Media and other forms of communication have been changing the way information is gathered and spread across our profession. As a result, traditional lessons and courses in education have been facing the need to change as well. Our students show a lot of interest in acquiring practical skills that enable them to play, study or work on the Internet, but many of them do not necessarily understand the inherent risks. Hence, when practitioners are familiar with these tools they are more able to use them effectively in the classroom, as well as prepare students for responsible use and production of content in the process.

The resource, developed within the Pestalozzi Programme, draws a link to human rights education, aiming to expand the practitioners’ knowledge on this topic. This knowledge can then be transferred to the classroom to encourage learners to defend human rights and recognise their violation, particularly when using new media. To master the concepts of human rights education and the use of new media, participants design an educational multimedia project on this topic through guided steps and examples of good practices which encourage them to reflect on the multifaceted functionalities of new media (e.g. audio, visual, static and dynamic components, navigation, interactivity, etc.). This multimedia project, around the theme of human rights and other equally important topics, can be carried out in the classroom with various age groups according to experience, knowledge and skills.

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To cite this resource: Piperkov, I.  (2012). Learning about and making friends with new technologies.In Council of Europe Pestalozzi Programme Training Units.