Media competency and Waldorf Education

Media competency and Waldorf education Struwwelpeter* 2.0 Media competency and Waldorf education Download: http://www.waldorfschule.de/fileadmin/downloads/blickpunkte_reader/Struwwelpeter_engl_August_2015.pdf Buy paper copies: http://www.waldorfschule-shop.de/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=202

Developmental stages

Media With regards to media pedagogy the brochure applies a broad concept of media that distinguishes between media type (text, sound and images), media content (e.g. the story of a novel or the plot of a movie) and media carrier (e.g. book, CD, ebook-reader, smartphone…).

Media competency This also implies a broad concept of media competency, which, apart from being a skilled user of the various devices or “media carriers”, requires the conscious use of the various “media types”, the ability to both analyse and interpret media content and the ability to produce it. .

Indirect vs. direct Media Pedagogy Edwin Huebner suggests the distinction of indirect media education (development of the physical, emotional and intellectual abilities for acquiring media competency) and direct media education which implies the actual media use.

EU level: pushing for an early use of IT Council conclusions on the role of early childhood education and primary education in fostering creativity, innovation and digital competence (27/05/2015) 2015 Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET2020) New priorities for European cooperation in education and training The Council (...) invites the Member States (...) with regards to digital competence to: Facilitate access to and the promotion of ICT and the development of digital competence through age-appropriate exposure to, and the integration of, digital tools throughout early childhood education and primary education, whilst recognising the important role of parents and families, as well as the different learning needs at different ages. Download: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52015XG0527(04) Priority area 3: Open and innovative education and training, including by fully embracing the digital era: Addressing the development of digital competences at all levels of learning, including non-formal and informal, in response to the digital revolution

The bottom line: We fully agree that media competency and the use of IT-technogy necessary qualifications of our time We however have our own way of getting there and we would like to preserve this holistsic and developmental approach That requires freedom of curriculum for our Kindergartens and Schools. The Council is encouraging EU member states to push for the use of IT-technology in early childhood education and the early school years. In our understanding, this is the wrong approach. Despite the very careful wording, which clearly is due to the national sovereignty in the field, ECSWE is worried about the potential dynamics at the national level.