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Comunicar Journal 70: New challenges for teachers in the context of digital learning (Vol. 30 - 2022)

Teachers' perspectives for a critical agenda in media education post COVID-19. A comparative study in Latin America

https://doi.org/10.3916/C70-2022-01

Julio-César Mateus

Pablo Andrada

Catalina González-Cabrera

Cecilia Ugalde

Sebastián Novomisky

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America forced a transition from a face-to-face educational model to a distance model affected by emergencies, technological precariousness, and lack of planning. This has heightened the need for media literacy in the region. In this context, the changes that have occurred were analyzed in order to propose a critical agenda from the perspective of teachers. First, a desk research of official sources was carried out to learn about the strategies of the four countries under study: Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, and Peru. Secondly, eight focus groups were conducted with primary school teachers from public and private institutions to learn about their perception of their own and their students' media competencies, the impact of the pandemic on their practices and needs, and the emerging challenges in this crisis. The results shed light on the need for relevant ICT training from a media literacy perspective, and strategies to address connectivity gaps, lack of adequate environments and work overload. The specific results per country and the differences and demands of each context are discussed in this work as contributions to the development of a critical agenda in media education.

Keywords

Media literacy, digital skills, media competencies, teaching, educommunication, COVID-19