Ghana News - Code of ethics for reporting on children launched - Graphic Online

Screenshot from graphic online

A Child Protection Code of Ethics intended to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct among journalists in relation to their reportage on children, has been launched in Accra.

The 16-page document on the theme, “Making the Worth of Children Matter Through Reporting”, touches on issues of protecting the privacy and dignity of the child, participation and consent, responsibility of journalists towards society for the interest of children, and placement of images, videos, and messages in news reporting.

Developed by Child Rights International, a non-governmental organization, the National Media Commission (NMC) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with funding from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the document is also meant to ensure that the ethics adopted by journalists in reporting on children are updated to suit their best interest, instead of damaging their image.

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RESOURCES: Teaching internet safety in schools

The German Awareness Centre, klicksafe, offers a comprehensive range of materials for use in class on a variety of topics, from cyberbullying to copyright and online pornography.

The claim that internet safety, online literacy and related topics need to be included in schools, lessons and curricula is nearly as old as the statement that internet and online media have become a normal part of children’s and young people’s lives. Most people involved in education will agree on the basic message, but then – how to?

As one step towards a comprehensive and efficient implementation of the topic of internet safety at schools, the German Awareness Centre, klicksafe, offers teaching materials that support teachers and pedagogues in their efforts. The first in this line published was the teachers’ handbook ‘Knowhow for young users’ in 2008, a comprehensive introduction to nine different topics of internet safety, with basic information on each of the topics and approximately 90 worksheets to be used in class. The teaching handbook is based on the concept and the experience of the klicksafe teachers’ trainings, and offers lots of useful assistance and practical tips for lessons. The essential characteristic is that the units are easy to comprehend and do not require previous training. For each topic, the handbook offers three lesson units, i.e. worksheets, in different levels of difficulty. Each of the topics is equally structured with factual information, links, methodical-didactic references and worksheets for the class.

source - klicksafe website

RESOURCES: Back to school with a new teachers' handbook

‘Sex and Violence in Digital Media. Prevention, Help & Counselling’ is the title of the new handbook for educators produced by the Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (OIAT) which runs the Austrian Awareness Centre Saferinternet.at. The handbook contains useful information on media violence and phenomena such as cyberbullying, sexting and grooming. The resource is primarily designed to be used by teachers; therefore it contains tips on prevention, as well as how to handle such incidents at school.

The resource contains 23 practical exercises that can be used in school or in youth work. Since the handbook has been created in the framework of an EU Daphne III project, in cooperation with partners from Belgium, it is available in four language versions: English, German, French and Dutch. 

The brochures can be downloaded from the following website:http://www.saferinternet.at/chadvice.

Further information on safer internet activities in Austria is available from the Insafe website, or visit the Austrian Awareness Centre website direct at www.saferinternet.at.

Source

ARTICLES / RESOURCES: A Web 2.0 Toolkit for Educators

By: Sara Panag - Published: August 30, 2010

It is important for school teachers to learn new technology, even if, typically, a school district’s first line of defense regarding Internet use is to close the school network to much of it. It takes courage for a school to open up communication with the Internet and incorporate social media and Web 2.0 into their curriculum and professional development. When students and faculty are taught how to harness the technology they can mindfully connect with an expanded world.

Until I sat in on several digital tools sessions at a Curriculum 21 conference held mid-July in Saratoga Springs, New York, I had little idea of the recent crop of education friendly digital tools. The gems I picked up blew me away. My mind whirred with the possibilities each resource held and envisioning my students’ enhanced learning experience using new technology. But, like any educator my greatest hurdle is time. In the course of a few hours spread out over several days, I had to catch a quick volley of best practices for social networking and utilizing Web 2.0 tools in the curriculum.

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FIJI: Material for children soon available

Material for children soon available
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - Taken from / By: FBC News

Award winning international standard communication material and media for young children will soon be available in the Pacific.

The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today conducted a workshop with the theme “Media for Children in the Pacific” involving media representatives from Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

UNICEF consultant Barbara Kolucki says the workshop aims to produce communication means for children like books, newspaper spreads, and radio and television spots on topics that will help them do positive things in life.

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RESOURCES: Color it Rights! A child's introduction to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany Cape Breton University Children's Rights Centre's "Color it Rights" colouring book. Each picture in the colouring book represents an article of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC or the Convention). There are few resources suitable to teach pre-literate children about the UNCRC; "Color it Rights" is intended to help fill that gap.

This resource uses fun pictures to present the UNCRC and to convey the meanings of Convention articles to children with corresponding simplified language for teachers to read aloud. The production and distribution of this resource was funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada.

Source and download links

RESOURCES / PUBLICATIONS: Children's Views Not in the News: Portrayal of Children in South African Print Media 2009

This 34-page report is from Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), which, as part of its Empowering Children and the Media (ECM) strategy, researched selected print media's coverage of children and children's rights in South African news. As part of this study, media coverage of children for the period of May 17 to August 30 2009 was divided into 5 broad questions:

1. Have children's rights been respected, and is the coverage ethical?
2. Are children's voices heard?
3. Are children's issues covered in depth?
4. Are a diversity of children represented - in terms of age, sex, race, and region?
5. How has the media covered children, overall?


source - full document in pdf

PUBLICATIONS: Mapping Media Education Policies in the World: Visions, Programmes and Challenges

"Mapping Media Education Policies in the World" discusses a policy-based approach to media education, considering it from three inter-related dimensions: its national, regional, and global contexts; its value to citizens and civic participation; and the importance of the role of collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector in the process of elaborating education for media literacy. It is published by: the United Nations - Alliance of Civilizations; the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); European Commission; and Grupo Comunicar.

The foreword to this document provides this definition of media literacy: "'Media literacy' may be defined as the ability to access the media, to understand and evaluate critically their contents and to create communications in a variety of contexts."

more info

RESOURCES: Compasito – a manual on human rights education for children!

Compasito – a manual on human rights education for children!

We hope that this manual will provide you with ideas, inspiration and practical help to explore human rights with children. Living among other people in their families, communities and society, children become aware from a very early age of questions related to justice and seek for the meaning of the world. By fostering an understanding of human rights, shaping opinions and developing attitudes, human rights education strongly supports this natural interest and learning process.

Children are often considered people who are 'not yet adult' and therefore dependent, inexperienced, undisciplined and in need of order or guidance. Compasito builds on another concept explained well by Lothar Krappmann, German sociologist and educationalist: children live 'here and now', "they generate their views on problems and construct competent solutions".1 Compasito looks at children as young citizens of the present and as rights-holders who are competent in many issues related to their life. It builds on children's motivations, experiences and search for solutions.

Compasito was inspired by 'Compass – a manual on human rights education with young people', which was developed by the Council of Europe in 2002. More than expected, 'Compass' is used with younger people of secondary school age and in school environments in many European countries. The expectations of users of 'Compass' for a training manual directed specifically at children matched our own convictions that human rights education should start at the earliest possible age.

Compasito builds on the philosophy and educational approaches of 'Compass'. As with 'Compass', it uses a non-formal educational methodology and a structure that provides theoretical and practical support to users of the manual. However, while 'Compass' addresses young people themselves, Compasito addresses adult educators who work with children. It provides them with theoretical and methodological information and substantial discussion of the book's human rights themes. Compasito also encourages educators to adapt material to reflect their own and their children's reality. Although the practical activities are designed to play with children, most activities need the proper facilitation of an educational expert.

full resource online in English and Russian

Compass training manual

European Youth Centre Budapest

RESOURCES / INTERNET: Teachtoday now available in English and German

A collaboration of the world’s leading communication providers including Buongiorno, Deutsche Telekom, Facebook, Google, GSM Association, Microsoft, MySpace, Orange FT Group, Telecom Italia, Telefonica and Vodafone have recently updated the website, Teachtoday.eu, now available in English and German. The site is specifically designed to help teachers manage the challenges, both inside and outside the classroom, presented by online technologies such as Facebook, YouTube, mobile internet services and services such as Twitter. The industry collaboration worked closely with UK government and professional agencies including Becta, National Association of Head Teachers, teacher unions, local authorities and independent educational experts. A similar national line-up contributed to the German version of the site.

The website builds on the issues outlined in the recent Byron Report and the work of the DCSF Cyber bullying Task Force. It has a particular focus on problems that affect teachers directly; for example, where they are subject to malicious comments, videos or fake profiles posted on social networking sites by pupils. These can all be instantly uploaded and shared virally using mobile technologies such as Bluetooth or internet access. It also provides professional guidance for teachers’ use of personal devices from using a mobile in the school environment, to blogging and social networking.

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NEWS: Ofcom Media Literacy e-Bulletin Nov 2009

Media Literacy e-Bulletin

This month’s Media Literacy e-Bulletin features news on the Get Safe Online Summit and NIACE’s conference on digital participation. It also includes information on anti-bullying resources and safety advice for online shoppers. The media literacy e-Bulletin can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/media_literacy/medlitpub/bulletins/issue27/

WEBSITES: PBS Parents - Children and Media

Children and Media

Discover how TV, movies, advertising, computers and video games can shape your child's development and what you can do to create a media-literate household.

link to resources

RESOURCES: Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive. A digital literacy guide for the information age

Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive. A digital literacy guide for the information age.

A guide to help professional and amateur news producers understand and implement digital tools to enhance their reporting. Written by Mark Briggs, assistant managing editor for interactive news at The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington.

full resource as pdf file