ITE to Partner Media Literacy Council on Media Literacy Education

06 May 2013

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and the Media Literacy Council (MLC) have sealed an inaugural educational partnership to give students a deeper understanding of Internet, and social and mainstream media-related issues. This is the MLC’s first official partnership with a Post-Secondary Education Institution since the Council formed in August last year.

Having worked together for Safer Internet Day 2013, the two organisations have now taken their collaboration a step further with a three-year partnership that will see media literacy and discernment education becoming an integral component of ITE’s student induction process. A new three-hour module, designed to encourage media discernment and critical thinking among students, will be incorporated into ITE’s New Intake Orientation Programme.

An In-Depth Look at Media in the Digital Age``

Beyond imparting general cyber wellness know-how, ITE students across its three Colleges will be given an in-depth look at media and cyberspace issues. Students will be exposed to a breadth of topics such as media agenda setting, interacting on social media, dealing with trolls, responding to inappropriate online behaviour, as well as the principles and workings of Singapore’s media classification system.

“Social media communications and the traditional media landscape are evolving. As youths are among the most ardent social media users as well as media consumers, this partnership with ITE is therefore a timely one which we hope is the first of many to come. As the Internet and media are now an integral part of students’ lives, education plays a critical role in inculcating the values and best practices we want youths to carry through to the future,” said MLC’s Chairman, Professor Tan Cheng Han.

One hundred and sixty students from ITE College East’s School of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology will be involved in a pilot of the new orientation module this month. The programme will be fine-tuned with student feedback before being officially rolled out to all new ITE students from January 2014 onwards.

Media Smart Club – Formed as a New CCA

Besides introducing a new orientation module, ITE and MLC will also introduce a new Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) called Media Smart Club across the three ITE Colleges. Starting from the second half of 2013, thirty students from each ITE College will be selected to be part of the new Media Smart Club. Members will be trained to be student leaders and media literacy specialists. In turn, they will spearhead projects to further raise awareness of media discernment and responsible online behaviour to the wider ITE student community.

Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE, believes that the initiative is valuable and necessary for students in this digital age. He said, “Being socially responsible and protecting themselves to create a safe environment is important as our students use media heavily and are active content generators on online platforms. With media ambassadors, it will be faster and easier to propagate civil online-behaviour and cyber wellness among students, using peer-to-peer influence.”

Media Publicity

Members of the media are invited to report on the initiative. For media queries, please contact:

About ITE
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore, was established as a post-secondary education institution in 1992 under the Ministry of Education. ITE is a principal provider of career and technical education and key developer of national occupational skills certification and standards to enhance Singapore’s workforce competitiveness. Under its “One ITE System, Three Colleges” Model of Education and Governance, ITE has three Colleges, comprising ITE College Central, ITE College East and ITE College West. For more information, visit: www.ite.edu.sg.

About Media Literacy Council (MLC)
The Media Literacy Council works in partnership with industry, community and government to champion and develop public education and awareness programmes relating to media literacy and cyber wellness. In an increasingly interactive and participatory media landscape, the Council seeks to cultivate and encourage the public to become discerning media consumers with the ability to evaluate media content effectively, and use, create and share content safely and responsibly. It also advises the government on how to respond to emerging issues relating to Internet and media content.