The Media Literacy: Sustainability, Expertise, Solutions international conference, held in Sofia, provided us with the opportunity to participate in a high-quality professional event. Not only did it enrich us with deeper knowledge in the field of media education, but it also facilitated the establishment of many valuable professional connections. The conference aimed to draw attention to the importance of integrating media education and journalism into the curriculum, particularly within elementary school programs, which is crucial for developing the information literacy, critical thinking skills, and resilience of future generations.
The discussions and workshops at the event brought together experts from various countries, including France, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, and Bulgaria, offering a platform for international collaboration and sharing best practices. We found the debates on the impact of disinformation, misinformation, AI, and deepfakes, as well as the discussions on recognizing these issues, especially valuable. The focus on the close relationship between using reliable news sources and psychological well-being was also noteworthy.
The innovative educational materials presented at the conference, such as the lesson plans and webinars developed by Časoris (a Slovenian news portal for children) and Vijte (a Bulgarian online children’s media portal), provide educators with practical tools for effectively applying media education. Our participation in the conference not only contributed to our professional development but also reinforced our commitment to media education, which plays a fundamental role in shaping future generations.
Through the experiences gained and the new connections made, we are now even more capable of contributing to the creation of a media-savvy, critically thinking, well-informed society.
We would like to extend our gratitude to Noémi Everling-Beke, Dr. Krisztina Nagy, and the IDEA Foundation for making our participation in the conference possible and for allowing us to present our teacher training experiences to an international community of educators!
Hanna Szép, psychology and communication-media major
László Gázsik, history teacher-English teacher major