Mediawijs.be

In Flanders Media Literacy was introduced by a resolution of the Flemish Parliament on supporting the gaming sector, but also about researching and providing information on possible risks of gaming, in 2008. In 2010 the next government introduced it for the first time in the transversal attainment goals for formal secondary education (in 2018, 'Media literacy and digital competency' would be formulated as one of the 16 key competencies in the new attainment goals for secondary education). In 2012 the ministers of Media en Education followed with a media literacy concept paper, announcing the intention to provide a more structural framework and support. It also adopted a definition for Flanders, taken from the work of the Council for Culture in the Netherlands in 2008. In short it defines media literacy as a competency, in which you have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to handle digital technology and media actively, creatively, critically and consciously to participate in society. This definition was later elaborated in a Media Literacy competency model (English) and in a continuous curricular strand for education by Mediawijs. In this new digital and media literacy 4 fields came together

• access: mainly digital inclusion,
• creation: cultural or arts education with (audiovisual) media, journalistic reporting, digital STEM in makerspaces and coding,
• critical skills: advertisement, news and (dis)information literacy and youth information,
• conscious conduct: online risks and abuse, cyberbullying, online hate speech, cybersecurity, screentime and digital balance.

In 2013 the minister of media started Mediawijs (English), the Flemish Knowledge Centre on Digital and Media Literacy, to stimulate and coordinate Digital and Media Literacy for all inhabitants in Flanders and Brussels through campaigns and through intermediaries (education, culture, welfare …) by organising networks, cooperation, knowledge sharing, practice development and training, with the media sector if possible, starting from research and practical expertise and supporting policy development.

Mediawijs, aside from organising networks, cooperation and knowledge sharing, runs some central actions and projects.

• De Schaal van M is a yearly contest, that engages 30 000 10-12 year old children in Flanders for a whole week on media  literacy themes appropriate to their age  like going on social media, using smartphones, privacy, bullying etc. It was inspired by the Mediamasters game by Mediawijzer.net. Every day starts with a specially made webisode of a popular children's series of the Flemish public broadcaster's (VRT) children's channel Ketnet. Throughout the year teachers can use extra lessons on sociale media, online risks or play the Data Literacy Escape Game.
• News in the Classroom is an action for 10-18 year olds in schools, coordinated by Mediawijs in cooperation with Vlaamse Nieuwsmedia, WEMEDIA, Media.21, Metro, VRT en meemoo, where teachers can order news media (papers, magazines, online accounts) for free for their class for a week, online media provide thematic analyses of different viewpoints in media, VRT makes two news items for secondary vocational schools weekly, etc. Mediawijs provides lesson plans and specific educational tools like ...
  • Mind Over Media (English), an online tool to provide education on contemporary propaganda produced  by the  Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island and translate to numerous European languages and contexts in a Media Literacy 4 All project funded by the European Commission and Evens Foundation. In the 'for teachers' section you may also find some accompanying lesson plans in each language.
  • Debate Your Issue (English), an Erasmus+ KA3 project to engage young people in European policy by training and competing internationally in a debating competition that tackles themes like disinformation, polarisation etc.
  • SMaRT-EU: a method and MOOC for educators to organise intergenerational workshops on media literacy and disinformation in  a 'third space' environment. This Media Literacy 4 All project funded by the European Commission will run in 2020-2021.
  • De EDUbox Fake News (English), a lesson in a box on fake news produced together with VRT, pupils can just flip through the cards in small groups and  90 minutes later they have collaboratively learnt all the basics on fake news, a draft version is also available in English and due to the COVID lockdowns, an online interactive version is being produced.
  • Iedereen journalist (everybody journalist), an online lesson on the main aspects of journalism, explained in videos by Prof. dr. Baldwin van Gorp and made concrete by 6  journalists from Flanders' main news media. 
  • News in the Classroom 2.0: in the years to come Mediawijs will develop some large-scale activating actions for secondary schools, with activiteis in schools tailored to specific age groups that are combined to regional networks and contests at the Flemish level
    • 12-14yo: young journalists network
    • 14-16yo: school fact
• MediaNest: for parents, Mediawijs provides information, tips and tricks on digital and media parenting on the Medianest.be website and in the book Van Emoji's tot Sexting. The website is also available in French, run by Média Animation.
• Mediacoach (English) is a training course for teachers, librarians and youth workers who want to integrate digital and media literacy in their institution together with  their colleagues. It's a nine day training course, spread over a school year, accompanied by an online training module to flip the classroom. Participants also perform a project within their school, library or organisation and present it to a jury at the end of the course. The programme is very succesful and has led to several derivatives like:
  • the Mediacoach training for teachers in basic education (education for adults with low literacy levels)
  • the Mediacoach training for heritage workers with Faro,
  • the Mediacoach training for Social workers with UCLL and Link in de Kabel,
  • the Mediacoach training for people with mental disabillities in duo with a professional by Konekt ...
• Mediawijs.be, the Flemish Digital and Media Literacy information platform for intermediaries, with information, databases, campaigns and tools to use in the field like ...
  • kjl
• eInclusie.be, the digital inclusion hub for Flanders
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