Dealing responsibly with media - against fake news and bullying

Media education is also becoming increasingly important in Bavarian schools. As part of a cooperation project with the advisory teachers for digital education at the secondary schools in Upper Franconia, the DigiLLab of the University of Bayreuth welcomed 200 secondary school students to the NWII to make them fit for reflective and responsible media use. The topics "Me on the Net", "Manipulation & Fake News" and "Cyberbullying" were on the agenda. The participating pupils were not only to be trained in these topics, but also to learn how they can pass on this knowledge to pupils in younger grades.

The core of the project is the cooperation of the DigiLLab with the Pegnitz secondary school, in which the teaching concepts that were originally developed as part of a university course for student teachers were tested and further developed into workshops on various topics of media education. Clemens Pfefferle and Tanja Renner, the advisory teachers for digital education at the Realschule Pegnitz, were involved in the organisation of the Mebio-Nauten Day.

"Digital media take an important and self-evident part in the everyday life of children and young people," says Maria Seyferth-Zapf from the DigiLLab in Bayreuth. In 2022, 96% of twelve to 19-year-olds will have their own smartphone, and surfing the internet is considered the most important media-related activity. "Although the opportunities of digital media use predominate for children and young people, there are also challenges that need to be taken into account. This is where our Mebio-Nauts project comes in."

The materials the pupils* worked with at Bayreuth University can also be found in a Mebis course room. Mebis is the digital learning platform used at Bavarian schools. In addition to the digital version, the participants were provided with a workbook in analogue form. Furthermore, detailed moderation cards were to help the future Mebio-Nauts to conduct the workshop with younger pupils.

"We always notice that the pupils in the younger grades are more likely to take it from other pupils," says Tanja Renner. "They just speak the same language there."

At the closing plenary, the students were then able to vote: Did you enjoy the day? Do you think that what you learned is needed at your school? The results were clear. The pupils from the 16 participating Upper Franconian secondary schools rated the experience at the University of Bayreuth as helpful and interesting. Currently, further media education modules are planned on the topics of "Digital Game Worlds", "Influencer Marketing" and "Designing Your Own Media Contributions", which will be integrated into the education of the Mebio-Nauts in the coming school year.