KA 229 Media Smart Citizens of Future

The ability to “read” diverse kinds of media and evaluate them critically has become a pivotal skill since we get most of our information via different media channels in digital ge.Moreover, on considering the fact we live in the post-truth era,where the phenomenon “fake news” shows up,it is an undeniable fact that media literacy has been of utmost importance.Media literacy is delineated as“ability to access; to understand and critically evaluate different aspects and contexts of media and to create communications in a variety of contexts” (EC, 2007).Media literacy is listed among the key competences in the ET 2020 strategic framework, as necessary for employability,innovation and active citizenship and hold a central position in the new priorities for the next 5 years.Moreover, a commitment to media literacy is strongly pointed out by the EU Education Ministers as a way to strengthen young people's ability to think critically.The issue also follows up the objectives of the Paris Declaration to promote critical thinking,media literacy and intercultural understanding. In fact, tolerance, justice, solidarity, integrity and non-discrimination are values endorsed by EU.However, owing to the difference of concerns, mass media do not abide by these values at times.On the contrary, it prompts concerns that can be identified and refrained solely through developed media literacy skill.Our project aims at promoting these skills

which raise awareness of media manipulation and providing the participants with the knowledge and power for efficient and safe use of media channels.To solve the problems as to media illiteracy, we formed a team with the teachers in our school, conducted research on media literacy and participated in online courses via MOOC as well as 8-week critical thinking course.We have arranged various activities within the framework of the information

we have acquired, but we have not solved our problem to attain the goals we have set, so we are in dire need of conducting this project to raise literacy levels of students at least 30% in 2 years time. The results of the media literacy skills scale that we have implemented at our school share the same situation with our partners. The results of the needs and swot analyses were attached to Annexes Part. In a study by Lessenski(2018), which

supports our findings, the statistics show media literacy index for Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Italy, Croatia, Turkey are 60%,59%,55%,50%,44%,16% respectively. Therefore, the coordinating school felt the necessity to look for the solution in the European dimension to share good practices for improving media literacy with other European actors.Consequently, the coordinator decided to collaborate with 5 schools attaching importance to media literacy

and conducting studies to tackle the problem to enable pupils to become more conscious media consumers having the ability of critically thinking, engaged and thoughtful future adults of the digital age.