Today's children are growing up surrounded by media. They use it intuitively and without fear. But in order to make their use safe, effective and constructive the handling with media should be learned just as any other skill. Through media education in kindergartens children can learn about the use and creation of media and its content. The focus in kindergartens should be, in contrast with the usual use at home, not only on the proper handling of media but much more on using media as tools to realize one's own ideas and goals. Through early media education kindergartens can help close the digital divide and help all children lay good foundations for later media literacy and skills.
This website was created through two Erasmus+ projects to support educators and families in this effort.
Photography as a tool for fostering media education in kindergartens
The first Erasmus+ project focused on photography as a starting point for media education. Pictures are the basis of media: they are a form of communication, but also a form of deception. Being able to critically evaluate pictures is becoming a necessity in the digital age. The project developed 50 hands-on activities that help children explore photography, visual storytelling, and creative expression. With simple activities children learn how photography can stage reality, how it can change the past, and how it can "improve" reality. These activities were piloted in kindergartens in Slovenia, Croatia, Estonia, and Germany.
Building Media Skills Together
The second Erasmus+ project expanded the scope from photography to broader media education. It produced the Media Education Toolbox, a step-by-step guide that helps educators reflect on media, observe children's media experiences, work with parents, and create learning spaces. The project also developed new activities, methods for engaging families, and printable materials for use in kindergartens.
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