The talk is part of a teaching/research-cooperation on a “Care Pedagogy in Digital Cultures” of the “Global Care Lab”, founded and conducted by: University of Cologne (Art and Art Theory, Martina Leeker), PH Karlsruhe (Chair of Aesthetic Education and Art Mediation, Konstanze Schütze) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (School of Communication and Journalism, Nishant Shah – https://www.com.cuhk.edu.hk/peoples/shah-nishant/). A practical application of the “Global Care Lab” is the performative “Care Lab Seminar“, which is offered by Martina Leeker and Konstanze Schütze as part of the “Care Research Lab” (Cologne/Karlsruhe) since summer 2022.

Everyone agrees on the importance of media literacy in our digital society. When it comes to “what to teach” and “how to teach”, however, there is never a shortage of unsettling issues. For decades, educators have debated what constitutes a good curriculum and which pedagogies contribute to the best learning experiences. Even in cases with some consensus, problems regarding teacher training and resource allocation always cause grave concerns. Some teachers worry that they are not “experts” in media, while many schools are wary of giving priority to this subject matter. Both situations are particularly pronounced in Hong Kong, where media education has yet to find a place in the official curriculum.

This talk presents a case for how teachers from professional backgrounds unrelated to media and communication can master media literacy in three words: E for Ecology, T for Technology, and C for Care. It begins with a critical review of the many problems in the field of media education, followed by a discussion of cases and examples from two decades of fieldwork. It aspires to initiate a dialogue leading to practical solutions, thereby enabling teachers and students to relearn media literacy.