During the recently concluded Media Week which took place on Tuesday, March 24th to Saturday, March 29th, our school, Lycée Henri Sylvoz, MOANDA, #MLF, COMILOG, joined the global education community in celebrating this year’s media week under the theme « Where Is the Information? » This annual event is organized by the #Centre pour l’éducation aux médias et à l’information (CLEMI).
The objective of the event was to: « Understand and interpret the world of the media, learn to check sources and information, develop a keen interest in current affairs, and forge an identity as responsible citizens. »
This project is partly designed to promote an understanding and autonomous use of media and information by both students and teachers, who are simultaneously readers, content producers, and broadcasters. By doing so, it fosters a sense of responsibility for the content they produce and distribute in their communities and across the world.
The High School Librarians, Mr. Bayari and Mme. Lea, alongside several colleagues and students, embraced the theme and worked together to help students produce meaningful content. This content was then presented, displayed, and showcased throughout the week-long event.
At the opening of the project, The Principal, Mr. Stephan Madrias who was accompanied by Deputy Mme. Tindjogo and the teachers involved in supporting the students, remarked:“We are swimming in a sea of information, and we can choose between broadcasting positive or negative news. We have access to tools that help us verify the information we choose to share.” He further emphasized that in this age of technology and the digital world, we are fortunate to have the ability to read books online, on our phones, and access knowledge and technology faster, smarter, and more efficiently. He applauded the teachers and students for their involvement in the project, which helped enrich everyone with the right information.
Students were actively involved in various activities, here’s part of the production that took place in room 5, to mention but a few…
1erGT1 & 2: Using New Media and Technology Tools to Spread The Message
How do we use Technology in schools?
- Minecraft Production:
- Students centered their project around the topic “Technology in the Classroom”. They created characters and animations showcasing how technology is used in various subjects while highlighting both its advantages and disadvantages.
- Here’s the link…
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gU3pBUK9T1WzEt3Xhlcs5mC1DpQLA3Ax/view
Will technology in school help us learn better?
- Zoom Conversation: Students held a Zoom meeting with their Godmother, Mme. Florence MILLET, an Eco-Photographer and Founder of #www.coffeelter.com. Speaking from a train station in Paris just before catching her train, Mme. Florence demonstrated how we can access information from anywhere in the world, and/or at a faster pace. She also lectured on how to use the information we receive more responsibly- she gave an example using her own « life’s lessons » on how to use backups, save photos and including all types of I,formation we may have on our drives and all that… Her key message was the importance of embracing technology in a meaningful way while being eco-responsible for a cleaner, greener world.
Here’s part of the conversation with the students on using new media tools & technology in a a more eco-friendly manner…
During their continued conversation via Zoom, students discussed various influential figures in technology, such as Katherine Johnson, Margaret Hamilton, and Marie Curie, etc… noting how these women are celebrated each year on Women’s Day. Mme. Florence questioned why women should be celebrated only once a year, stating that women should be honored every day for their contributions to the development and improvement of communities. She encouraged the students to discover their life’s purpose and embrace the challenges posed by the media, distinguishing between fake news and reliable information.
… »You mentioned Women’s Day.. but women should not be celebrated only in one day. Women have played and continue to play a bigger role in advancing technology more than what is being celebrated each year. » – Florence MILLET, the Students’ Godmother and Founder, @ coffeelter.com
It’s not by surprise that often times, girls excel in Education & Technology-EDTECH.
TGT1 & 2: Focus on The Media and “Virtual Assistants”
The students also centered their discussions around the topic “Is the Media Impartial?” They explored how to detect fake news, followed by a TV/Radio talk show dubbed “Citizenship and Virtual Worlds”, offering a critical look at media and technology in the classroom. They examined the role of media and technology in education and engaged in critical thinking about the kind of information the media provides. Some of their questions included: “Is the media impartial?”, “How do we detect fake news?”, and “How do we deal with manipulative information?” They also discussed potential solutions to these challenges.
Please keep on reading…
Overall, it was a week-long, fruitful event that enriched our students with valuable knowledge on how to use technology and media responsibly in the classroom. It also addressed the importance of handling fake news, both in our communities and around the world, helping our students to remain responsible citizens.
