- Հայ
- Рус
- Eng
Armenia has declared the week of 4-10 November as Media Literacy Week. In this context, the Public Journalism Club organized and the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) hosted the presentation of the children’s book “Online Zoo”, as well as the Guidelines for tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training.
The event was held with financial support from the European Union delegation to Armenia and as part of Media Literacy Week.
Among the attendees were Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Head of the Political, Press and Information Section Jan Plešinger; the administration of the ASPU; representatives from educational institutions, as well as practicing and future teachers.
In her welcoming remarks, President of the Public Journalism Club Seda Muradyan emphasized that the Public Journalism Club attaches importance to the development of education and any initiative aimed at supporting teachers. She said the choice of the venue for the event wasn’t by chance since the Armenian State Pedagogical University is the university that prepares generations of teachers, and it is hard to overestimate the role of education in our days.
Seda Muradyan talked about the inevitability of using the Internet in the digital age and underscored the fact that there are not only opportunities, but also many challenges and problems. She is certain that the presented educational materials will serve as a major guideline and will help teachers and educators shape media literate citizens, develop children’s critical thinking and help them become more protected in the digital field.
Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Head of the Political, Press and Information Section Jan Plešinger considered the title “Media Literacy in an Age of Artificial Intelligence” as current, adding that it forms a part of the international movement and is aimed at raising the level of perception of the media and awareness about the topic for analysis.
Jan Plešinger noted that we are living in an era that is super rich in information and that media literacy is a fundamental skill in this environment. He attached importance to the fact that the public and particularly the youth will be able to critically assess the content in the media and the digital field and viewed media literacy as a cornerstone for democracy, considering as necessary the promotion of media literacy skills for media literacy to be effective.
ASPU Vice-Rector for HR Management and International Cooperation Marianna Harutyunyan notes that in an age of digitalization, it is hard to imagine life without media and it is twice as hard to imagine life without media literacy, adding that it is media literacy that makes it possible to conduct correct analyses. The Vice-Rector attached importance to media literacy from the pedagogical perspective as well, stating that it is necessary to teach children how to use the right sources and make their choices in the media field correctly starting from preschool age. She emphasized the fact that the Armenian State Pedagogical University started attaching importance to media literacy back in 2014 when it introduced new subjects, carried out a number of ambitious projects and activities. Harutyunyan is certain that it is necessary to work with children starting from an early age because this will help Armenia have citizens who are advanced and prepared.
Among those attending the event taking place at the ASPU as part of Media Literacy Week was 12-year-old Stella Sahakyan, who translated the book “Online Zoo” from the source language into Armenian. She shared her experience, talked about the process, her favorite characters in the book and the achievements that she has made thanks to the book.
Communications and Projects Coordinator of the Public Journalism Club Hasmik Paytyan introduced the presented books and emphasized that the aim of these books is to present, in an accessible manner, the importance of media literacy and the challenges of digital security, as well as the rules and principles for acting safely on the Internet.
Associate Professor of the ASPU Chair of Pedagogy Lusine Poghosyan touched upon the importance of teaching media literacy, talked about the completed and upcoming programs of the Armenian State Pedagogical University, as well as the collaborations and the processes geared towards improvement of the sector. The speaker emphasized that the Armenian State Pedagogical University is one of the leading universities of the country that has introduced the media literacy course, adding that the University’s laboratory has conducted a number of studies and printed handbooks.
