At ASAP we are getting ready to meeting for the next Co-creation Workshop in Croatia, September 2024!
Promoting media literacy in classrooms and schools has never been as important as today. Both teachers and student deal with an increasingly complex online environment where there is more to read, hear and see than ever before. Today students come to school with skills and information that were never available to earlier generations. Preparing teachers for working with students who have a lot of hours of screen time, are using social media, have mastered many videogames before entering the school is a challenge to the many structures that support the preparation of teachers and leaders for the formal educational system.
The Digital Education Action Plan provides guidelines for teachers and educators on promoting digital media literacy through education and training.
Some of main challenges like the rapid technological change makes it difficult for educators to keep up with developments.
Educators often lack training in media literacy, which contributes to a lack of confidence to discuss the subject and implement it in the classroom. Existing resources may not be suitable for local contexts and different approaches to teaching. Educators have few opportunities to share knowledge and experiences. Research on effective approaches to media literacy education is still in development and often not prepared for practitioners.
More generally, regarding teaching, the Council of Europe recognises challenges for the future including:
“working in environments transformed by technology, digitalisation and artificial intelligence” and “working in linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms and learning environments”.
There is a clear demand for strengthening the role of education and training in promoting media literacy.
Croatian case
There are more than 50 000 teachers in Croatia. All have one thing in common — a commitment to help the next generations gain the skills they will need to be worldly-wise people.
“Teachers and educators play an inevitable role in shaping media literacy skills and competencies of young people,
told us Lana Ciboci Perša, Vice president in DKMK, association dedicated to non-formal media education of children, parents, teachers and other professionals in the education system and ASAP project partner.
“School leaders play important role in shaping the culture, direction and effectiveness of educational institutions. It is highly praiseworthy when they understand importance of investment in media literacy education and support teachers and other professionals inside their schools.”
Added Ciboci Perša
“Social networks and the media are part of children’s everyday lives. School employees need to understand children and surround themselves with partners who care about shaping young people’s attitudes. Media literacy should be number one in empowering young people today. It is crucial to find an organization that can support teachers, parents, and children in dealing with the challenges media literacy brings. In a world where one click is enough to connect with the whole world, its positive and negative sides, it is essential to teach our students how to take a critical attitude towards what is offered.”
“We are witnessing a time in which the most significant dangers for children are related to the virtual world, and it is necessary to teach them how to behave and protect themselves. We are grateful for the support DKMK has provided us for more than a decade. Trust, loyalty and motivation label our shared success, and we continue to grow together. Our joint efforts helped with a noticeable decrease in reported internet and peer violence cases.”
“The field of communication and media is a fast-growing market that brings unpredictable and unimaginable challenges for people. Educators need to support children and young people to deal with media. DKMK has become a reliable association for educational institutions in Croatia with its diverse and current projects, experts, high-quality and well-received implementations. We hope that schools all across Europe have the opportunity to collaborate with organizations and individuals dedicated to media literacy. We use every opportunity to collaborate with DKMK, attend their conferences and other events, we invite them to provide lectures and workshops for our students, parents, and teachers.”
Stay tuned for more updates on our research findings and upcoming initiatives!
Learn more about ASAP innovative initiative, supported by the European Union ERASMUS Plus programme, and discover how it aims to empower young individuals and all the school community to navigate social media effectively.
For more information about the ASAP project, visit the project website here.
