About Media Minded Project
Media Minded Project is a Virginia‑based LLC dedicated to offering impactful professional development focusing on media and AI literacy, digital citizenship, and instructional technology integration across classrooms, university campuses, and other educational organizations. In addition, we partner with school districts, higher education institutions, educational organizations, and individual teachers to equip them with the practical skills, pedagogy, strategies, and confidence they need to help learners navigate today’s complex information landscape. As a result, educators gain the tools to create more informed, empowered, and media-savvy learning environments.
A core part of our mission is our online media literacy professional development for teachers, designed for the realities of today’s educators. For example, we partner with Masterpiece Academy to offer both asynchronous and synchronous courses. Moreover, our courses are built to be flexible, engaging, and immediately applicable so educators and educational leaders can access high‑quality learning without adding to their workload. In addition, each course blends research‑informed frameworks with hands‑on classroom integration, real‑world examples, interactive practice, and ready‑to‑use resources that educators can implement right away.
To learn more about Media Minded Project, click on the dropdowns below.
Media Minded Project’s mission is to empower educators with accessible, research‑informed, and classroom‑ready media and AI literacy professional development that strengthens students’ critical thinking, responsible technology use, and informed participation in a rapidly evolving digital society.
Dr. Matthew Korona, Ph.D. is the founder of Media Minded Project. A former English language arts teacher and now a school‑based instructional technology facilitator, he brings more than a decade of experience helping educators integrate critical thinking, digital citizenship, and media literacy into everyday instruction. He also serves as Virginia’s Media Literacy Advocate for Media Literacy Now, contributing to statewide efforts to strengthen media literacy education and support policies that empower students to navigate today’s complex information landscape.
Furthermore, with a Ph.D. in Literacy(ies), Culture, and Reading from George Mason University, Dr. Korona’s research has shaped how teachers evaluate online information, design media‑rich learning experiences, and navigate emerging technologies. His work has been published in leading journals including Reading Research Quarterly, Teaching and Teacher Education, and the Journal of Media Literacy Education.
Through consulting, workshops, and online courses, he partners with schools, districts, and organizations to make media literacy accessible, practical, and empowering for all educators. Above all, he believes that when teachers feel confident evaluating information and integrating media literacy into instruction, students grow into thoughtful learners, creators, and citizens.
Educators are facing rapid shifts in digital information, AI tools, and student media habits. To respond confidently, they need professional development and resources that make media literacy practical, relevant, and sustainable.
Drawing on years of experience in instructional technology, media literacy education, and educator professional development, Media Minded Project was created to bridge that gap. Today, we help educators build the skills and mindsets that empower students to think critically, communicate responsibly, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them.
Districts and institutions choose Media Minded Project’s online learning because it:
- Fits educators’ schedules with synchronous and asynchronous learning that honors time constraints and varied pacing needs.
- Supports districtwide initiatives by aligning with digital citizenship, media and AI literacy, and instructional technology goals.
- Builds sustainable capacity through practical strategies that transfer across grade levels, content areas, and instructional models.
- Strengthens educator confidence in navigating AI tools, evaluating digital information, and guiding students in responsible online engagement.
- Provides measurable impact through reflection prompts, application tasks, and embedded instructional coaching or follow‑up sessions.
Our online professional learning is a pathway for educational institutions to scale meaningful, future‑ready instruction in a way that is accessible, affordable, and deeply supportive of educator growth.
We proudly support:
- K–12 teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders
- District‑level curriculum, technology, and professional learning teams
- Higher education faculty and teacher preparation programs
- Industry partners seeking to strengthen workforce media and AI literacy
From foundational understanding to advanced integration, our professional learning meets educators where they are.
Media Minded Project provides a full suite of professional learning experiences designed for real‑world instructional impact:
- Online Courses: Flexible, synchronous and asynchronous courses that fit educators’ schedules while delivering high‑quality, implementable learning designed to impact instruction.
- Coaching & Consulting: Customized workshops and support for districts, schools, higher‑ed programs, and organizations.
- Free Media Resources: Ready‑to‑use materials for integrating media and AI literacy into daily instruction.
Whether supporting a individual teacher, small cohort, or entire district or organization, we design learning that is practical, engaging, and immediately implementable.
From individual teachers to entire districts, we design learning that is practical, engaging, and immediately usable.
Explore our courses, connect for consulting, or reach out to design a custom learning experience. To begin our collaboration, Contact Us Today!
Media Minded Project is grounded in research demonstrating that media literacy is most effective when woven into the authentic practices of each discipline. Instead of treating media literacy as an add‑on, our learning experiences help educators explore how their subject areas construct knowledge, evaluate evidence, and communicate meaning. These are skills students rely on to navigate today’s complex information landscape. We pair this research‑driven approach with flexible, high‑quality online professional development that supports educators in applying these ideas directly to their classrooms. In doing so, Media Minded Project turns relevant scholarship into practical, scalable learning opportunities that strengthen discipline‑rooted, media‑rich instruction. Related studies appear below.
Korona, M., & Hathaway, D. (2026). Navigating K-12 teachers’ perceived and demonstrated media and information literacy through an activity structure. Teaching and Teacher Education, 178, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2026.105565
Gould, H., von Gillern, S., Korona, M., & Haywood, A. (2024). ELA and social studies teachers’ perspectives on the importance of media literacy for student learning. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 16(3), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE-2024-16-3-4
Korona, M. (2024). Teachers’ perceptions of media literacy competence during an online professional development. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 16(1), 36-49. https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE-2024-16-1-3
von Gillern, S., Korona, M., Wright, W., Gould, H., and Haskey-Valerius, B. (2024). Media literacy, digital citizenship and their relationship: Perspectives of preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104404
Korona, M., & Hutchison, A. (2023). Integrating media literacy across the content areas. Reading Research Quarterly, 58(4), 601-623. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.517
Korona, M., & Hathaway, D. (2021). Visual literacy in teacher education: Examining the complexity of online images for instructional and personal purposes. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 29(4), 533-557. https://doi.org/10.70725/336786rocxfb
Korona, M. (2020). Evaluating online information: Attitudes and practices of secondary English language arts teachers. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 12(1), 42-56. https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE-2020-12-1-4
Korona, M. (2019). Teacher considerations for digital tools to support early and emergent literacy. Reading in Virginia, 41, 57-62.