Secret power medi@

We live in a world inundated with information. Newspapers attempt to provide a deep analysis of current events, while radio and television have the advantage of timeliness. The newest medium—the internet—combines features of all the other media. The range of the internet is unbelievable.

People are online every day. Learning about media use, therefore, is an essential part of the educational process. Danka Bednarova, the Deputy Director of the Elementary School in Martin, believes that “Education in the use of media has to be part of every subject which is taught in school these days.”

Teachers are realizing that, not only adults, but children also are forced to receive a lot of information every day. It is impossible to understand and process all of it. Because there is so much information, it is necessary to learn how to sift through it, select what is good, and use it in an understanding way. This “Information Overload,” without the possibility of understanding, is one of the many reasons the Lutheran Elementary School is participiting in a project called Secret Power Media, according to school Director, Jozef Sopoliga. Students from the 7^th to 9^th grades will be finding answers about the power and influence of the media, and especially about how the media influences our own behavior and thinking.

The two-year-long project will be undertaken in connection with other schools in Europe. Students from the Lutheran Elementary School will work on this project in cooperation with students from Turkey, Sweden, Catalonia, Spain, and Poland. They will have the opportunity to spend time together, get connected, and learn more about different cultures.

The students will learn more about media, how it works, media activities, and about the negative influences and risks. Deputy Director Danka Bednarova adds that a “major goal of the project will be to teach students how to discern between fact and fiction” on the internet.

(HeHe-T)