[DOWNLOAD] "Foreword: A European Approach to Media Literacy: Moving Toward an Inclusive Knowledge Society" by Comunicar ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Foreword: A European Approach to Media Literacy: Moving Toward an Inclusive Knowledge Society
- Author : Comunicar
- Release Date : January 01, 2009
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,Nonfiction,Social Science,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 52 KB
Description
Some 50 years ago, 6 European countries (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) signed the Treaty of Rome (1) creating the European Economic Community. The idea was for people, goods and services to circulate freely across borders. But the real concern was bringing together the nations and people of Europe. We should never forget that the historical roots of the European Union lie in an overwhelming tragedy: the 2nd World War. Europeans decided they would do anything to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again. Now the European Union embraces 27 countries from Portugal in the very West of the continent to the new Member States, Romania and Bulgaria, from the polar circle to the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Europe has almost half a billion citizens with many different languages, cultures and traditions but also with deeply shared values of democracy, freedom and social justice. The European Union is against any discrimination based on ethnic origin, sex and philosophical belief. in its relations with international partners, the EU projects the values that have contributed to its own success. The prosperity of the EU has grown out of a particular form of regional cooperation, which has developed hand in hand with a deeper political commitment to democracy, human rights and the enhancement of citizenship. Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented technological revolution. The meaning of wealth has shifted towards ownership of knowledge and information. Technological change makes it possible for virtually all people to become not only consumers but also creators of media content. The media have become an increasingly powerful economic and social force and are accessible instruments for European citizens to better understand the societies in which they live and participate in the democratic life of their community. In this context, at the Lisbon European Council (2) in March 2000, Heads of State and of Government set an ambitious objective for Europe: to become a more competitive knowledge economy and at the same time a more inclusive knowledge society. A higher degree of media literacy would definitely help our societies to fulfil this ambitious objective. Media literacy may be defined as the ability to access the media, to understand and evaluate critically their contents and to create communications in a variety of contexts. This definition is the result of the work of many different people (institutions, media professionals, teachers, educators) and it is built on three main elements: 1) access to media and media content; 2) critical approach, ability to decipher media messages, awareness of how the media work; 3) creativity, communication and production skills. Media literacy relates to all media , including television and film, radio and recorded music, print media, the Internet and other new digital communication technologies. Media literacy is an extremely important factor for active citizenship in today's information society, a real key pre-requisite just as literacy was at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is a fundamental skill not only for the young generation but also for adults (elderly people, parents, teachers and media professionals). As a result of the evolution of media technologies and the presence of the Internet as a distribution channel, an increasing number of Europeans can now create and disseminate images, information and contents. In this context, media literacy is viewed as one of the major tools in the development of citizens' responsibilities. Media literacy relates to the European audiovisual heritage and cultural identity . The audiovisual production sector is an essential instrument of expression of our cultural and political values. It is a vector for European citizenship and culture and plays a primary role in building a European identity. Media-literate people will be able to exercise more informed choices also with regard to the a