A seminar on information and media literacy will be held in the lecture hall of Gróska in Vatnsmýri on Thursday, 16 February from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir will open the conference with a speech before the day's keynote speaker, Stephanie Comey, speaks. Stephanie is an expert in media literacy and the Deputy Director General of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), which is particularly interesting as companies such as Meta and Google have their European headquarters in Ireland and are therefore subject to its oversight. The symposium will then feature various experts in information, visual and media literacy, who will share their knowledge and present findings from recent research and exciting upcoming projects. The symposium will then conclude with a panel discussion where media literacy will be discussed from various perspectives. The chair is Dr María Rún Bjarnadóttir, Vice-Chair of the Media Commission.
Agenda of the symposium
- 9:00 – 9:15 Opening address – Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister
- 9:15 – 9:40 Keynote Speaker – Stephanie Comey – Deputy Director of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). Stephanie is a media literacy specialist at the Irish Broadcasting Authority (BAI), which is particularly interesting as companies such as Meta and Google have their European headquarters in Ireland and are therefore subject to its oversight.
- 9:40 – 10:00 Discussion and questions for Stephanie
- 10:00 – 10:15 Coffee
- 10:15-10:25 Media Committee – Skúli B. Geirdal, Project Manager for Media Literacy – New findings from a study on hate, polarisation and trust in Iceland
- 10:25-10:35 National Police Commissioner – Guðbjörg S. Bergsdóttir, Project Manager – findings from a victimisation survey on cyber and computer crime and the importance of prevention (including public media literacy) to prevent such crimes. Focus on the 60+ age group.
- 10:35-10:45 AwareGo – Ari Kristinn Jónsson, CEO – How can we best ensure security when using information technology for communication and other purposes?
- 10:45-10:55 KrakkaRÚV – Karitas M. Bjarkadóttir, news editor of Krakkafréttir. How to present the news to children and young people. What should be considered, what are their interests, and how to reach them?
- 10:55-11:05 Data Protection – Steinunn Birna Magnúsdóttir, Director of International Cooperation and Education. How to protect your privacy online and the importance of preventative education.
- 11:05-11:15 Children's Ombudsman – Guðríður Bolladóttir, Senior Legal Counsel – Guidance for parents, guardians and staff in school and leisure activities concerning the internet, social media and children.
- 11:20-12:00 Panel discussion – Media literacy from various perspectives
– Elfa Ýr Gylfadóttir, Director of the Media Commission
– Sigurður Sigurðsson, specialist in children's and young people's media use at Heimili og skóla and SAFT
– Ingibjörg Steinunn Sverrisdóttir, National Librarian
– Guðrún Helga Jónasdóttir, Project Manager at the Icelandic Film Centre
As seating in the hall is limited, it is important to register in good time. For those who are unable to attend, the symposium will be available to stream. This option can be selected on the registration form.
Click here to register for the seminar
Information and media literacy week in Iceland for the first time
A special week of education dedicated to information and media literacy will be held for the first time in Iceland from 13th to 17th February 2023! All schools in the country will receive an educational pack with six instructional videos, along with teaching support. The educational material is intended for children in the middle school years and covers online communication and well-being, watching pornography, news and fake news, and responsible use of social media. The Network for Media and Information Literacy (TUMI) is organising the week with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Industry and Innovation, and Sóley, a grant fund run by the Association of Local Authorities in the Capital Region.
The following institutions, ministries, companies and organisations have representatives in the network:
The Media Commission, SAFT & Home and School, Education Department of Kópavogur Municipality, School and Leisure Services of Reykjavík City, Mixtúra, The Film Centre, National Library of Iceland, The Ministry of Culture and Commerce, Ministry of Education, Industry and Innovation, RÚV – The National Broadcasting Service of Iceland, The National Education Agency, Faculty of Education, University of Iceland, University of the Third Age, University of Iceland, University of Akureyri, Continuing Education at the University of Iceland, Lifelong Learning at the University of Akureyri, RANNUM – Research Centre for Information Technology and Media, Barnaheill, the National Commission for UNESCO, The Icelandic Data Protection Authority, Breiðholts Service Centre, the Working Group on Digital Citizenship, Upplýsing – the Association for Library and Information Science, Association of Secondary School Libraries, Association of Heads of Public Libraries, AwareGO and RIFF - Reykjavík International Film Festival.