Boundaries between the real and the virtual are being shifted every day. Inadequate exposure to the media (technology) disrupts healthy development of a young individual. Adverse effects have been scientifically proven at the cognitive, emotional, and physical level [14][21][27-29]. Media literacy is being called for. Schools are expected to provide for media education that supports child development. Teachers are expected to be media empowered individuals to stimulate the empowerment of their young learners, too. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION However, little has been done to meet these needs. Experience and analyses show media literacy is mostly educated without an explicit development-focused transversal plan that would unite cross-curricular topics under a single conceptual umbrella. ICT and technical aspects play a dominant role in the school-run media education. At the tertiary level, no permanent structured approach is offered to empower the (future) teacher on the matter in line with his/her subject of interest. Project-driven extracurricular activities remain scattered and limited in focus. TARGET GROUPS In order to protect child development and educate empowered citizens, TEACHERS and LEARNERS, our target groups, NEED A DEDICATED AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO MEDIA EDUCATION. -- for LEARNERS, such an approach should explicitly support age-appropriate dealing with the media. -- for TEACHERS, it should contribute to their media empowerment at a systemic level. PROMETHEUS responds to these needs by (i) building primary and secondary media literacy education on a universal educational variable of child development (ii) developing permanent expert support to teachers at the tertiary level. RESULTS The backbone of outcomes is the media literacy METACURRICULUM (MC) for primary and secondary education. It is innovative in 3 facets typical for the entire concept: (i) a clear TRANSVERSAL DEVELOPMENTAL aspect, adjusting topics to the learner’s development-dependent abilities, (ii) a CROSS-SYSTEM SUITABILITY AND INCLUSION aspect: based on developmental considerations it is applicable across different environments, and (iii) a CROSS-CURRICULAR DESIGN which does not predetermine any special subject to deal with the topics. Based on the principles defined by MC, the MEDIA EMPOWERMENT TOOLKIT (MET) - an open-source-based website with concrete tools on topics for different age groups - is to be set up for teachers, older learners, and parents. Its interactive character will enable an inclusive and sustainable exchange of best practices. Teachers will also be offered a PRACTITIONER’S GUIDE ON MEDIA LITERACY (PG). Since the PROMETHEUS approach is a novelty, PG shall elaborate principles and topics from MC and navigate the teacher across MC. Case examples of topics from MC are to be piloted in the partner schools for necessary feedback during the course of the project. To meet the empowerment objective at the tertiary level, a TRAINING COURSE/MODULE FOR TEACHERS/STUDENT TEACHERS (TCT) is to be prepared and introduced at the partner universities. IMPACT AND POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS PROMETHEUS is expected to achieve a significant improvement in learners’ and teachers’ media knowledge and competences. The project will build capacity within the educational sector, which will be able to provide a high-quality media empowerment education at primary and secondary levels in the partner countries and EU-wide. DISSEMINATION In addition to its own MEDIA EMPOWERMENT TOOLKIT website, we will use multiplier events and other known dissemination channels to improve its reach at different stages. Early on, the project website is to be set up to disseminate MC, MET and PG. Subsequently, publicity will be boosted at the national and EU-level via articles, summaries and panels in education magazines and conferences to reach education experts. Upon completion, PROMETHEUS is to be disseminated among organizations that influence policy and practice, to meet the project's bottom-up approach with a commitment to introduce the outcomes to policymakers (a top-down solution) in the long term.
Addressing the highlighted needs and the gaps in addressing them, our project aimed to forge a HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MEDIA EDUCATION. Specifically: For LEARNERS, our goal was a UNIVERSAL FRAMEWORK for media literacy, grounded in child development principles, tailored for primary and secondary students. Our envisioned approach would be: - LEARNER-CENTRIC - FLEXIBLE & AUTONOMOUS: granting teachers discretion in methodology. - RESOURCE-EFFICIENT: promoting varied methods, including unplugged and plugged media techniques. - AWARENESS-DRIVEN - UNIVERSALLY APPLICABLE: transcending organizational, political, and cultural barriers. - CROSS-CURRICULAR For TEACHERS, our objective was crafting DETAILED TERTIARY CONTENT for university elective courses. Understanding that teacher efficacy is pivotal in education, PROMETHEUS aspired to enhance media literacy training, furnishing expert guidance to educators to bolster their competency, pedagogy, and support in development-centric media education. We aimed for a teacher empowerment strategy that accentuated: - CRITICAL THINKING - CREATIVITY - ADAPTABILITY: equipping teachers to navigate evolving tech landscapes. - STUDENT EMPOWERMENT: equipping educators to instil a sense of agency in students.
In the project, we aimed to develop concrete tools to counteract the negative impacts of increased media consumption among children in today's society. The lines between reality and the virtual realm shift daily. Inappropriate media exposure disrupts the healthy development of young individuals, with proven adverse effects at cognitive, emotional, and physical levels. Practitioners are also noting these impacts more frequently. This has amplified the call for media literacy. Addressing this, we spotlighted two key Media Literacy needs: - SCHOOLS require holistic media education to foster child growth. - TEACHERS need empowerment to catalyze student development. Historically, these areas saw limited attention. Our experience and analysis reveal that media literacy is largely taught WITHOUT A CLEAR DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED TRANSVERSAL PLAN that would COMBINE CROSS-CURRICULAR TOPICS UNDER ONE CONCEPTUAL CANOPY. Other challenges identified: - ICT's dominance in school media curricula. - Tertiary level's lack of structured teacher training. - Fragmented extracurricular media initiatives.