About Media Lit Seminar 2022
How can teachers make pupils more media literate?
How can media literacy education help towards more social justice at school?
Join the free professional development program Media Lit Seminar 2022 and learn how!
Media Lit Seminar 2022 takes place on Saturday 29 January 2022 in Brussels and on Saturday 19 February 2022 online. Attendance is free, but it is necessary to register.
The 2022 Media Lit Seminar aims to:
inspire: through interactive, practical workshops and presentations of recent research findings on the topics of media literacy education and social justice;
explore: how media literacy education can function as a catalyst to create more social justice in our classrooms, at schools and in our global society at large;
connect: educators with an interest in these topics across the Atlantic through (virtual) (a)synchronous teacher exchange opportunities. The 2022 Media Lit Seminar collaborates with American teachers studying at Loyola University Maryland;
activate: educators to use the skills and insights they acquired at Media Lit Seminar 2022 in their classrooms and local communities to move towards more media literacy education and social justice.
Schedule: Day 1
Saturday 29 January 2022
at KBR (Kunstberg 28, Brussels, Belgium)
following current COVID-19 government guidance
Registration closed!
9:00 AM
Registration
Registration
9:15 AM
Opening Remarks
Welcome
Annelene Timmermans (Belgium, Media Lit Seminar 2022 Organizer)
Tackling digital exclusion through policy
Benjamin Dalle (Belgium, Flemish Minister for Brussels, Youth and Media)
In the aftermath of the corona crisis, we saw certain evolutions accelerate that had already been occurring before. One of these evolutions is the digitization of society. Increasing the use of digital technology and information offers opportunities but also carries the risk of digital exclusion for the disadvantaged. The Flemish Government addresses these risks on various levels.
9:45 AM
Keynote speaker
Teenagers’ reflections on media literacy initiatives at school and everyday media literacy discourses
Tom De Leyn (Belgium, imec-mict-UGent)
Often coined as digital natives, contemporary teens are ascribed a paradoxical status of skilled but vulnerable media users. Therefore, media literacy initiatives often target young audiences in order to mitigate detrimental media effects as well as to facilitate emancipatory media engagements. Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, the field of media literacy examines diverse thematic areas such as online privacy, news, digital wellbeing and citizenship. However, the voices of those who are the target population of media literacy policy and research are seldom heard. We identify the absence of teenagers’ perceptions and experiences as a limitation in contemporary debates on media literacy. Therefore, this presentation will shed light on how teenagers give meaning to media literacy, how they perceive the contemporary discourse on the importance of media literacy for teens, and in which way they encounter concrete media literacy initiatives at school. Based on in-depth interviews with 31 Flemish high-school students between 16 and 18 years old, our study found how teenagers primarily have a risk discourse in mind when talking about media literacy. Contextualizing these perceptions, it became clear that both the public discourse and media literacy initiatives largely draw from protectionist approaches. These results will be discussed with regards to practical recommendations for media literacy policy and initiatives in an educational context.
10:45 AM
15 min. break
Break
11 AM
Workshop 1
EDUbox polarization - learning to differ
Bert Pieters (Belgium, Mediawijs)
Media literacy means that you also have to talk about propaganda, conspiracy theories, fake news... But, why is it that tensions often run so high when we talk about this? Sometimes it's so bad that we can't seem to get through the same door anymore. Mediawijs and partners (VRT, the Flemish Peace Institute, Tumult and the Hannah Arendt Institute) developed a toolbox to practice with differences of opinion. In this workshop we will give you a taste of this exercise. So brace yourself and unleash the debate master in you. But you will see: at the end we all go through the same door.
12:15 PM
Lunch break
One hour networking lunch break
Join other Media Lit Seminar 2022 speakers and participants for lunch at Restaurant Albert at KBR. Click here for more information on the menu and prices.
1:15 PM
Presentation
Youth’s News Literacy in Flanders
dr. Kristin Van Damme (Belgium, Arteveldehogeschool)
Boosted by a disinformation discourse, news literacy is currently high on the agenda. The evolving and diverse newsscape makes critical consumption of news increasingly important, but also more difficult. Both scholars and journalists have shown concerns about the relation between young people and news, due to a decreased interest in following news; the preference for non-traditional media sources (often digital and social); and/or new practices that shape political and civic engagement. Young people are – both intentionally and incidentally – exposed to a multitude of news messages, offered through a myriad of sources, platforms, devices and formats. As such, the question is whether young audiences have the necessary critical-thinking skills to assess the reliability and trustworthiness of these news messages.
During this talk, we will present the (preliminary) results of the News Barometer, a large-scale survey among +1000 Flemish youngsters, with data collected in November-December 2021. Based on this survey, we will describe youth’s news use and attitudes towards news and journalism. Special attention is paid to how they assess various fake news stories they were presented with. Additionally, we measured knowledge on news production to gain a fine-grained insight in their news literacy. After diving into the numbers, multiple challenges will be outlined related to news literacy, such as reaching minority groups and the complex relation between raising awareness and increasing trust.
2:15 PM
Workshop 2
Classrooms Tackle Disinformation: Making a Difference in Pandemic Times and Beyond
Adeline Brion (Belgium, Lie Detectors)
A 60-minute workshop to learn about how to address fake news, and to integrate news literacy and source verification into classroom conversations. Moving from theory to practice, you will learn about the tips and tools necessary to design engaging learning experiences in your classroom. For teachers/educators working with pupils aged approximately 10-16.
3:15 PM
15 min. break
Break
3:30 PM (CET)
Global educators conversation 1
Global educators conversation 1
Facilitated by Stephanie Flores-Koulish (USA) and Annelene Timmermans (Belgium)
American teachers studying at Loyola University Maryland will share their views on multiple literacies and global civic literacies. This virtual synchronous session serves as the first global teacher conversation of the seminar, in which educators can exchange ideas transatlantically.
4:45 PM
End of seminar day 1
Closing remarks
6 PM
Optional informal networking dinner
Join other Media Lit Seminar 2022 speakers and participants for an informal dinner at Pop Up Sablon in Brussels. Click here for more information on the menu and prices.
Schedule: Day 2
Saturday 19 February 2022
virtual seminar day
Registration closed!
12:45 PM (CET)
Opening remarks
Welcome
Annelene Timmermans (Belgium, Media Lit Seminar 2022 Organizer)
1:00 PM (CET)
Presentation 1
Meta's Approach To Growing Digital Citizenship in Europe
Stacey Featherstone (USA/Belgium, Meta)
Stacey's presentation will focus on Meta's approach to growing Digital Citizenship in Europe, understood as the continuous development of skills and provision of support that people need for empowered, responsible, respectful, and safe use of technology. Digital citizenship is how individuals navigate privileges and obligations in our evermore online and digital world. It is how they decipher and share information they have access to, and most importantly, how they interact with other people. A holistic approach is necessary to equip people with the skills they need, where they are not only taught critical thinking or media literacy but also how to participate in digital society safely, respectfully, and responsibly so to reap the many benefits of our digital world while being resilient to harm. She will also detail the company's response and actions to mitigate the problems of misinformation and disinformation and provide participants with an overview of freely available resources Meta has designed for educators and parents to help foster Digital Citizenship among youth.
1:45 PM (CET)
15 min. screen break
Break
2 PM (CET)
Workshop
Navigating Data Worlds: Instructional Approaches to Developing Critical Data Literacy
Christiana Varda (Cyprus, Media What)
We use technology daily: to find answers to our questions through an online search, to interact with peers on social media, or even to keep track of our fitness routine. We generate so much data daily, but how do data impact our everyday life? And who is our data valuable to? Our datafied societies require that we develop educational approaches that support students to develop a critical awareness of the systems that collect, analyse and automate our data. This workshop will introduce the educational unit “Interrogating Data”, developed by Media What, and aimed for secondary school students, ages 16-18. The unit focuses on the role data hold in perpetuating social inequalities, and proposes activities for examining algorithmic biases in practice. The unit was developed as a part of the POWER project (Portraits Of Women’s Empowered Representations), which was funded by the US Embassy Cyprus.
3:15 PM (CET)
15 min. screen break
Break
3:30 PM (CET)
Global educators conversation 2
Global educators conversation 2
This virtual synchronous session serves as the second global educators conversation of the seminar, in which teachers can transatlantically exchange ideas on media literacy education and social justice. The session will be facilitated by Stephanie Flores-Koulish (USA, Loyola University Maryland) and Annelene Timmermans (Belgium).
4:45 PM (CET)
15 min. screen break
Break
5 PM (CET)
Presentation 2
Media Literacy as a Strategic Defense Strategy
Tessa Jolls (USA, Center for Media Literacy)
Calls for media literacy are now echoing in the halls of government and academia, and the EU and NATO have indicated that media literacy is a national defense priority. Why? The rise of disinformation and misinformation through social media channels has unsettled the political order, and citizens’ ability to discern is now prized more than ever as a way to help establish resiliency in the midst of propaganda coming from China, Russia, Iran and other authoritarian governments. Also, conspiracy theories and ordinary sharing on social media are driving current narratives, and media literacy is often seen as an “inoculation” rather than a process that facilitates wise choices. Through a Fulbright-NATO Security Studies award, Tessa Jolls conducted a study of how the media literacy community might contribute to this strategic defense priority, and what resources and support may be needed. In this interactive presentation, she will share her findings and participants will get a chance to interact in group discussions.
6:15 PM (CET)
15 min. screen break
Break
6:30 PM (CET)
Presentation 3
Critical Media Literacy for Environmental Justice
Jeff Share (USA, UCLA)
In a time of significant turmoil, when technology and the climate are changing at an unprecedented pace, and disinformation from the infodemic and climate deniers is derailing lifesaving actions, we need to reconsider the role of education. This presentation addresses the importance of teaching students critical media literacy to prepare them to make sense of the messages and create media that can confront the omissions and misinformation of the climate crisis. The conceptual understandings and questions of critical media literacy provide an inquiry-based framework to promote analysis and production that can challenge dominant ideologies and hierarchies of power. This anthropogenic climate disruption requires an educational response that will promote critical thinking and empowerment for social and environmental justice.
7:30 PM (CET)
Closing remarks
Closing remarks
Annelene Timmermans (Belgium, Media Lit Seminar 2022 Organizer)
End of seminar day 2
Speakers
Benjamin Dalle
Flemish Minister for Brussels, Youth and Media
Benjamin Dalle grew up in the little town of Damme, near Bruges. He graduated at the University of Ghent and holds a Master of Law. After his studies he obtained a scholarship to study in New York at the NYU School, one of the most prestigious centers of international law where he focused himself mainly on (international) public law, human rights and environmental law.
Benjamin started his career as an attorney in Brussels and became an academic assistant at the Catholic University of Leuven. In 2007 Benjamin was employed by Yves Leterme to collaborate on the state reform, marking the start of his (party) political activity. He worked for three consecutive vice-premiers of CD&V and advised them on state reform, legal matters and asylum and migration. After the elections of 2014, Benjamin participated in the negotiations on the government formation of the federal coalition. He became deputy chief of staff to the minister of Justice, Koen Geens. Between 2016 and 2019 he was the director of Ceder, the study service of CD&V. In October 2019 he was appointed as minister in the Flemish government.
Benjamin is 39 years old and married to Maïté and has three kids. With his family he lives in Laeken, in Brussels.
Get in Touch
