Media & Learning News August 2017 Published by the Media & Learning Association

Media & Learning News

Open door to lecture capture in Leicester

In September 2016, the University of

Leicester turned on its lecture capture

service. This service provides automated

recording of lectures and classes, and is

implemented as an opt-out solution in over

180 rooms on campus. This has been a major institutional project, requiring

close collaboration between teams in IT services, Estates, AV and Digital

Education. The Leicester story is not entirely unique, but it builds on four

years of pilot projects and collective expertise and they are planning an

open day on 11 September to share their experience with the wider sector

Find out more here.

Just 50 places left for the Media Meets Literacy conference in Sarajevo

The Evens Foundation have now

finalised the programme for the 2nd

Media Meets Literacy Conference,

“Information, disinformation, civic

competences”, taking place on 21-22

September in Sarajevo (Bosnia and

Herzegovina). So far 200 media and

information literacy professionals from

institutions, NGOs, media outlets and academia from all over the world are

planning to take part and there are just 50 places left. According to the

organisers, the effective development of media literacy and critical thinking

calls for a multi-disciplinary approach and the Evens Foundation wants to

recall through this conference the important role that non-formal and

informal learning can play in this respect. The Evens Foundation decided to

organise the conference in Sarajevo, to give more focus to the topic of

media and information literacy in South East Europe. The conference is

organised in partnership with the European Commission, Konrad Adenauer

Stiftung and Mediacentar Sarajevo. Check out the full programme on the

conference website.

US report calls for new models of professional development in digital literacy

A recent publication entitled ‘Digital Literacy in

Higher Education’ reporting on the University of

Rhode Island Winter Symposium of Digital

Literacy in Higher Education makes for

interesting reading and contains much that can

be applied to higher education in Europe.

Included amongst the critical needs for the

future outlined in the report are a call for a

broad political vision about why digital literacy

matters. The authors make the argument that

‘without a shared understanding of digital literacy, disciplinary silos will

continue to contribute to uneven digital literacy implementation. A

coherent and broad sense of importance must be linked to our concerns

about the future of higher education and the role it serves in an increasingly

global and mediatized society’. Download the full report here.

Media Literacy Network in Macedonia

EAVI recently reported on the launch of a Media

Literacy Network in Macedonia as a part of the

AVMS Programme for Promoting Media Literacy

in the Republic of Macedonia. The initiative was

officially launched on 27 April 2017 and

currently includes 35 stakeholders. The

Macedonian Ministry of Education, Ministry of

Labor and Social Policy, together with the Film

Agency and the AVMS, as well as the Directorate

for Personal Data Protection, are among the

members of the Network. Also joining the initiative are two private entities

from the higher education sector, 10 broadcasters and 18 Civil Society

Organisations ranging from those representing journalists, NGOs active in

the media sphere, and human rights advocates. Read the full article here.

New Ofcom Media Literacy update available

Ofcom in the UK announced in

July the availability of its third

media literacy update for 2017.

These updates bring together

summaries of news, initiatives and events on the topic of media literacy,

submitted by stakeholders in this field, both in the UK and overseas. The

update includes mention of Ofcom’s most recent study into Adults’ media

use and Attitudes report. Insights from this report of particular interest to

the educational sector are that adults in the UK at least are increasingly

dependent on their smartphones, are more aware than ever of privacy

and/or security issues and increasingly view the Internet as a valuable

source of learning. You can read the full report here and sign up for these

regular updates from Ofcom here.

Featured Articles

Volunteers at the heart of a highly successful national media literacy scheme in Croatia

by Igor Kanižaj, Faculty of Political Science (FPZG), University of Zagreb, Croatia

Djeca medija, the Croatian media literacy project

implemented by the Association for Communication

and Media Culture (DKMK) recently won the special

Jury prize awarded by Evens Foundation in 2017. As

they said in making this decision, the Jury recognised

“the connected nature of the work, involving

academics and volunteers; the way it approached the

media as part of lived experience; its importance in the

context of Croatia; the impact it has on both participants and volunteers and

the dedication of the largely voluntary force behind the organisation“.

To date, almost 110 students of Journalism and Communication Science

have participated in the different activities organised by Djeca medija. What

started as an internal initiative amongst several students has become the

biggest media education activity in Croatia. It started in 2011 when

Journalism and Communication Science students from the University of

Zagreb approached Prof. Danijel Labaš with a proposal to help them

organise and establish a new model of media education. “Theory at the

university level was not enough for them. They asked us to empower them

Igor Kanižaj

Media & Learning News August 2017 Published by the Media & Learning Association

for field work, in classes and schools“,

according to Prof. Danijel Labaš, who is

the president of DKMK. Their idea was

to empower teachers and students and

teach them new media literacy skills.

“Everything else that we have done

together with Igor Kanižaj and Lana

Ciboci as the vice presidents of our NGO, was a step forward in creating the

biggest media education movement in the region“, says Labaš.

The Association is engaged in four main activities:

Interactive media literacy workshops and lectures for children,

parents and teachers

Raising awareness activities through Social Networks

A monthly radio program on media literacy

Research and publishing activities

Over the last six years we have

organised and implemented 600

workshops and lectures for more than

13,000 participants, primarily as

voluntary projects. We have built

workshops on safer Internet,

sensationalism in media, representation of beauty in the media, the role of

advertising in the media, social networks, privacy in the media and many

other topics. Our work has been supported and recognised by the Ministry

of Education, City of Velika Gorica, the Agency for Electronic Media, and

many other partners.

In 2016 we introduced a new teaching method called Medijski dan – MEDIA

DAY as a part of the project “The place of Media Literacy in Croatian primary

schools”. This is new innovative concept, based on a new method of joint

schools’ sessions for teachers, pupils and parents on a specific topic. This

project was supported by our Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. In

2016 DKMK implemented 9 media days in 9 elementary schools in 9

different cities with 2,543 participants.

In 2017 members of DKMK became coordinators for a new EU KIDS Online

research project. This project works on a unique model for raising the

capacities of students and teachers. So far we have held workshops in

almost 100 Croatian schools, kindergartens, and other public institutions on

a national level.

But it is not just the field work we are proud of. In 2014 together with the

Ombudsman for Children and the Croatian Parliament, we organised the

first Parliamentary discussion on media literacy and safer Internet in

Croatia.

Our research papers are cited in all journalism and communication science

studies in Croatia and abroad. Our brochures have been downloaded in all

countries in the region and our social networks channels are attracting a

large number of users. Prof. Danijel

Labaš, one of the founders of Djeca

medija emphasised the importance of

voluntary work in our project, “Our

committed work has proved that

voluntary projects can be sustainable

and recognised within the EU. We are proud that such an international

institution has validated and evaluated our work”. Djeca medija has also

been recognised as a best practice model in the publication “Mapping of

media literacy practices and actions in EU 28”, published by the European

Audiovisual Observatory in 2017. In DKMK we are about to publish our long-

term strategy and are seeking partners for a new media literacy project at

the EU level.

Editor’s note: contact Igor Kanižaj directly if you are interested in finding out

more about Djeca medija and/or the new media literacy project that he and

his colleagues are building. igor.kanizaj@fpzg.hr.

Using ePortfolios to Support Transversal Skills including Digital Literacy

by Isabell Grundschober, Interactive Media & Educational Technologies,

Danube University Krems, Austria

The ATS2020 project (Assessment of Transversal Skills

2020) aims at supporting and assessing the

development of transversal skills in K12-schools in 10

European countries. Co-funded by the European

Commission, more than 10,000 students have

participated in piloting the ATS2020 learning model,

which is based on an ePortfolio-approach, assessment

for learning and student-centred learning and teaching.

During the pilot, teachers and learners used the ePortfolio platform Mahara

or Office 365/OneNote for creating ePortfolios. As part of the ATS2020

learning model, students went through several learning cycles, each cycle

containing six phases:

1. Assessing prior knowledge: What do I already know on the subject?

What kind of skills do I already have?

2. Setting goals: What are my goals?

3. Strategies: What can I do to reach my goals?

4. Evidence: What kind of evidence do I need to prove my learning

achievements?

5. Self-evaluation: How does my learning evidence relate to my initial

goals? Did I achieve my goals? What could I do better?

6. Setting new goals: What are my new goals based on my learning

experiences?

THE ATS2020 LEARNING MODEL - LEARNING IN CYCLES WITH 6 PHASES

The ePortfolio accompanies students during the learning cycles as it is a

highly suitable way to show personal development and learning. It

empowers the ePortfolio-owner and fosters autonomous learning,

collaboration and cooperation, creativity and innovation, information

literacy and, as a cross-cutting competence, digital literacy.

Digital literacy is an inherent part of working with the ePortfolio and is also

connected with the development for other transversal skills mentioned

already. Students produce digital learning artefacts using various digital

online and offline tools. They link their learning goals to these artefacts in

Isabell Grundschober

Media & Learning News August 2017 Published by the Media & Learning Association

their ePortfolio and use the ePortfolio platform, e.g. on Mahara, to

comment on each other’s artefacts. During the learning cycles, teachers

support students and take the role of a learning coach. They establish a

culture of assessment for learning, give formative feedback and encourage

peer-feedback. The students’ personal ePortfolios document different

perspectives on their learning pathway (reflection and self-assessment,

peer feedback, teacher feedback) and make it possible to retrospectively

understand the individual learning process.

Working with ePortfolios supports

not only the development of crucial

21st century skills as already

mentioned, but it was also a lot of

fun for students! See for yourself:

Spanish students recorded a video to

share what they think about Mahara.

This is just one ATS2020 resource out

of many. At the ATS2020 resource portal you can find many more resources,

like good practice examples of learning designs and student portfolios. This

way, teachers all over Europe can exchange experience and learn from each

other.

To evaluate the individual increase of competence regarding digital literacy

and other 21st century skills of students using the ATS2020 learning model

in class, a pre- and post-test was conducted. Findings of the data analysis

are expected to be presented at the final conference due to take place on 2

February 2018 and published here.

Meanwhile, check out the ATS2020 resources portal and find out how

teachers used the ePortfolio-approach to support transversal skills!

Flying Roots - A ZaLab Participatory Video Program for Social Change

by Michele Aiello, ZaLab - Docs & More, Padova, Italy

Flying Roots is a hotbed of critical thinking on cinema

and youth culture in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, one of

the neighbourhoods with the highest rates of

immigrant families in Rome.

ZaLab and Apollo 11 are involving so-called second

generations (12-18 years old sons and daughters of

immigrant families) to make them deal with the

imaginary of the Other, in particular the Foreigner, as a

topic inherent to their life experiences and as a

provocation to their identity perceptions as active citizens.

Flying Roots is a creative and cultural space which aims at developing critical

analysis on mass media communication into bottom-up video storytelling

on identity and migration.

What's the meaning of Foreigner, who's a Stranger, what are the qualities

of Otherness. Teenagers redefine the meanings of Otherness along with

Piazza Vittorio's dwellers, which is particularly relevant, as 80% of the

population of this suburb is made up of non-EU citizens and for many years

there hasn’t been any kind of intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

Flying Roots’ participants will be able to open European opportunities for

intercultural exchange, thanks to ZaLab’s new international distribution

programme. ZaLab will put them in contact with youngsters involved in

analogous participatory video (PV) workshops in different parts of Europe,

in order to create interesting channels of communication. Partners in

Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Lyon, Bruxelles, Warsaw, London and Berlin will

be part of this network.

Media framing affects everybody. It’s

neither negative "per se" nor positive,

but it's not neutral. This is key to its

understanding and to acquire those

intellectual skills which can help

counterbalancing dangerous

messages. PV laboratories are best suited to build such a consciousness

because they put in your hands the means to build a narrative.

Understanding how to manipulate images and sounds helps you to learn

about the intriguing aspect of framing content or a message.

Deconstruction of a particular message can then be easier and can help

strengthen one’s own resistance to violent discourse practices and political

proclaims.

Self-storytelling stems from learning how to produce video content and how

to be responsible in front of an audience about the sharing of its messages.

This is particularly intriguing in the Esquilino, Piazza Vittorio neighbourhood,

which has become one of the most multicultural areas of Rome and Italy,

today home for many Chinese and Bangladeshi people.

Here’s our project plan for the coming months:

July-September 2017 – Communication and planning

October-December 2017 – 1° PV group (analyzing media

communication, video production, screenings), age 12-14

February – April 2° PV group (analyzing media communication, video

production, screenings), age 15-18

May – Meeting of the two groups, screenings, party and concert.

You can find out more about ZaLab and the work that we do on our website.

Editor’s note: ZaLab was the overall winner this year of the Evens Media

Literacy prize. According to the judges, ZaLab represents media literacy as a

practice connected to lived experience, participation and production – all

based around a hub in the community and addressing key issues of our time.

Tools of the Trade

Everything you wanted to know about projectors

By Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT, Belgium

This month no app or software tool but a web site that is essential for those

that are dealing in one way or the other with video- and/or data projection,

at home, at work or at school. Projector central is the one-stop-shop for all

things related to choosing, buying and using video projectors, from small

pocket projectors to large super quality home cinema projectors that cost

tens of thousands of Euros.

Michele Aiello

Media & Learning News August 2017 Published by the Media & Learning Association

The site provides info about almost all brands

and types of new and somewhat older

projectors and where to get them, with links to

support pages, manufacturers’ sites and

dealers world-wide. By providing advanced and

detailed search services, the critical user can

select the right projector for their use: search

on resolution, brightness and contrast, throw

distance, screen size, price etc. Lost the manual or spec sheet of your

projector? On this site you can find all the info you need. The projection

calculator will help you to install your projector correctly, and much more...

Want to learn more about projectors, this treasure trove is your first stop.

Admittedly, the site is US oriented (most addresses for purchasing lamps or

repairs may be useless in Europe and prices are indicated in US Dollars) but

at least you will always find where to go in your country starting from this

site. The site is free to use but advertisements will appear.

Media & Learning Book Review

Theory of Media Literacy – A Cognitive Approach

By W. James Potter and reviewed by Yvonne Crotty, DCU, Ireland

A recurring statement in this book is that we are

constantly exposed to messages from the media and

we cannot avoid them. As such we are experiencing

information saturation due to a constant, increasing

generation of information to everyone, everywhere.

Whilst there are positive and negative effects of

media messages, both statements need to be

explored and understood in order to increase one’s

media literacy, so that people can increase or

decrease the effects of these messages on them. It is imperative that we are

able to understand, analyse, and evaluate the messages we receive from

the media and its various vehicles. The content of media messages is often

superficial with little evidence to back up claims; hence the more

understanding people have about media content, and the influences and

motivations of the messages produced by industries, the more they can

protect themselves from superficial content and understand the influence

better.

A central tenet of the author’s argument is that it is up to individuals, and

not institutions or governments, to become empowered to make their own

choices and interpretations about the effects of media. He refers to this as

the personal locus, and highlights control and consciousness as the key

elements of personal locus. The individual must consciously construct their

own meanings from media messages and be in control of this process,

otherwise the media will control the process - a process he refers to as

automaticity. This means that because we are being constantly bombarded

with a plethora of media messages, we are not really paying attention and

so the messages still get into our subconscious even if we pay little attention

to the situation. He argues that it is also important to understand how the

mind works, how it processes and constructs meaning from messages

during media exposures, and the skills and competencies required for media

literacy. When we start to understand this cognitive element we can

become closer to creating educational experiences that support the

development of individual’s media literacy.

Overall, the book presents a valuable insight into media, its messages,

information processing, and an introduction to how humans think, and how

people process these media messages; however, more references and up-

to-date insights from neuroscience/cognitive science would perhaps add

more to the argument.

This book is published by SAGE Knowledge, ISBN: 9780761929529

Resources of the Month

Here is a selection of resources recently added to the Media & Learning

Resources Database:

The Mechanical Universe: series of 52 30 minute videos covering

the basic topics of a university physics course, includes snippets

of old films, viewable for free Écoutte cette histoire: educational audiovisual materials to

support French teachers in the particular area of Canadian

Francophone literature – winner of MEDEA Awards 2017

Somme Tales: A creative film interpretation of First World War

records in The National Archives, UK posing provocative

questions about war – winner of MEDEA Awards 2017

Awards Schemes & Events

ICEM Conference, 20-22 September, Naples

Bringing together people from

government, academia and

media, the ICEM International

conference 2017 intends to focus

on the emergence of MOOCs as a

disruptive innovation in the traditional academic eco-system. Federica

Weblearning is organising this conference on the digitalisation of higher

education along with the ICEM (International Conference for Educational

Media) Secretariat. You can find out more from the conference website.

ALL DIGITAL Summit 2017 4-5 October, Barcelona

The ALL DIGITAL Summit 2017 ‘Digital Skills for

Social Innovation’ will be held on 4-5 October 2017

in Barcelona, registration is open until 6 September.

The ALL DIGITAL Summit 2017 will bring together

leaders from networks and organisations working

to enhance digital skills to share and learn from each other. It will provide

an opportunity to explore a range of digital social innovations in developing

competences that citizens, organisations, and communities need to

embrace in order to reap the benefits of the digital society. ALL DIGITAL is

formerly Telecentre-Europe.

Open Schools for Open Societies 20-22 October, Athens

The aim of this conference is to introduce and discuss the

notion of an “Open School”. Proposals are invited for Papers

and Poster presentations on the selected themes. Abstracts

and inquiries about the conference content should be sent no

later than 15 September 2017. More on the conference

website.

For more information, to submit content or to unsubscribe from this

newsletter, please contact the Media & Learning News Editorial Team.

Address: ATiT, Leuvensesteenweg 132, B-3370 Roosbeek, Belgium

Tel: +32 16 284 040 E-mail: news@media-and-learning.eu