Strengths and Weaknesses In the Media Erasmus Project

Project Title

Strengths and Weaknesses In the Media

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

SWIM: Strengths and Weaknesses In the Media. Aren’t we all flooded by the amount of news we are exposed to day by day? Is it easy to navigate among them? What shall we believe? What shall we not believe? These are difficult questions even for adults, let alone teeneagers! Finding the reliable news is like swimming through all the information in the media in order to get to the truth.
The objectives of this project were to make students aware of the different aspects of the media, the possible problems, traps and tricks of it, and help them find possible solutions. We wanted to make it clear what they themselves could do to lessen the negative effects of the media. They had to learn to select reliable media sources from the unreliable ones and not to be manipulated by the media. Promoting the acquision of skills and competencies was our main priority. Providing non-formal and informal learning opportunities, students had a greater control over their own learning process. Their social skills developed by the common work in an international context, by cooperating with each other. They used digital tools to make videos, presentations, photo slides, thus their digital competencies improved a lot. They had to use English to do the project tasks and make friends in a foreign language. Supporting schools to tackle early school leaving was another priority, which was completed in an indirect way. Pupils explored the secrets of a profession, they visited a local radio station and newspapers. Journalists held workshops for them where they could learn about a new job that might interest them. It can be a career orientation for them. Including disadvantaged students in the project also served this aim. The third priority, Social and educational value of European cultural heritage was an organic part of our strategic partnership. Meeting other cultures, realising that people in Europe have similar lives and similar problems got participants closer and definitely broadened students’, teachers’ and parents’ horizons. They learned to appreciate the European cultural heritage. The participants included five secondary schools, which are very different in size and profile,and this diversity benefited the project as the participants could experience different educational backgrounds. We worked together with journalists, local newspapers and radio stations. There were five students’ exchanges – one in each country. Between the meetings national project teams had weekly meetings where they dealt with different aspects of the topic, prepared for the meetings, did research, surveys, interviews and made presentations. They exchanged information through various on-line tools with the partners. There were different responsibilities: handling IT issues, making questionnaires, doing research on the Internet or on different premises, analysing data, making presentations, writing articles, making videos, etc. At the 5 students’ exchanges we focused on particular topics from making school magazines and school radio through the role of manipulation in the media, digital literacy, the credibility of the media to how the media makes us indifferent to violence and negative news. We also chose two films (Trumas show and Nightcrawler) to work on, which are perfect examples of how the media can deceive us. The aim of transnationality was to learn from each other and experience situations that are unique for a place.
Final results: project web site, videos, logo, PPT and Prezi presentations, quizzes, multicultural performances, mini dictionary, project/school magazines, newspaper articles, calendar. Project outcomes: better understanding and awareness of the importance of the media; accepting and appreciating cultural diversity; developing active citizenship behaviors in students; becoming more involved in social contexts; acquisition of new skills and improvement of competences.
Participants were exposed to different learning environments, they developed new knowledge and competences. This project certainly awakened and fostered a sense of awareness for the media in different connections and helped make individuals become more alert to the tricks of it. Students practiced project work, cooperation, team-work in English, increased their intercultural understanding through intercultural dialogue; developed their digital skills; learnt to appreciate each other more; became more involved in a particular profession; became more interested in social issues; got to know the European Union better. Teachers increased their motivation, appraised the European idea and cooperation. Participating institutions created better relationships among the school staff, increased the prestige of their school, developed interdisciplinary work, supported closer and better relationships with local institutions, gained experience in international cooperation thus strengthened the European dimension.

Project Website

http://jmgprojects.hu/swim/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 146348 Eur

Project Coordinator

Jurisich Miklós Gimnázium és Kollégium & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Berufsbildungszentrum Schleswig
• SU Sveti Kliment Ohridski
• Verzlunarskoli Islands
• SREDNJA SKOLA ZVANE CRNJE ROVINJ, SCUOLA MEDIA SUPERIORE “ZVANE CRNJA” ROVIGNO