In Relation to Politicians
There is general consensus among the countries that the politicians have a respon- sibility regarding the introduction of media literacy into the schools. Efforts have been made throughout Europe to develop access to Internet in schools, but there is still much progress to be made: political leaders ought to promote media literacy into educative programmes including the pedagogy of the Internet into a broader concept of pedagogy. The politicians ought to develop a policy that focuses on the ethical as well as the educational aspects of the new media technologies and sup- port integration of media education and media literacy contents and subjects into the teachers’ curricula and into the pupils’ curricula.
Furthermore it is suggested that politicians support the creation of campaigns that not only are focused on the dangers of the media but are focused on all dimensions of the media.
It is also suggested that the politicians support the promotion of an easier Internet access in public places like library, public administration, young people’s houses, cultural centres, and so forth.
The politicians ought to understand and accept the shift of paradigm from traditional culture to media culture, especially as far as young people are concerned. They have to support, ideologically as well as economically, the introduction of media literacy into all levels of education, in relation to children as well as to grown ups.
There is an overriding need that the decision makers on the political level realize the necessity of teaching every single citizen a deep insight into the role and func- tion of media. This may, hopefully, be developed through qualified and competent media literacy, an important cornerstone in the process of developing democratic citizenship in the globalized digital society.
reality shows, when they publish personal information online, when they com- municate through a Web cam, and so forth? Do they feel the need for a private sphere and do they think it is important to maintain some privacy? Are they aware of the role the electronic and traditional media play in this evolution?
• We pointed out some big differences in the way young people consider their parents’ and their teachers’ educational attitude toward them. Concerning parents, our recommendations refer to attitudes to set up as one of the main dimensions allowing young people’s media appropriation. For teachers, it seems that they do not integrate the electronic media in their teaching even when they are extremely skilled in ICT’s, like in Denmark. So how do technological and cultural changes impact relationship between young people and teachers, young people and parents, and within the family?
Teachers have to be considered as persons and as professionals as well, having their own usage of the electronic media. Is there a gap between their personal and their professional uses? How do they consider the main stakes of the development of new information and communication practices for themselves, for their pupils?
What do they expect from school system and policy? Which are the brakes upon a wider use of the electronic media in classrooms?
These questions should lead to further research on the following items:
• It appears very important to focus on the very beginning of the practices. Our research allowed us to verify that at 11 years old, real and autonomous uses are already settled. A research on the ages of 7 to 11 should highlight how they enter the electronic media world, their very first appropriation paths. A specific research protocol should be adapted to young children.
• The learning process has to rely on specific competencies and not on subjects only. Which competencies do young people build up spontaneously vs. through an educational process, how do they develop them, to which extent are they innovators in the use of new electronic media? This topic should be observed through a complex protocol including both questionnaires, interviews of young people and teachers/parents, and observations of students’ practices.
• Concerning young people playing online or network games, even if their num- ber seems small, we need further study to clarify some implications: clearly cost implications, where online games require subscription, and implications for meeting people online, in role.
• Is media education making a difference? How do we cope with the broad, fragmented, and mosaic formed media pedagogy? There is a need to define new guidelines for multimedia cultural literacy (MCL) within these cognitive contexts, with a specific stress on new ways for an evaluation process and the
role of the nonformal educational setting as one of the partners of a relevant and fruitful media education, aiming to a higher degree of literacy and less alienated assimilation processes of the media pedagogical dimensions in general.
Conclusion
The findings that result from the Mediappro study should not be intrepreted as pessimistic. On the contrary, there is much building to do. The study demands an evaluation of the field data and of the decisions concerning the habits and expecta- tions of youth. Moreover, considering the actual “true” skills of youth, as opposed to their perceived skills, demonstrates the neccessity of providing a structured framework, of redefining certain terms, of conceptualising certain fields, and an initiation of the thought process on the current socio-economic evolution as well as its impact on society.
Schools are where young people could have the opportunity to shed their tentative approach and effectively learn how to master their use of the Internet and future new media. Indeed they could potentially acquire a true digital culture. As cited by Serge Proulx (Proulx, 2002) in the manifesto for the development of technical culture (CRCT, 1981):
It is seemingly evident that those without technical culture, live in ignorance of their own environment. This presents a double form of alienation: On the one hand, not having understood one’s own proper surroundings, and on the other hand, unware- ness leads to a permanent dependance on organisations and individuals who have the skills that are missing.
With regards to appropriation by youth, it is not simply a question of indifference nor a complete lack of knowledge, but rather a dependance on those who do not master the theories on usage and are themselves dependant on the structures and organisations that govern the Internet. They know how to use the Internet through intermediaries and the way they use it has been imposed by the Internet itself. Digital culture is an indispensable factor of societies of knowledge and, in turn, demands that its appropriation be reflexive, creative, and supported by true critical thinking.
References
Aslanidou, S., & Ikonomou, A. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth.
Mediappro final report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.mediap- pro.org/publications/finalreport.pdf
Bevort, E., & Bréda, I. (2001). Les jeunes et Internet: Représentations, utilisa- tions, appropriation. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.clemi.
org/jeunes_internet.html
Bevort, E., & Bréda, I. (2006). Mediappro, appropriation des nouveaux médias par les jeunes: Une enquête européenne en éducation aux médias. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.clemi.org/international.html
Burn, A., & Cranmer, S. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth. Mediappro report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.mediappro.org/publica- tions/finalreport.pdf
De Smedt, T., Geeroms, C., Verniers, P., & De Theux, P. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth. Mediappro report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.mediappro.org/publications/finalreport.pdf
European Commission. (2006). Benchmarking access and use of ICT in European schools. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://ec.europa.eu/information_so- ciety/eeurope/i2010/benchmarking/index_en.htm
European Commission. Eurostat (in Population and Social Conditions). Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int
Livingstone, S., & Bober, M. (2004). UK children go online: Surveying the experi- ences of young people and their parents. London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Media and Communications.
Mediappro. (2005). Analysis and synthesis of existing data. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from 2007 from http://www.mediappro.org/stat_3_1.htm
Piette, J., Pons, C.M., & Giroux, L. (2007, March). Les Jeunes et Internet: 2006 - Appropriation des nouvelles technologies. Final report to the Ministry of Culture and Communication, Quebec Governement.
Proulx, S. (2002). Trajectoires d’usages des technologies de communication: Les formes d’appropriation d’une culture numérique comme enjeu d’une société du savoir. Annales des Télécommunications, 57(3-4), 180-189.
Reia Baptista, V., Balthazar, N., & Mendes, S. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth. Mediappro report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://
www.mediappro.org/publications/finalreport.pdf
Richardson, J., Milwood Hargrave, A., Moratille, B., Vahtivouri, S., Venter, D.,
& de Vries, R. (2006). The Internet literacy handbook. Strasbourg, France:
Council of Europe.
Rivoltella, P.-C., & Zoffi, E. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth.
Mediappro report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.mediappro.
org/publications/finalreport.pdf
Tufte, B., Rasmussen, J., & Christensen, O. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth. Mediappro final report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.
mediappro.org/publications/finalreport.pdf
Ugur, K., & Ollivry, J.-P. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth. Me- diappro report. Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.mediappro.
org/publications/finalreport.pdf
Wenglorz, J. (2006). The appropriation of new media by youth. Mediappro report.
Retrieved October 5, 2007, from http://www.mediappro.org/publications/fi- nalreport.pdf
Endnotes
1 Mediappro member teams
Coordinator: Catholic University of Louvain, Research group in learning’s mediation (Belgium); Professsor Thierry De Smedt, Catherine Geeroms
• Center for Higher Education, Copenhagen and North Zealand (Denmark):
Birgitte Tufte, Jeanette Rasmussen, Ole Christensen
• Catholic University of Milano, Department of pedagogy (Italy): Pier Cesare Rivoltella, Elsa Zoffi
• Clemi, Ministry of Education (France): Evelyne Bevort, Isabelle Bréda
• Foundation for Economic Education (Poland): Justyna Wenglorz
• London Institute of Education, Center for the Study of Children, Youth and Media (United Kingdom): Andrew Burn, Sue Cranmer
Media Animation a.s.b.l. (Belgium): Patrick Verniers, Paul De Theux
School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (Greece): Sofia Aslanidou, Andreas Ikonomou
• University of Algarve, School of Education (Portugal): Vitor Reia Bap- tista, Neusa Baltazar, Samantha Mendes
• University of Tartu (Estonia): Epp Lauk, Veronika Kalmus, Jean-Pas- cal Ollivry, Margit Keller, Pille Runnel, Anneken Metsoja, Kadri Ugur, Reelika Raamat
In collaboration with the Province of Quebec, Canada:
• University of Montreal, Luc Giroux
• University of Sherbrooke, Jacques Piette and Christian-Marie Pons
Copyright © 2008, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission