Learning about and
the Use of Media
in Schools
Olli Vesterinen, Lic.Ed.
Media Education Centre
University of Helsinki
2009

Defining Media Education

Defining Media Education
...in layman’s terms:
Intentional activities to
practise media literacy among
people.

The Seven Great
Debates in the
Media Literacy
Movement
(Renée Hobbs, 1998)

Seven debates
1. Should media education mainly aim to protect children and young people from
negative media influences?
2. Should media production be an essential feature of media education?
3. Should media education focus on popular culture texts?
4. Should media education have a more explicit political and ideological agenda?
5. Should media education be focused on school-based K-12 educational
environments (instead of homes for example)?
6. Should media literacy be taught as a specialist subject or integrated within the
context of existing subjects?
7. Should media education initiatives be supported financially by media
organisations (and other business sector)?

1. Should media education mainly aim to protect children
and young people from negative media influences?

2. Should media production be an essential feature of
media education?

3. Should media education focus on popular culture
texts?

4. Should media education have a more explicit political
and ideological agenda?

5. Should media education be focused on school-based
K-12 educational environments (instead of homes for
example)?

6. Should media literacy be taught as a specialist subject
or integrated within the context of existing subjects?

7. Should media education initiatives be supported
financially by media organisations (and other business
sector)?

Media education
in practice
Two examples

CmapTools
digital concept mapping software

Wikipedia -
Vikipeedia
The Free Encyclopedia that Anyone Can Edit
>> et.vikipeedia.org

Wikipedia
✦ Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based, free-content
encyclopedia project
✦ Formally launched on 15 January 2001 by Jimmy Wales
and Larry Sanger
✦ Operated by the Wikimedia Foundation
✦ Based in San Francisco
✦ Recent attempts to increase reliability:
✦ “Flagged revisions" means experienced volunteer
editor for Wikipedia sign off on any change made
✦ “WikiTrust” will color code every word based on the
reliability of its author and the length of time it has
persisted on the page

Olli Vesterinen
olli.vesterinen@helsinki.fi
www.helsinki.fi/people/olli.vesterinen