Panel Report: Supporting Media Literacy - Professionalization of media Education

Chair: Jan Jirák, Charles university in Prague, Czech Republic


Speakers:

Jan Jirák, Charles university in Prague, Czech Republic
Helena Pavličiková,  University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic
Norbert Vrabec, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Slovak Republic
Lucie Kaválková, Charles university in Prague, Czech Republic
Pavel Kapoun, University of Ostrava,
Radim Wolák, Charles university in Prague, Czech Republic

This panel is Czechoslovak - and panelists speaks about education of future journalists. Because the development of media literacy in the late-modern societies has become one of the important aims of formal and non-formal education. But there is also one new question: the question of the quality of people involved into processes of increasing media literacy in society.

Young journalists learns about media mainly at universities. They have to know mass media history, new media sociology, communication theory etc. Norbert Vrabec explains that Slovaks study this at primary and secondary schools. But there are two problems - small number of qualified teachers and there is also an overview of where and how to implement media education.

Lucie Kaválková underlines that media literacy of adults is almost the neglected topic. They can try lifelong education, but their situation and requirements are specific.

The lifelong education is a topic of Pavel Kapoun. At the University of Ostrava, there is a special course "Media Education in the School Practice". Students (and all the people who wants to deal with this issue) who pass it recieve a certificate. It consists of 6 courses and they can be completed separately.