Mediawijs.be

Can you burst the online bubble? Can you decipher the emoji code? How do you follow in the footsteps of your favorite vlogger? Are you the first to discover fake news? In short: how media literate are you?

De Schaal van M (The M Scale): a week full of digital and media literacy challenges!

Since 2017 Mediawijs and Ketnet (public broadcaster VRT's children's channel)  challenge all 10 to 12 year olds every November with an exciting week of "The M Scale". It is an online contest that deals with digital and media literacy topics, from online advertising, over privacy to netiquette. A series of cool webisodes and challenging assignments make you a lot more digital and media literate, both in the classroom and at home. Teachers, friends and family members can't escape it either!

Jump on the bandwagon of this digital and media literacy week and let as many lights light up as possible! Because the more lights, the more digital and media literate you are, that's the idea behind the game. Playfully you compete for the title of "Most Media literate class in Flanders", the honorary title of "Media literacy 5-star class" or one of the 10 media literacy prizes! And in the meantime enjoy

• 5 exciting webisodes of the Ketnet series 4eVeR,
• 5 fun class quizzes and debates,
• crazy challenges at home and in the classroom,
• chat with the characters
• ...

Register (your class) on DeSchaalvanM.be (the contest and website are fully in Dutch)! In 2019, 1,500 classes and almost 30,000 children in Flanders lead the way for you!

• 2019: Het 6de ‘Dreamteam 2.0’ uit Rollegem-Kapelle wint De Schaal van M
• 2018: De 6de Mediagenies uit Zarren winnen De Schaal van M!
• 2017: Klas 6A uit Den Heuvel in Kalmhout is de ‘Meest mediawijze klas van Vlaanderen’

The M Scale EXTRA (DSVM EXTRA): lessons throughout the year

DSVM EXTRA offers short lessons for the grades with 10 to 12 year old children on digital and media literacy topics. This way, teachers can work on digital and media literacy in the classroom after De Schaal van M too, throughout the school year.

DSVM Extra usually consists of

• an online video clip (often an episode of @Elindo, a Ketnet-show),
• a class debate,
• a class quiz,
• an exercise,

For teachers we provide background information on each topic.

The DSVM Extra lessons (in Dutch)

• Everyone Against Cyber ​​Bullying - Since the rise of social media, bullying can also occur online. Bullying can have far-reaching consequences for victims, bullies and bystanders. Teachers can work on a bully-free environment both preventively and in a solution-oriented way. After all, every child has the right to be themselves, both offline and online!
• TikTok ... who's there? - TikTok (formerly: Musical.ly) is a very popular app, especially with younger children. TikTok combines social media and music in one app. You can easily make and discover short videos. You can use a large collection of songs during filming. This way you can film yourself when you are dancing or singing.
• Life as it is ... on Instagram? - Instagrammers (and YouTubers too) are hot with kids and teens. Names such as Enzoknol, Pewdiepie or Gamemeneer regularly form the subject of discussion on the playground. They are real idols and where children used to dream of a career as a footballer or veterinarian, "vlogger" or "YouTuber" or Instagrammer is currently highly regarded as a dream profession.
• Escape game: are you data literate? - Do you teach children from 10 to 12 yo and would you like to work on data literacy with your pupils in a fun way? That's possible with the Escape Game 'Are you data literate?'! Print the manual, assignments and wall maps and you can get started!
• Nice on the net - social media have a huge impact on our daily lives. They give children the opportunity to have contact and to expand their network. But they have to learn to handle it in a good way. Therefore, you can teach them "netiquette" in social media in class. Because only in this way will the internet become a pleasant experience for everyone.
• There are also work sheets!

To participate in the DSVM Extra you need the following:

• a classroom computer with browser (Google Chrome or Firefox),
• the ability to play sound,
• a stable internet connection,
• an IWB or projector.

Some tips to get started.

• Read the background information in advance.
• Watch the @Elindo episode in class.
• Take the class debate and class quiz.
• Do you have time left? Then you can also complete the assignment.
• Allow 40-45 minutes per lesson to complete the assignments.

Do you have any other ideas for a DSVM Extra? Let us know via dsvm@mediawijs.be!

The M Scale / De Schaal van M was based on Mediamasters by Mediawijzer.net in The Netherlands.