The potential and perspectives of Media Education were discussed in six masterclasses at Moldova Media Literacy Forum

What does it mean to be media literate? How can we integrate the concepts of media literacy in science and humanities classes? What free digital tools can we use in teaching Media Education in a more interesting way? Who are the pupils’ influencers on TikTok and Instagram and how can these platforms be used by teachers? How can we fight against the information disorder that has intensified recently and what is the role of the teacher in protecting students from cyberbullying, a phenomenon that has grown, especially during the pandemic? Attempts to answer these and many other questions were made by the participants of the first Moldova Media Literacy Forum in the six masterclasses organized during the event.

The workshops highlighted the importance of Media Education as a school subject for the young generation, the need to develop critical thinking of media consumers, as well as the role of teachers in this process. The masterclass sessions were held by local and international experts, in an offline or online format.

Cristina Lupu, executive director of the Independent Journalism Center from Romania, shared the Romanian experience of integrating media literacy concepts in humanities, and the expert from Ukraine, Iulia Zorea, spoke about good practices for integrating these concepts into sciences.

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Evaldas Rupkus, media education trainer at Deutsche Welle Akademie (Germany), acquainted the teachers present at his workshop with some free digital tools (Mentimeter, Plickers, votAR, Wordwall, Joinpd.com, Pear desk), whose application makes lessons more interactive. The expert noted that there is currently a wide variety of digital tools, but before using them, teachers must start from the goal they set. “Before using a tool, answer these questions: What is my purpose in this activity? Do I have an individual or a group task? Do I want to take a test or an interview? Do I want to better understand children’s needs or test their abilities? Today, there are so many tools that there is a risk of getting lost in them.” The expert encouraged teachers to experiment constantly because this is the only way to learn. “We are teachers, but, at the same time, we are also students, because we often learn together with our students. We must pursue the same common goal – to become better,” concluded the expert from Deutsche Welle Akademie.

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Michelle Iliev, director of the EduTok education project, analyzed the quality and diversity of the information promoted on TikTok and Instagram, highlighting who the influencers are and what values they transmit. The moderator challenged the masterclass participants to make a portrait of the pupils who have an account on these platforms, drawing their attention to the language they use and the content they follow. The director of EduTok informed that, following the analysis of a questionnaire she conducted at the beginning of this year among 4,101 pupils, TikTok is used by 80% of teenagers aged 14-18. Also, out of all respondents, only 14 people follow educational content. The moderator urged the teachers to become creators of educational content themselves, and for this to create accounts on the platforms that are most popular among young people, so as to be as close as possible to them. She also gave them some suggestions on what their content should look like.

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The participants of the masterclass led by the media researcher Aneta Gonța examined a series of messages circulating in society during the pandemic and analyzed in depth the notions of fake news, disinformation, propaganda, infodemic, deepfake. Following the discussions, the teachers understood why it is not correct to place the avalanche of uncertain information under the same umbrella of “fake news”. The Ethical Journalism Network defined fake news as “information deliberately fabricated and published with the intention to deceive and mislead others into believing falsehoods or doubting verifiable facts.” The media researcher presented the conclusions of a Council of Europe report on information disorder, according to which specialists recognize three types of “information disorder” – misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (the most serious form of information disorder, spread to cause damage). “Be educated in terms of media to be able to discern in the avalanche of information. And never doubt that your role is extremely important in this process,” Aneta Gonța encouraged the participants.

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The participants who chose the topic of “online harassment of pupils” were engaged in captivating discussions adjusted to the age and individual characteristics of children. Natalia Gribineț-Strogoteanu from the Youth Media Center and Sergiu Toma, psychologist at the Institute for Family and Social Initiatives, moderators of the group, carried out an interactive activity, in which each of those present acted both as a teacher and a student. The moderators of the masterclass focused on informed consumers of information and new media, analyzing concrete situations in which the teacher can and must play an active role in protecting minors from online dangers.

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The masterclass sessions organized as part of the Moldova Media Literacy Forum were attended by about 50 teachers, who participated in training programs in the field and are teaching the optional subject Media Education in schools.

Teachers were quick to come up with feedback and comments on what happened, highlighting the importance of the new optional subject for promoting media literacy and developing critical thinking for all media consumers.

Svetlana Borș, Media Education teacher at the Mihai Stratulat Lyceum in Boșcana village of Criuleni district: “I worked in the workshop moderated by Cristina Lupu, an expert from Romania. We talked about infusing the notions of media literacy in all humanities classes. The conclusion is simple: there is a place for media education everywhere. We just need to have the initiative, to show professionalism and the desire to bring this domain among colleagues, students, and parents. I thank the organizers for the invitation to participate in this forum, where I received a dose of vaccine against disinformation and manipulation. I had a dose of media health, which strengthened in workshops.”

Kristina Cernei, teacher at the Onisifor Ghibu Lyceum in Chisinau: “The most important thing is that the content of this optional course can be easily integrated into main subjects. As a class teacher and an English teacher, I confirm the usefulness of the topics and terms learned.”

Ana Baranețcaia, teacher at the Gymnasium in Sîrcova village of Rezina district: “This school year I am teaching Media Education for the first time. I was fascinated by the contents of the textbook and all the available auxiliary resources we are offered. I realize that I can easily integrate the information gained from these lessons into my main classes. It is current, important, and complex for all educational actors. Thank you for the productive and motivational training.”

Natalia Cebotar, teacher at the Gymnasium in Sîrcova village of Rezina district: “It is a course that has direct tangency with the humanities subjects I teach. I appreciate the evolution of the new course and I am convinced of its impact on the development of critical thinking skills of teachers and pupils. I also believe that the partnership between various educational actors is extremely important in approaching media literacy at the level of the school community, local community, and national level.”

The Moldova Media Literacy Forum was organized by the Independent Journalism Center within the “Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova” (MEDIA-M) project, implemented by Internews in Moldova and funded by USAID and UK. The Deutsche Welle Akademie is also a partner of the IJC in this event.