January 2014
This is the first of Ofcom’s quarterly media literacy updates for 2014, designed to provide
short summaries of media literacy activities by a range of stakeholders. We ask stakeholders
to write these summaries, which we divide into five separate categories for ease of
reference.
Please click on the following links if there is an area of particular interest to you:
Research | Events | Projects | Awards | International
If you have any queries about Ofcom’s media literacy activities, please get in touch with the
media literacy team (media.literacy@ofcom.org.uk)
Research
Research at the LSE
"Media literacy research and policy in Europe: A review of recent, current and planned
activities” Monica Bulger and Sonia Livingstone, Brussels: COST, December 2013
This is the report of an expert seminar held in Brussels on 12/9/13, organised by the Media
Literacy Task Force of the COST Action IS0906 Transforming Audiences, Transforming
Societies.
Twenty-five media literacy experts (include Ofcom’s Alison Preston), from academia, policy
and regulatory institutions, came together to identify the current state of play and future
directions for media literacy research and policy in Europe.
In addition to capturing the main contributions made during the seminar, the report pulls out
the recent history of media literacy policy at European level and highlights new indications of
interest in this domain within the EC. The report concludes with recommendations for
advancing this increasingly important area of research and policy.
See the report here http://www.cost-transforming-audiences.eu/node/1683
See blog post here http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mediapolicyproject/2013/12/16/concerted-actionnew-media-literacy-report-outlines-research-policy-agenda/#more-5861
Oxford Internet Survey
The 2013 Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) has found a strong increase in the proportion of
Internet users, from 73% in 2011 to 78% in 2013, with significant increases for those of
retirement age or retired, and disabled individuals. See: http://oxis.oii.ox.ac.uk/reports
FOSI research
The Family Online Safety Institute recently released a new research report, "Teen Identity
Theft: Fraud, Security, and Steps Teens are Taking to Protect Themselves Online." This
report found that three-quarters of teens are very or somewhat concerned about the privacy
of their personal information being harmed by their online activity. The research examined
the technology teens are using to go online and the types of information that teens share
about themselves. The report found that teens are using privacy settings for at least some of
their online accounts but could be doing more to protect their information online.
The full report and executive summary can be found here and this is the FOSI research
page which includes links to the report and slides: http://www.fosi.org/research.html
1-3-9 Longitudinal Media Lab
The 1-3-9 Longitudinal Media Lab is designed to give members future orientated indicative
insights of audience behaviour on multiple screens.
ACB delivers natural contextual insights on consumption and engagement, inside and
outside the home, on all mobile device platforms, smart and connected TVs. The latest
report covers the sixth year of research and addresses questions posed by consortium
members focused on understanding audience behaviour around peaks of engagement, and
second-screen use including complementary apps.
Key findings from the report were presented earlier this year at Skype HQ to members, and
to Ofcom in April. It was there that members of the lab worked together in industry-neutral
groups to discuss the findings and write the questions of the future. These questions have
shaped the design and structure of phase 7: Going Beyond Engagement, which looks at
homes with two or three tablets in addition to smart TVs and smartphones.
Phase 7 is in the process of being captured and analysed and findings will be made
available. Contact Sarah Pearson at ACB for a copy of the latest report on young children
and tablet adoption, that focuses on use in the UK but includes a perspective from the US,
where children routinely have greater access to tablets and children’s tablets.
Pearson is extremely happy to share insights and conduct/share presentations based on the
previous studies.
sarah@acbuk.net.
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Events
Safer Internet Day 2014
Safer Internet Day 2014 will take place on 11th February 2014, with the theme 'Let's create a
better internet together'. Hundreds of schools and organisations across the UK are joining
the celebration to empower young people to use the internet positively, safely and creatively.
You can find out more about how to get involved, download free educational resources and
sign up as a supporter via the UK Safer Internet Centre.
The Welsh Government’s Department for Education & Skills will be working with partners
from the education sector and industry to go into schools across Wales on 11th February
setting the challenge of ‘Let’s create a better internet together’. They will gather the views of
young people, teachers, parents and governors to gain as wide a range of perspectives as
possible.
www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2014
Child Protection in the Digital Environment
Wednesday 26th February 2014 - Central London
This conference has an attached half-day workshop:The Use of Social Media, Gaming and
New Technologies in Schools: Thursday 27th February 2014 - Central London
Chaired by Susie Hargreaves, Chief Executive, Internet Watch Foundation and Board
Member, UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS)
In July the Prime Minister announced the cross-Government commitment to making the
internet safer for children. This conference gives a crucial insight into new policy
developments which aim to reduce the availability of potentially harmful material and
increase children's resilience.
With the new ICT curriculum launching in 2014 and e-safety provision now part of Ofsted's
inspection framework, this is an opportunity to take away practical and transferable advice
from leaders in e-safety on educating and empowering parents to help children understand
potential dangers.
Expert speakers will ensure delegates are equipped with the right tools and knowledge to
strengthen partnership working and respond to evolving risks, in order to protect children in
the rapidly changing digital environment.
For more information: http://www.capitaconferences.co.uk/public-sectorconferences/education/full-conferences/article/child-protection-in-the-digital-environment3.html?code=SMMK
Download the brochure:
http://www.capitaconferences.co.uk/pdfgen.html?filename=Child_Protection_Feb_14.pdf&co
de=SMMK
Digital 2014
The Welsh government will be holding Digital 2014 at The Celtic Manor Resort on 9 -10
June 2014 – www.digital2014.com
Building on the significant success of last year, the two-day Digital 2014 event will provide a
collaborative platform for government, industry, academia and the third sector to explore,
understand, debate and form opinion on emerging technologies and the associated
challenges and opportunities for Wales.
CILIP
CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) is planning to hold some
round-table discussions in 2014, and the first will be on e-safety. We are looking at other
organisations outside the traditional information sector to contribute to these discussions
which will take place in late spring/ early summer. Please contact
jacqueline.may@cilip.org.uk for further information
_________________________________________________________________________
Projects and initiatives
Digital Unite's digital inclusion campaign, Spring Online
Spring Online, in association with Carphone Warehouse, is Digital Unite’s award-winning
campaign that makes it possible for thousands of people, often older people, to try
computers and tablets and the internet.
During one week (31 March – 4 April 2014) thousands of free taster events are held by
volunteers and organisations across the UK to help and inspire local people to achieve a
lasting use of the internet. Whether you have access to one computer or a whole room full of
them, Spring Online is a fantastic opportunity to help others in your community to get online.
Visit www.digitalunite.com/spring-online
BBC News School Report
On 27 March 2014, thousands of 11-16 year olds across the UK will be making the news as
part of BBC News School Report’s eighth annual News Day. BBC News School Reporters
will be producing content across the BBC on the day and you can find out more, including
how schools can sign up, on the School Report website: www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport
I’M HAPPY
Over 150 young people from the Coleraine area will have the opportunity to develop their
computing and IT skills through a new University of Ulster initiative.
The I’M HAPPY (IMproving Hopes, Aspirations, Potential and Prospects in the Youth) project
– funded by a grant of £360,738 from the Department for Social Development’s
Neighbourhood Renewal scheme – seeks to promote achievement as a means of improving
the self-esteem, self-belief and self-confidence of a diverse range of learners.
The programme will run until March 2015 and will be targeted principally at schools and
community groups in two Coleraine regions – Coleraine Churchland (Killowen and Heights)
and Coleraine East (Ballysally and Millburn) – which are among the most deprived areas in
Northern Ireland.
All activities will be delivered by a team from the School of Computing and Information
Engineering, who will support and mentor learners to develop their professional and
vocational skills using the most up-to-date tools and technologies. Students’ achievements
will be formally recognised through a University module accreditation and at an awards
ceremony in spring 2015.
An image gallery is available at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/universityofulster/sets/72157638120597136/
In November the BBFC launched its new website for children, CBBFC. The site has a
dedicated area for parents and teachers. It launched with a poster competition challenging
children to illustrate the correct audiences for different BBFC age ratings. The winning
images form the basis of a poster, which will be a free resource for UK primary schools. The
winners will be announced, and the new poster published, in the New Year.
www.cbbfc.co.uk
In addition to its monthly email newsletters and regular podcast, the BBFC now holds regular
Twitter Q&A sessions. Using the #askBBFC hashtag, the BBFC answers short questions
from the public about age ratings for film, DVD/Blu-ray and video-on-demand services.
Recently themed #askBBFC Q&A sessions included a focus on age ratings for children's
films and questions from parents.
The BBFC also publishes a transcript of each twitter Q&A on its website
(http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/education-news).
The BBFC worked with film industry partners on education events and screenings for the
first National Youth Film Festival, organised by Film Nation. Examiners introduced
screenings to 1798 pupils across the UK.
ITV
ITV's Signed Stories app makes quality animated children's stories accessible to deaf
children and those with special educational needs. All stories have a British Sign Language
performance, narration, sound effects and specially commissioned music, and customisable
subtitles. One book is free to download, and more brilliant books are available to buy from as
little as 69p! Download for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch from the App Store
http://ow.ly/ewlzO.
RAJAR
RAJAR released its Quarter 3, 2013 figures on Thursday October 24th . This will be followed
by Q4, 2013 on Thursday February 6th 2014. RAJAR has recently introduced a new Training
Programme for Subscribers, for additional information please go to www.rajar.co.uk and see
the Training Section. Please download the RAJAR app via the website or app.rajar.co.uk for
RAJAR information on the go.
Northern Visions/NvTv
Northern Visions/NvTv, the local TV service for Belfast, which launches later in 2014 on
Freeview Channel 8, have begun working with schools in North Belfast on a puppet show for
children. The series introduces children to storytelling, music, puppetry, sound recording,
new technologies and learning new vocabulary through play. A successful pilot was
completed with one school, Bunscoil Bheann Nhadagain, in December 2013 and the project
will work with a further 9 schools from January 2014. A number of districts in North Belfast
are among the most socially disadvantaged in Northern Ireland.
Further information:
http://northernvisions.org/puppet-show-in-the-making/
http://northernvisions.org/project/power-puppets/
BT Connected Society
BT, in partnership with the Transformation Trust, is calling on young people across the UK to
take part in its BT Digital Champions initiative and share their internet skills. The aim is to
help some of the seven million UK adults who have never been online to take their first steps
in joining the digital world. To date, more than 20,000 schoolchildren have pledged their
support. www.btdigitalchampions.com
One of the largest projects in the UK to help people get online and build their digital skills
and confidence has officially launched in Plymouth. The Get IT Together project is a threeyear £330,000 initiative led by Plymouth City Council and is funded by partners including BT,
Plymouth Community Homes, the Plymouth Health Community and Jobcentre Plus.
http://bit.ly/18R8sDP
BT is helping householders in a Glasgow high-rise get online as part of a new trial to
encourage digital participation. It has teamed up with Glasgow Housing Association and the
Scottish Government to offer tenants in 138 homes in a block in Knightswood a new tablet to
connect to high speed wi-fi access points throughout the building, linked back into the main
BT network via a single fibre cable. http://bit.ly/1dNPaSU
Digital Scotland: spreading the benefits of participation
The Royal Society of Edinburgh has published for consultation its interim report ‘Digital
Scotland: spreading the benefits of participation’. This report sets out the emerging
conclusions and recommendations of an inquiry into how Scotland can ensure that digital
technologies help to narrow social divides rather than widen them. Comments on the interim
report are welcome by 8 February in order to inform the final report, to be published in
Spring 2014. The report can be found at www.digiscot.net and feedback sent to
digiscot@royalsoced.org.uk.
e-Safety in Wales
The Welsh government will, in early 2014, award a contract to an organisation to design and
deliver an e-safety education and awareness-raising programme to young people,
parents/carers and teachers.
This will ensure that they know how to use the internet safely, responsibly and considerately
and know where to get help and advice, either in English or Welsh, when something goes
wrong. A series of e-safety activities will be delivered during 2014 and 2015. See
https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/Home/Pages/e-safety.aspx?lang=en
RAPal
As we navigate our ways round new and evolving literacies, Research and Practice in Adult
Literacy (RaPAL) has reflected this in the ways we work. 2013 saw the publication of our
journal (http://rapal.org.uk/journal/) online, with the multi-media opportunities this provides
(links to visual and oral texts, for example). We have also developed our online presence
and designed courses aiming to help literacy practitioners, for example, to build social
networking into their learning programmes (http://wp.me/P2nhpe-iR).
Citizens Online
Amaze Grant winner: Fix the Web
The first Amaze Grant has been awarded to Fix the Web. The UK-based initiative was
launched in 2010 to find and fix digital accessibility issues through crowdsourcing. Fix the
Web will help to remove barriers to the web for users with disabilities and also provide users
with disabilities a way to make their voices heard by website and application owners.
So far, the project has reported over 2,500 websites with potential accessibility issues that
can be resolved.
Tweetlocal and hubStroud launch this autumn
A long-standing goal of those interested in both digital inclusion and resilient local
communities has been to support the production of local community information hubs. Local
community content is a compelling reason to go online, and supporting communities through
digital hubs is a great way to enhance social capital and the resilience of communities. Hubs
can bring together different elements of a community at a time of crisis (floods, snow, riots
etc). Tweetlocal is our innovation to address this.
Citizens Online release digital inclusion research findings
Get IT Together is the digital Inclusion programme managed by Citizens Online in
partnership with BT, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Cymunedau and other local partners.
The results of the Get IT Together Research study are now available. The longitudinal study
is running over two years to measure the impact of digital skills training on participants.
See http://www.citizensonline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/HotSpots-December2013.pub_.pdf
________________________________________________________________________
Awards
Adult Learners' Week Awards
Adult Learners' Week Awards 2014 - we have a range of awards for inspirational individuals,
apprentices, learning projects and employers.
Nominate online now at www.alw.org.uk/nominations - nominations close at 5pm on
Thursday 30 January. www.alw.org.uk
Supporting digital media literacy and the Welsh language
The Welsh Government’s Welsh-language Technology and Digital Media grant scheme
recently announced grant awards to a number of projects which will support and enhance
the Welsh language online. Two of the six new grant awards have a particular focus on
digital media literacy:
JOMEC – StoriNi – Creating and Sharing News
Cardiff University’s School of Journalism will facilitate communities to collect, publish and
gain access to digital news and information through the medium of Welsh using an app and
software which will be offered free of charge in the Welsh language. These tools will allow
geographical as well as interest-led communities to engage with each other online and
increase the volume and consumption of the Welsh language online.
Penrhys Partnership – Technoleg Mawr mewn Dwylo Bach
Penrhys Partnership will employ an apprentice, under the guidance of a national software
development consultancy, to create two new apps focused on developing Welsh language
skills for children under 7 years old. The apps will be designed to be used by Welsh-medium
primary school children during their school classes as well as at home with parents who
want to engage with their children through the medium of Welsh.
Details of these and other Welsh language projects awarded grants is available at
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/welshlanguage/grantswelshlanguage/tech-digital-mediagrants/grants-awarded/?lang=en
The next round of grant applications for 2014/15 will open early 2014. Details of the grant
and how to apply will be posted on the grants to promote Welsh-language technology and
digital media page.
________________________________________________________________________
International
RUSSIA
Moscow Publishing House ICO “Information for All” published the second edition of the
book of president of Russian Association for Film and Media Education - Prof. Dr. Alexander
Fedorov:
Fedorov, A. Film studies in the university students' audience: from entertainment genres to
art house. Moscow: ICO “Information for all”, 2014, 232 p.
You can free read and download this book (pdf format) form the web:
http://eduof.ru/medialibrary/default.asp?ob_no=139881
AUSTRALIA
Young Australians and social media
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released its latest
research on internet use by young Australians. The ‘Like, post, share: Young Australians
experience of social media’ report outlines key trends in online use amongst children and
teenagers, and how their parents view their child’s online world. The study used qualitative
and quantitative data to examine children and teenager’s perceptions of the challenges they
face online, and the role of other people—family, friends and teachers—in helping them
navigate their way safely and positively. It also explored emerging trends such as the rise of
mobile access to the internet.
http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/Library/researchacma/Digital-society-research/youngaustralians-and-social-media
Digital footprints and identities
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released Digital Footprints
and Identities: community attitudinal research. Behaviours and attitudes relating to the
creation, use and management of an individual’s digital identity and the management of
digital information online were investigated using qualitative and quantitative research. The
research also aimed to identify what triggers an individual’s willingness to provide personal
information online. A series of three short reports that drill down on the specific research
findings were released to complement the full report.
http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/Library/researchacma/Digital-society-research/digitalfootprints-long-report-landing
http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/engage-blogs/engage-blogs/Research/Online-trust-a-twoway-street
USA
Media Literacy Research Symposium
Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut USA. March 21, 2014
The registration link is:
https://webpay.fairfield.edu/C20733_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=53&SINGLEST
ORE=true. For more information regarding the conference please go to this website:
http://medialiteracyresearchsymposium.wordpress.com/
The conference comprises five topic areas:
Strand 1: Media Literacy: Past, Present, and Future
Papers in this strand will explore the growth of media literacy through a historical lens,
looking at the past to understand the foundations of the field, and what they mean for the
future.
Strand 2: Digital Media and Learning
Papers in this strand will explore perspectives on how learning is evolving in technological
contexts, and what tools and platforms are facilitating this change.
Strand 3: Global Perspectives
Papers in this strand will explore the role of media literacy as it has developed in
international scope and focus in recent decades.
Strand 4: Education: Training, Policy, and Digital Citizenship
Papers in this strand will explore how media literacy can be a voice in policy discussions on
municipal and national levels.
Strand 5: Public Spaces & Civic Activism
Papers in this strand will explore the opportunities that media literacy provides for lifelong
education and informal learning environments.
Contact: medialiteracyresearch1@gmail.com
CANADA
AML
"The Association for Media Literacy in Ontario, Canada continues to offer provocative ideas
and resources on its website (www.aml.ca). It is planning a conference on April 5 at York
University in Toronto, Ontario, for teacher candidates. The rest of the year will see outreach
initiatives to parents and the public on diverse topics such as Privacy, the Accessibility of
End User Agreements, and Politics and the Media."
AAMA
ON Monday, November 25, 2013, in the Program Room of Mill Woods Public Library, AAMA
presented ‘Exploring the Impact of TV Messages’. Using some short NFB films from a DVD,
and two current ads from the Grey Cup Game to stimulate a group discussion, we
considered whether TV advertising is interesting or boring, informative or manipulative,
truthful or misleading.
http://aama.ca/?p=401
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