Objective of this research on digital needs, edited by Rai, T6 Ecosystems and Tim, in collaboration with LUISS and with the institutional support of the Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito, Direzione generale per i fondi strutturali per l’istruzione, l’edilizia scolastica e la scuola digitale, was to investigate, with the support of a survey aimed at the school world, the needs and requirements of teachers and students in terms of Media Literacy in order to provide useful recommendations for educational paths schools and a wide-ranging educational offer.
The need for a targeted Survey rests on the fact that, at least in its most advanced form, Media Literacy is still a young teaching subject, mostly included in the teaching hours reserved for civic education (digital citizenship), recently reintroduced in schools. It is therefore natural that there is not yet a consolidated literature on the subject, even if there are numerous and meritorious initiatives developed at an academic level and by qualified associations of teachers and trainers to promote and spread digital culture and Media Literacy on everything the national territory, within the framework of actions for digital citizenship.
When we talk about digital innovation within schools, therefore, we must think about a real change in programs and methodologies that calls into play the digital skills of teachers and students, listening to the voices of the protagonists to know the needs and requests of those who work and live in the world of school. Hence the need to develop a Survey based on a questionnaire to be distributed in schools.
Research on Digital Media Literacy gaps and needs is the natural complement to Media Literacy versus Fake News Research (MLvFN)1 which, by providing, among other things, the definitive framework of reference, has outlined the areas of in-depth analysis covered by this Report and, in particular, by the questionnaire used for the survey.
Compared to a functionalist vision of Media Literacy, the definition taken up in the MLvFN Research and which is proposed here, in line with the approach adopted by the European Commission in 2007 (Communication 2007/883/CE), sees Media Literacy as a key factor of digital citizenship, i.e. as “the ability of an individual to consciously and responsibly make use of virtual means of communication” and with the ability to develop a critical sense towards the information received, transforming from a passive receptor of information into an active subject .
It is in this interpretation that Media Literacy is combined with Media Education, becoming a fundamental prerequisite for countering the risks of misinformation.
From this analysis it emerges that the digital skills gap can only be overcome through Media Education actions that go beyond some limits of Media Literacy, which risks shifting some system responsibilities onto the individual. This is because digital skills require cultural, political, and social contextualization, for “the exercise of full, active and informed citizenship”. Furthermore, the importance of standardizing teaching paths both for Digital Literacy and, even more urgently, for the teaching of Media Literacy.
