With the kind request for publication
PM_Between Media Education and Media Consumption: Experts Exchange Ideas at the Fourth Joint Daycare Specialist Conference
About 90 professionals recently participated in the fourth joint specialist day for municipal daycare centers in the districts of Saarlouis and Merzig-Wadern at the town hall in Merzig. It addressed the topic: "Media consumption in early childhood: What risks, what opportunities? How do we professionally deal with the various aspects of media consumption and media education in our work?"
One of the central topics of the expert day was the tension in which daycare teams find themselves in the field of media education: On the one hand, media consumption poses risks for children and can have corresponding health effects; on the other hand, acquiring media skills is part of the educational mandate to promote digital participation. In this context, the possible design of collaboration with guardians was also discussed.
At the beginning of the all-day event, Janine Bus, head of the youth welfare office of the Merzig-Wadern district, and Stefanie Balzer, youth welfare planner of the Saarlouis district, welcomed the numerous professionals, managers, and overall managers from the municipal daycare centers on behalf of both districts.
The opening lecture was given by Prof. Dr. Paula Bleckmann together with her colleague Elisabeth Freund. Prof. Dr. Bleckmann is a professor of media pedagogy with research focuses on media (addiction) prevention, digital education policy, and parental counseling at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in Alfter/Bonn. She is also the author of the SESAM card set for daycare professionals, which was presented to the participants during the expert day. It deals with media education in early childhood.
As part of the presentation, the impact of media consumption on the attachment, development, and behavior of young people was discussed, and the role of media consumption by professionals in relation to their role model function was questioned.
In the afternoon, the participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge through four workshops:
Based on theoretical and practical aspects, "media consumption in early childhood" was reflected upon, incorporating numerous facets and always focusing on a positive and healthy development of the children, together with the speakers and the participants.
The organizing team of both districts thanks all speakers and participants for the committed professional exchange: "The great response and the intensive discussions highlighted the high relevance of the topic for educational practice. The districts look forward to continuing the joint series of expert events in the coming years."
Photo credit: Around 90 participants listened to the remarks of Prof. Dr. Paula Bleckmann.
