Fake information in news around Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Fake information in news around Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Our project faces an important topic in the academic world regarding the question of how the knowledge of media literacy can be used to increase the awareness on fake news in the media around Europe. The title FINE (Fake Information in News around Europe) is a metaphor of how FINE it is to recognize and battle against fake news by students, teachers and schools in general for a more democratic Europe. Although media literacy is not included in our school curriculums, as school communities and teachers, we strongly believe that critical thinking, recognition of bias, understanding how media messages shape our culture and identifying marketing strategies should be encouraged.The expected project’s impact is to support and reinforce the development of Key Competencies through critical thinking and media literacy to strengthen democracy and counter manipulation, propaganda and disinformation.
It’s important that the project is carried out in partnership with other European schools because this way students will be able to see that Fake News is not an isolated problem, but an issue that goes beyond borders and that can threaten democracy, cohesion and inclusion in Europe.
Furthermore, multilingualism is one of the cornerstone of the European project and a powerful symbol of the EU’s aspiration to be united in diversity. Improvement of foreign languages skills is also expected for students and teachers. Prevention of early school abandonment through motivation is also expected.
The project will also contribute to raising awareness on the European Union Context: common EU values, unity and diversity and our social, cultural and historical heritage. Finally, the project will support the use of digital technologies with ICT, and the use of multiple channels to access information will ensure attention to student diversity.
We want to educate responsible citizens with good competences in the digital era, working in open safe spaces (Etwinning) with a critical thinking. Also we want our schools to work internationally to foster the democratic European values of transparency and critical thinking. In short, digital citizens who can use information to improve our society. The project will focus on diversity (racism, immigration and discrimination), environment emergency (climate change), health emergency (diets, benefits of certain foods, eating disorders, illnesses) and consumerism (deceptive advertising). These topics will be included in as many curricular subjects as possible so that different points of view are considered. Also, including these topics in learning practices will ensure that the objectives of the project are spread to a wide number of pupils. Peer students in the class, at the same level, in the whole school will work on the respective topics. All students from the same level will benefit from knowing about media literacy in the school and the participation in an international project. Debates and special workshops will be organized in the classes . All students will participate in the activities proposed. The methods to be used are task based activities, cooperative learning, cross-curricular approach, problem-solving. It also includes reflection of how media influences our society. International meetings with all partners will be the moments when results of the activities carried out in the period between meetings are put together and the final news products are made in international teams. The pupils in mobilities will be spokespeople of activities carried out. The schools will recruit 5 students from the age of 12 to 16 for each mobility.
The dissemination process will take place several times during the two year project and will be shared through social media and various platforms as well as the use of letters and press releases in our local communities. The outcomes from the activities will be kept on our blog and e twinning space for future use by all members of staff, current or future ones. Thanks to our blog students, but also parents will be able to easily follow the project. Therefore the project’s results will remain available to all interested parties and further progress can be made in the future. Moreover, at the end of each school year, partners will organize an open day in which the results of all partner countries will be shared through a presentation and exhibition. A project wall (Erasmus Corner) will also be created in each partner school, so that pupils, teachers, parents will be updated about the project.
At the end, a lot of people involved directly or indirectly in the project will be able to understand the role, opportunity and risks related to ICT in everyday life, and this has a very positive impact in the move towards a more critical, honest and better society.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 102648 Eur

Project Coordinator

INSTITUT PAU VILA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Anton-Heilingbrunner-Schule Staatliche Realschule Wasserburg
• Dundagas vidusskola
• ICS Michelangelo Buonarroti