Project Summary

Project Summary

The ACML project will support adult people in acquiring and developing high-quality skills and key competences in social media in order to tackle the challenges of the social transformation and foster their accountability towards the correct use of digital technology. Community media labs (CMLs) are becoming significant catalysts in driving knowledge and innovation, decreasing cultural digital-divide.

Our project will develop a cooperative effort engaging academic institutions, media and tech organizations for the purpose of adult education and adult empowerment. ACML will create the figure of “social media literacy tutor” promoting active engagement of adults towards children, older adults, and low-skilled adults. Accordingly, our project will improve the understanding of people on digital media, educating a selected group of adults to begin “”social media literacy tutors” and contribute to satisfying the everyday demands of new media and digital services. Moreover, our project will implement innovative learning practices (Content and Language Integrated Learning, Participatory Online Learning, Social Learning) and will contribute to implementing an effective nonformal and informal educational environment.

The literature (Haight, M., Quan-Haase, A., & Corbett, B. A. 2014; Scheerder, A., van Deursen, A., & van Dijk, J. 2017) shows that digital media play an essential role in our society. However, it is necessary to invest in educating people in the correct use of digital media. Recent research also indicates that people empowerment in digital media shall decrease the cost of social services as well as create new job opportunities. The ACMLproject is directed to adult people and will create for the professional skill for the figure of the “social media literacy tutor”. The social media literacy tutor will collaborate with schools, NGOs, consumer associations, and local government institutions. Furthermore, the ACML project has been designed taking into account the recommendations by the Committee on Consumer Policy (2006) and European Commission (2012), such as:

  • Programme design should be based, when possible, on research into the educational needs of the affected consumers.
  • Stakeholders, including consumer organizations, teacher and parent associations, and other civil society groups, should be encouraged to assist policymakers in identifyingeducational needs.

Finally, the ACML education program will provide:

– New TIC skills for adults, training them to educate children, older adults, and low-skilled adults to use digital media in their everyday life.

– Didactic material for organizing information/communication initiatives for improving “social media literacy tutoring”.