Promote media literacy in schools

In the first third of the 21st century, it has become a matter of course for children and teenagers to grow up "online" - which also includes ongoing contact and use of laptops, tablets, smartphones and digital information and communication spaces. It is the responsibility of schools, teachers and curricula, as the most important institution for children and young people aged 6 to 18, to respond to this change in society. Media competence is not only necessary as a fundamental skill in order to act critically and safely in digital spheres, but also as a key professional competence for the future.

Already today and even more so in the future, even traditional job profiles are closely linked to the use of new media, the Internet and technologically advanced devices and machines: For this reason, the media skills taught in school will inevitably influence both career choice and opportunities at home and actively influence the global labour market. In keeping with the tasks assigned to educational institutions to teach students and prepare them for adult life, media literacy must therefore be promoted - both through holistic solutions and individual support options.

Although it is the responsibility of teachers to promote this media literacy in school, teachers must not be left alone to do so. Because: Measured against the average age of teachers in the Federal Republic, the majority grew up in a time in which the digital space and the associated media skills were at best a footnote. It is the task of politicians and administrative educational institutions to set the course so that teachers can individually promote media competence - for this they must be given the opportunity to strengthen their own media competence through targeted further training measures, seminars and training courses.

How can media literacy be taught effectively and practically in schools?

Firstly: If you want to promote media literacy, you cannot rely solely on theory. When it comes to teaching media skills at school, educational institutions and teachers should apply the same standards as, for example, chemistry or physics lessons - there, too, theoretical concepts through experiments and practical action are not only conveyed in a more exciting but also more tangible way for students.

Fortunately, there are enough approaches for this: teachers can even set individual priorities and at the same time meaningfully cover the broad spectrum of media competence. At the beginning, it is necessary to consider: What needs to be taught as a basis and which specific topics should necessarily become part of the individual curriculum?

Some specific topics are required regardless of the further design of the curriculum:

• Classification and reflection of one's own usage habits with regard to technological devices (and especially with regard to "smartphone addiction" and the like)
• Tips for staying safe online, coupled with the importance of your own data protection and privacy
• Conscious use of social networks and content that has been made public on one's own initiative, such as images and videos
• critical handling of information on the Internet and ways of classifying it
• specific topics that play a greater role, especially in adolescence, such as sexting, cyberbullying or illegal downloads

Some of these topics require a greater investment of time and a more intensive approach than others when teaching media literacy at school. It therefore stands to reason that students should learn early on how to research information on the Internet in a targeted and conscious manner, and at the same time distinguish “bad” from “good” information. Or to put it bluntly: Students must be able to recognize fake news in particular, because the course for further character and professional development is already laid at school age.

When it comes to media skills taught in school, protecting one's own privacy and acting safely online must also play special roles. Many students, which is hard to blame given their age, are far from aware of the lasting damage they can do to themselves in digital spaces by neglecting their own privacy, data protection and security. A sensible connection to the sub-area of ​​social networks is recommended here, but technical aspects of IT security also need to be taught.

Promote media literacy - in an entertaining way

As made clear at the beginning, media literacy in schools should not be a “dry” theory. This is for two reasons: firstly, students are often already familiar with basic theoretical concepts relating to new media due to their leisure activities; on the other hand, the learning effect is proven to be greater when theory and applicable practice are combined.

For example, students could be given a research and presentation task, completely independent of their subject. Teachers request that students provide screenshots and/or printed research materials as evidence of the content in the presentation created for this purpose. For many students, those with limited media literacy, this evidence will in most cases be limited to Wikipedia or the first Google result. In practice, an important lesson can already be conveyed: counter-research on the Internet and the uncritical equation between facts and content, which still occurs too often. At the same time, through the presentation part, students learn the scope of essential software solutions such as PowerPoint, Excel and Co.

A simple rule of thumb here could be: the more entertaining and technologically sophisticated, the greater the learning effect of such a practical part. A good example of this: our Mr Beam laser cutter. Students will hardly have any contact with a powerful desktop laser cutter in their free time, which makes it all the more important from the teachers' perspective to introduce them to the potential of technological progress. - For example, knowledge about digital manufacturing methods can be imparted, or a student company can be founded as part of a school project. Last but not least, students will probably have far more fun with a laser cutter and digital manufacturing processes than with a spreadsheet in Excel - although this is of course also legitimate learning content.