Media education is more than just using digital worksheets or (finally) having access to school Wi-Fi. It requires resources, visibility – and political prioritisation. Thuringia has many good approaches to improving media education for everyone from children to senior citizens – but there is still room for improvement.

In our MENT MasterClass as part of the Media BarCamp, three experts discussed the status, challenges and future of media education in Thuringia, moderated by MDR journalist Melanie Lal.

Goodbye Polylux:

What schools need Rebekka Haubold, coordinator of the Strategic Media Education Centre in Thuringia, pointed out that there are already many good media education programmes in Thuringia, but that many of them are not well known. She sees a concrete need for action on the part of politicians in terms of technical equipment for schools and further training for teachers. Furthermore, a flexible learning budget would enable educational institutions to involve external media education specialists in teaching.

Prohibitions?! Negotiation!

Marc Hupfeld from Mit Medien e.V. advocated for more genuine participation and negotiation as the democratic core of media education. Involving young people in decisions in a transparent manner promotes self-efficacy and acceptance – not least in everyday school life.

Media education can only be achieved together

Bastian Dietzel from the Digital Agency Thuringia sees media education as a joint task for schools, families and peer groups. However, the government has also recognised the need for an external institution to provide guidance on digitalisation. As a strategic partner, the Digital Agency supports ministries and state authorities in advancing the digital transformation in Thuringia and thus also has the opportunity to contribute to the principles of media education in Thuringia.

Where there is still room for improvement

With regard to the school subject ‘media education and computer science’, the discussion criticised the strong focus on computer science topics, while topics such as social media and fake news have been neglected so far. The three also agreed that banning social media use until the age of 16 (which the Thuringian state government is currently pushing for in the Bundesrat) was short-sighted and that parents needed to be more involved and supported as mediators of media literacy. Last but not least, politicians must make greater efforts to retain media education specialists in the state.

👉🏻 Further insights from our MENT MasterClasses you find here in the news section.

👉🏻 You can read the article on the Media BarCamp here.