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Digital media have become an integral part of our everyday lives. In many cases, they create great opportunities; however, given the perpetually increasing screen time across age groups, they also pose tremendous challenges. In this context, the call for media-based learning in preschools and primary schools to begin as early as possible sometimes leads to very one-sided concepts that primarily teach how to use smartphones and the like skilfully – although media education encompasses much more and should always be embedded in holistic personal development.

The approaches that already exist, especially at reform educational institutions, and how they can be further developed constructively and practice-oriented was the subject of a five-year research project at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in Alfter near Bonn. The research project comprised several parts, including the broad MünDig (Maturity and Digitisation) study and the (Analogue Digidactics) project. The team of academics around Prof. Dr. Paula Bleckmann investigated how media is currently used and taught in preschools and primary schools, characterised current issues and presented practical ideas for solutions for work in the institutions as well as for training and further education, with the certifying course entitled “Medienbildung 360 Grad” (360° Media Education).

The project, which was launched in the autumn of 2018 with the support of SAGST, concluded with a symposium at the beginning of May where representatives from preschools, primary schools, reform pedagogical associations and universities who had worked with the research group over the previous years met under the theme “Menschenbildung:Medienbildung – Impulse aus und für Forschung und Praxis”. Video recordings of the plenary lectures and documents from selected presentations are available on the recently published symposium website. ECHT DABEI, a media risk prevention program, and the (Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler e. V.) co-organised the symposium.

Further information on the project:
Media Education in Reform Pedagogical Institutions: Current Situation, Challenges and Approaches