Lekena Ackerman recognized as an educational leader in South Carolina community PBS and South Carolina ETV (SCETV) announced Lekena Ackerman from Southeast Middle School as a member of the 2022 class of educators selected for the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program– honoring classroom changemakers who offer fresh ideas and bold approaches to supporting their students’ growth and learning. Nominated by their local PBS stations, 20 educators were chosen from across the country.
Congratulations to SC educator, Lekena Ackerman, on being named a 2022 PBS Digital Innovator All-Star! Ms. Ackerman, a social studies teacher and department chair at Southeast Middle School, Richland District One, was chosen as one of only 20 educators across the nation for the honor of participating in the PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Program which recognizes top PreK-12 educators who are innovators and leaders both in and outside of the classroom.
In January 2021, SCETV Education began a media literacy professional learning cohort funded by PBS grant money. Participating educators learned a variety of ways to teach their students how to think critically about their roles as media consumers and creators.
They also earned credits toward the PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED and three participants have completed their certification requirements.
The cohort facilitator, Tamara Cox, librarian and media specialist at Wren High School in Anderson School District One, says teaching media literacy skills to students is important because there are “so many choices and you have information flying at you from all directions - social media, newspapers, videos, YouTube, everything online. It’s important for our students to be able to have the skills to navigate through these difficult media waters where you can’t just trust everything that you see, or read, or hear about online.”