Cyndy is a Dana Professor at Ithaca College, teaching developmental psychology and media literacy for over 35 years. She is the co-author of The Teacher's Guide to Media Literacy (with Faith Rogow) and Teaching Students to Decode the World (with Chris Sperry). Cyndy was a founding board member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education and is a contributing editor to Project Look Sharp curricula. She has given hundreds of media literacy workshops and keynotes around the world and is the creator of the online course Empowering All Students Through Media Decoding.

Cyndy received her Ph.D. in Human Development (1987) from Cornell University. In October of 2024, Cyndy received the prestigious Elizabeth Thoman Service Award from the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).

Chris taught middle and high school social studies, English, and media studies for over 40 years at the Lehman Alternative Community School in Ithaca, New York where he integrated student-centered, question-based, curriculum-driven media decoding into his work with students and colleagues. At Project Look Sharp, Chris codified the methodology of “Constructivist Media Decoding” and has produced nearly all of PLS’s 900+ media decoding lessons.

He is co-author (with Cyndy Scheibe) of the 2022 book Teaching Students to Decode the World. Chris has delivered hundreds of professional development workshops around the world and is working closely with extraordinary educators to spread CMD.

Chris is the Director of the ML3 Initiative: Librarians as Leaders of Media Literacy that began in 2021 and has trained more than 1,500 school librarians across New York State in CMD. He is also Director of the national ML3 initiative (in partnership with AASL) that was funded through a federal IMLS grant in 2024 to scale up ML3 across the country.

Chris is the recipient of the 2005 PTA Leaders in Learning Award for Media Literacy and the 2008 NCSS Award for Global Understanding. He received his undergraduate degree from Ithaca College in 1979 as a Planned Studies major in “Media Literacy,” and earned his Master’s degree from Harvard University with a focus on moral development and democratic education.

Sox began his career as a teacher and curriculum designer for a school devoted to engaging students in critical reflection and action on social issues. He spent the next several decades teaching nonviolence with teens and adults who had been arrested for violence.

Sox began curriculum work with PLS in 2004 and is transitioning towards retirement by supporting a new generation of curriculum collaborators at PLS. He is curator of the educational website provensustainable.org — which highlights the wisdom traditions of earth-centered Indigenous and Maroon communities around the world.

Tracy is author of the PLS lesson: College or a Trade: Which is the Right Choice?. She has a long career as a school librarian, including working directly with diverse student populations; providing web, database, automation and collection support to multiple school districts; and automating and modernizing multiple libraries.

In addition to her work with PLS, Tracy is currently the District Librarian for Corinth Central School District in New York.

Ari is an Assistant Professor at the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College, teaching courses in presentations, design, web and Internet of Things technology, video, and National Parks.

She is the author of the PLS lesson for early elementary Baby Shark: Introducing Analysis Skills, co-author of the elementary-level Guides to Teaching Challenging Topics Through Media Decoding, and author of the Awareness and Critical Thinking framework.

Faith is a curriculum developer, professional development provider, and media literacy strategist, known for creative yet practical approaches to teaching. She is the author of Media Literacy for Young Children (NAEYC, 2022), founding President of NAMLE, a founding editorial board member of the Journal for Media Literacy Education, and co-author of NAMLE’s Core Principles for Media Literacy Education in the U.S.

She is also a discussion guide writer with a reputation as a "go to" person for handling controversial topics like racism, social justice, homophobia, human rights abuses, and more. Her favorite discussion prompt for films is: “What did you learn that you wish everybody knew? What would change if everyone knew it?” According to Faith, “The questions reflect my core pedagogy which, like PLS’s, is centered around inquiry and reflection, and connecting insight to action.”

Bridget is an adjunct professor at St. John Fisher University, where she designed and teaches a course based on her book Community Partnerships with School Libraries: Creating Innovative Learning Experiences. Within her district, Bridget helps to lead development of media literacy standards and curriculum integration. You can see a short video about that work here: https://www.lkgeorge.org/academics/

For the past 14 years, she has led a flexible-schedule library program that allows meaningful integration of literacy into classroom work. Bridget actively supports educators in and beyond her district, helping teachers and librarians discover and apply CMD strategies, and witnessing first-hand how this work transforms teaching and student engagement. She’s proud to be part of this movement.

She is the author of the PLS lesson Censoring Seuss: Cancel Culture or Cultural Respect? Susan continues to consult with Project Look Sharp about school librarian preservice education.

Susan has been a librarian of one type or another for 51 years. For 28 years she was a school librarian at the Nichols School in Buffalo, NY, serving at various times as Middle School Librarian, Upper School Librarian, and Director of Libraries, as well as Director of Technology and Director of Academic Technology. She has developed and taught graduate courses on collaboration between teacher and librarian, emerging technology for educators, applying web applications to libraries, and differentiated instruction.

Louise is Principal Consultant for The Strategic Learning Group, working with client organizations to extend their reach and impact through online and hybrid education and training. In addition to her work for PLS, Louise has developed online courses and PD for Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Dell, Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas Hospital Association, Unum Insurance, Pitney Bowes, GISC, Harcourt, the Princeton Biofeedback Centre, and the American Management Association (AMA).

She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and an ICF Coaching Credential earned in 2017.

After taking the PLS Train the Facilitators PD, Mary Kate led a CMD Hybrid course for her teachers in the Fayetteville Manlius School District where she is social studies coordinator. She was on the national ML3 Advisory Committee, and Mary Kate is the author of PLS lessons for middle school social studies including: Lewis Hine and Child Labor: Photography of Persuasion, Migrant Mother: Photos as Fact or Opinion, and Rosie the Riveter: Depiction of Women During WWII. I was first introduced to Project Look Sharp as an undergraduate student in social studies adolescent education at SUNY Fredonia, and have come to embrace the Project Look Sharp philosophy which revolutionized my teaching. I attended Project Look Sharp’s summer training seminar "Constructivist Media Decoding in the Social Studies" in Washington, DC and also completed Look Sharp’s online professional development course titled "Learn to Confidently Facilitate Challenging Topics in the Classroom Using the Skills of Media Literacy."

Mary Kate empowers students to critically engage with media and information by making media literacy the heartbeat of her Social Studies curriculum. She has developed and implemented media and digital literacy professional development courses and has presented at conferences from the national to local levels. She is a KQED Media Literacy Innovator and is a faculty member of the Media Education Lab’s Institute in Digital Literacy. She serves as a board member for the Central NY Council for the Social Studies. Mary Kate has written media literacy centered lessons to support Ken Burns' films that have been featured on PBS LearningMedia including Benjamin Franklin and The U.S. and the Holocaust along with other media literacy centered lessons in support of PBS' The Bigger Picture series and other PBS productions.

Asli is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Communication at Çukurova University. She earned her undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees at Gazi University, Faculty of Communication, Ankara. Her research interests include media literacy, ecomedia literacy, higher education, network society, communication technologies, social media, and political communication.

She was the director of the project Social Media Aspects of Institutional Profiles of Universities: Separation of State and Foundation Universities (TÜBİTAK-SOBAG, 2017), and Eastern Mediterranean Region–Osmaniye Province Media Literacy Awareness Project (US Embassy, 2020).

\"I was very impressed to learn in detail about CMD developed by Project Look Sharp and implemented this technique in different subjects in the curriculum. Taking this method into consideration, I would like to carry out new studies on media literacy in Turkey in collaboration with Project Look Sharp.\"

Sharon is currently a K–6 librarian in the Newburgh School District and is well known for her lesson plan templates at sharonfoxlibrarian.com. She has presented at NYLA, NYLA/SSL, NYSCATE, multiple BOCES, and even family dinners where information literacy interventions were needed. Prior to her library work, she was involved in marketing and education for a performing arts center.

Sharon earned her MSLIS from Syracuse University in 2010 and a BA in Creative Writing from Binghamton University in 2005.

“Since my participation with Project Look Sharp began, my teaching has drastically changed to be much more student-centered at its core. Media Literacy lessons have allowed for a much deeper understanding of class material but also of classmates' perspectives. Giving students the skills to decode the information around them makes them much more discerning participants online. I am so honored to be part of PLS.”

My first exposure to Project Looks Sharp (PLS) was a week-long summer institute in 2013 where I learned the fundamental skills associated with constructivist media decoding. As an 8th-grade social studies and Spanish teacher in Corning, NY, for 8 years I consistently integrated the PLS pedagogy to help students build media literacy skills and habits of mind associated with thoughtful inquiry and informed civic action. In the context of middle school education and professional development with adults, I have consistently seen how PLS pedagogy and resources foster strong-sense critical thinking grounded in deep reflection on bias, blind spots, and credibility.

In my classroom, constructivist media decoding and independent research projects related to pressing issues of social justice were the vehicles for participants to build an awareness of meaning-making processes, contribute their own voices to the meaning making process, and seek to understand the diverse perspectives of others. I believe this sort of learning experience is transformative for teachers and students alike because it is truly grounded in inquiry and curiosity, illuminating ways to engage more thoughtfully with the world around us.

• Teaching About Climate Change: Why Does the Source Matter?
• Climate Change: Do Corporations Have an Obligation to Share Their Research Findings for the Public Good?
• What is the Role of the Federal Government in Protecting the Environment?
• The Public Trust - Doctrine Government's Role in Protecting Natural Resources for the Future
• Is There a Future in Oil?

“One of my main goals as a Social Studies teacher is to engage students in learning experiences that help them to become thoughtful and empathetic participants in their communities and the world. Media literacy activities invite students to make meaning of issues and events through analysis and stimulating class discourse.”

Since attending a PLS Media Literacy Institute 20 years ago, Cindy has integrated CMD into every stage of her curriculum—from introducing units to assessing source analysis. Her teaching philosophy is deeply informed by Project Look Sharp’s constructivist, inquiry-based approach.

Maureen teaches weekly library classes for Pre-K to 5th grade students and works closely with classroom teachers to connect curriculum to inquiry-based lessons. She attended a PLS workshop and later a week-long summer institute, which she calls one of the best professional development experiences of her career.

“My passion is to get students to ask questions about what they read and about what is happening in the world around them. Project Look Sharp gave me the skills and language to look at media with a different lens.”

Maureen now helps her students reflect deeply on the media they consume using CMD questions such as: Who made this message? Who was this message made for? Who was harmed or helped by this message? Who was left out? Whose stories are told or forgotten?