Barcelona (Spain)

Address:
UAB Information Service
Plaça Cívica
UAB Campus
08193 Bellaterra (BARCELONA)
SPAIN
Tel.: +34 93 581 11 11
Fax: +34 93 581 25 95

Contact persons:
Steering team: 
José Manuel Pérez Tornero (Dir.)
UAB. Departament de Periodisme i de Ciències de la Comunicació
Àrea de Periodisme
Edifici I
Campus de la UAB
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès)
Tel.: +34 93 581 4475
Fax: +34 93 581 2005
Paolo Celot
EAVI – Secretary General of the European Viewers Association
Round Point Schuman 9/16 1040 Bruxelles
Tel.: 00322/2820085
Fax 00322/2303006
Mirea Pi
Tapio Varis
Professor of Vocational Education, with particular reference to Global Learning Environments
University of Tampere. Faculty of Education
UNESCO Chair in global e-learning with applications
to multiple domains
Tampere University
Korkeakoulunkatu 6)
PL 229
13101 Hämeenlinna
Tel.: +358-3-2156111
Mobile: +358-50-5679833

Research team
Glòria Baena
UAB. Departament de Periodisme i de Ciències de la Comunicació
Àrea de Periodisme
Edifici I
Campus de la UAB
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès)
Tel.: +34 93 581 1545
Fax:+34 93 581 2005
Patricia Castillo
Laura Cervi
UAB. Departament de Periodisme i de Ciències de la Comunicació
Àrea de Periodisme
Edifici I
Campus de la UAB
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès)
Tel.: +34 93 581 4473
Fax: +34 93 581 2005
Enrique González
UAB
EnriqueJair.Gonzalez@uab.cat
Anna-Liisa Kaataja
Heikki Maenpa
Oralia Paredes
Laura Rojas
Santiago Tejedor Calvo
UAB. Departament de Periodisme i de Ciències de la Comunicació
Àrea de Periodisme
Edifici I
Campus de la UAB
08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès)
Tel.: +34 93 581 4475
Fax: +34 93 581 2005
Philippos Vardakas
PARTHENONOS 1
17562 ATHENS
GRÈCE

Panel of experts
Ignacio Aguaded Gómez
Grupo Comunicar and Universidad de Huelva
Cary Bazalgette
Head of Education Projects - British Film Institute
Evelyn Bevort
CLEMI - Directrice déléguée, relations internationales du Centre de Liaison de l'Enseignement et des Moyens d'Information
Victoria Camps
Helen Doherty
IADT Dublin
Susanne Krucsay
Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture - Head of department 'Media Pedagogy'
Manuel Pinto
Pier Cesare Rivoltella

Study on Media Literacy

Current trends and approaches to media literacy in Europe

This study, carried out for the Euroepan Commission by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the second half of 2007, is aimed at mapping current practices in implementing media literacy in Europe. 
It covers the 27 EU Member States and the EEA Member States.

Executive Summary

Requirement
"This study is the response to the task entrusted  by the European Commission to:

• Identify existing and possible approaches to media literacy.
  

• Provide a description of emerging trends in this field throughout Europe.
  

• Provide recommendations on measures to be implemented at EC level to help foster and increase the level of media literacy in Europe.
  

• Outline the possible economic and social impact of European Union." (p. 2)

Analysis results
Understanding media literacy
"... the research team managed to create an evolutionary chart of media literacy and a concept model on media literacy.
[...] each evolutionary stage of media technology and the languages that correspond to the development of media technologies has been explored. This has revealed four stages of literacy:

• Classic literacy (reading-writing-understanding) was dominant for centuries and corresponded to the process of reading and writing, and in which primary schooling has played an essential role.
  

• Audiovisual literacy, which relates to electronic media such as film and television, focuses on image, and sequential images. It is the beginning of several educational initiatives which were started early, but were not sufficiently backed by real policy.
  

• Digital literacy or information literacy stems from digital media, which made it necessary to learn new skills. This is a very recent concept, and is often used synonymously to refer to the technical skills required for modern digital tools.
  

• Media literacy, which is needed as a result of media convergence – that is the merging of electronic media (mass communication) and digital media (multimedia communication) which occurs at the advanced stages of development of an information society." (p. 5)

"... media literacy includes the command of previous forms of literacy: reading and writing, audiovisual, digital and the new skills required in a climate of media convergence.
[...]  media literacy, made up of semiotic, technical and cultural  competences, which permit the development of critical thought and the capacity to solve problems – can be seen to be the product of learning processes and media education, and therefore, empowers participation and active citizenship”.

Final report
Chapter I - Approaches - existing and possibile - to media literacy

Keywords: literacies - ICT access - media literacy - media literacy  in Europe - media literacy skills - information society - knowledge society - classic literacy - digital literacy - audiovisual literacy - reading skills - writing skills - understanding skill - reading literacy - writing skills - information literacy - information handling - information processing - information skills -  information competences - critical use of information - media convergence - critical thinking - problem solving - critical thinking skills - problem solving skills - communication skills - communicative competence -  communicative environment - media education - integration into curriculum - Web 2.0 - Web 2.0 paradigm - active citizenship - personal autonomy - participative democracy - citizenship skills - critical use of media - citizenship skills - digital skills - new skills - European approaches to media literacy