engleski

How to acquire media competences? – Examples of prevention projects

The most important thing in the analysis of the role of the Internet is to detect positive and negative sides of the Internet and to make a key question: who uses the Internet and for what purpose? Demonstrations of Croatian students and revolutions in Africa and Saudi Arabia, from the beginning of 2011, were organized through the Internet. The Internet is not only a revolution in learning and communication, but more and more a powerful tool for manipulation, abuse and organization of demonstrations and revolutions. It is important to research and substantiate its ambivalent role through examples. Controversies in the interpretation of media competence result from the ambiguous interpretations of the terms media competence and media literacy. Media competence includes media literacy. It involves the acquisition of skills, knowledge and familiarity with the prevention of media manipulation. Media competence implies the ability of critical analysis of the media, while using the media as a means for independent and creative expression. In other words, it is the ability of orientation, assessment and knowledge construction (e.g. via PC), the ability to understand the world of the media (especially electronic media: compjuter, Internet) which is governed by signs and symbols wchic need to be decoded. Baack was the first to introduce the concept of "communicative competence". Media competence is a central concept in media pedagogy. It includes all the abilities which the individual must acquire within the media and information society, for example the use of media products, exchange of media messages (communication media), the media reflection and media criticism. This refers to the students, as well as the educators. Media competence leads to media education and media literacy. Media education relies on the acquisition of media competences. Media education refers to the acquisition of media literacy and media competence. The goal of the media competence is also the protection of private sphere, development of (self-) criticism, intercultural dialogue, the adoption of analytical, reflexive and ethical dimension, right to information, the instrumental and aesthetic dimensions, development of the skills for using innovative media, such as new computer softwares etc. The aim is to live with the media, not to be dominated by the media (through the entertainment industry, fetishization of commercial products, the cult of beauty, virtual reality etc). Through these new horizons media competence should lead to the development of media education and media culture, which are integral parts of media pedagogy in the modern media environment, in the prevention of the further spread of manipulation through the media. In this sense, media pedagogy is the intellectual management of the acquisition of personal competence and social values, media and communication competence and, finaly, of cultural competence. It must serve as a critical analysis of the relationship between man and the media. Only in this way the media pedagogy will not be a "foreign tissue" in the analysis of various experts of modern media and new forms of communication. National Activitiy Plan for Rights and Interests of Children, for the period from 2006 to 2012, deserves broader analysis in order to develop a Strategy of Development from 2012 to 2018, which would be considerably more efficient than the previous one. The unquestionable power and influence of the media in the contemporary society, their role in protecting children's interests and rights becomes one of the key objectives. Although the Republic of Croatia declaratively states its commitment for the implementation of the strategy for the protection of children’s rights, in order for it to be measurable and efficient it is neccessary to observe all implications of research results and expert opinions that prove the increasing children and youth media addiction, media manipulations and violation od children's rights in the media. Only then the strategic objective of the National Action Programme for Children can be realized: "to improve the life quality of children in the Republic of Croatia". In 2008, prof dr Zlatko Miliša and his associates started a project called Ten days without screens in four primary schools in Zadar. Before the project began, they had conducted a pilot study. The results of that study, on the sample of seventh and eighth graders in three primary schools, showed that nearly eleven percent of pupils sit daily more than five hours in front of computer, one quarter spend more than an hour and a half on a cell phone, and twelve percent watch TV more than five hours a day. Twelve percent of children said they commented the contents of the media with their parents, 63 percent sometimes and 25 percent never. During 2011 the survey they have conducted included 1122 pupils, from 5th to 8th grade, from ten primary schools (four schools in Zadar), Solin, Cavtat, Kaštel Stari, Dugo Selo, Perušić and Rijeka. All surveyed schools participated in the project Ten days without screens.

Electronic media – The Internet; prevention of media manipulation; media competence

Recenzenti: dr.sc. Ivana Batarelo Kokić, docentica (Filozofski fakultet, Odsjek za pedagogiju, Sveučilište Split), prof.dr.sc.Stjepan Malović (Odjel za turizam i komunikacijske znanosti, Sveučilište u Zadru)