
• July 16 Supporting Students in the Classroom with Mental Health

Ken Burns is the executive producer of a major new public television documentary, Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. The film, premiered in June 2022 and gives voice to the experiences of young people who struggle with mental health challenges and focuses on the importance of awareness and empathy. 

Teachers who attend this virtual workshop series will have the opportunity to view portions of the film and discuss topics such as identifying mental illness, trauma informed practices, exploring emotions and more with other teachers and mental health advocates. Virtual workshops are free and open to all teachers who support K-12 students.

Teachers who attend workshops live will earn 2 OPI credits for each workshop they attend and a chance to win prizes. These workshops will NOT be recorded as a large part of each session will be devoted to discussion. 

Please be advised that the content of this film may be upsetting to some. Please only attend these events if you feel comfortable viewing and  talking about this sensitive content with others. 

The full film can be viewed on PBS LearningMedia for free. Teachers are not required to watch the full film before attending the workshops but it is highly recommended.

PBS Media Literacy Certification Online Course

Are you a media savvy educator looking to develop your expertise in Media Literacy? Are you passionate about teaching kids how to think critically about their roles as media consumers and creators? Join this FREE, asynchronous, online course! Teachers who take this course would earn 30 OPI renewal units upon completion of PBS Media Literacy Certification. This course is fully asynchronous and self-paced. Teachers will access videos and course materials in Google Classroom to earn 8 micro-credentials and become PBS Media Literacy Certified.

Participants will

•  Watch video recordings about each of the 8 micro-credentials needed to become certified
•  Complete the work needed to earn 8 micro-credentials and become certified in the PBS Media Literacy program  
• Provide feedback about the experience.

Learn more about PBS Media Literacy Certification for educators at https://edu-landing.kqed.org/certification/