Globalisation:Media Smart
Chantal Bennett, Leigh Gallagher, Ludo Moyo & Kirstin Walker
Media Smart Official Website: http://www.mediasmart.org.uk/
Media Smart is an organisation funded by fast-food, media and toy industries. Its website states it is a
"non profit media literacy programme for school children aged 6 to 11 years old, focused on advertising. Media Smart develops and provides, free of charge and on request, educational materials to primary schools that teach children to think critically about advertising in the context of their daily lives. Our materials use real examples of advertising to teach core media literacy skills." [1]
Contents
History
The History and Aims of Media Smart can be traced back to the Canadian organisation "Concerned Children's Advertisers." [2]
Directors
- Paul Jackson, chair
In 2005 Jackson was recorded as:
- Vice President of the World Federation of Advertisers
- Chairman of the Responsible Advertising and Children Group which represents the interests of European Advertisers,agencies and the media. [3]
People
Mediasmart does not name its employees on its website.
Expert Group (as of November 2008)
Media Smarts Expert group includes a range of Academics and experts in education, media and Government officials form the regulator group Ofcom. Media Smart and Their relationship with academics and what they need them for. Ofcom and the Advertising association both evoke the standards and excellence of the academics and experts needed to run such successful companies. Without the research agencies would be at a standstill and not be able to plan project into the future and ensure their goal of promoting media literacy continues to develop.
Policy Makers
A policy maker is a person or group of people that have the power to influence or determine policies and practices within an organisation. They can influence these organisations at an international, national, regional or local level. Policy makers play an important role in the development and structure of an organisation as they effectively control what goes on within it.
Media Smart's Relationship with Policy Makers
Funders
Supporters or Funders of Media Smart
Independent report
In 2006 Media Smart commissioned an independent evaluation of their BeAdwise 2 teaching materials from The Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Institute of Education, University of London. In 2007 the centre produced their independent report. The overall conclusions of the report were positive. [4]
The authors of the report were
- Professor David Buckingham
- Dr Rebecca Willett
- Dr Shakuntala Banaji
- Dr Susan Cranmer
Buckingham and Willet are members of Media Smart's expert group.
Media Smart: Activities
The Media Smart website runs activities though their web-site for younger children to enjoy outside of the school environment. Aimed at children between the ages of 5 and 11 they provide stimulating and enjoyable pastime to make them realise how much advertising plays in their daily lives.
More Recently, Media Smart have created, and are now connected to Digital Adwise which is a set of online lessons intended to teach children about digital content in a fun and engaging way. [5]
More details on Digital Adwise can be found on Media Smart: Activities
International expansion of the Media Smart group
Media Smart Groups has expanded to other parts of Europe. Most of the European Schools are using the Media Smart educational material in Primary School e.g. in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, Sweden and Portugal.
The Organisation
The office address is given as:-
Abford House:
15 Wilton Road:
London:
SW1V 1NJ
[6]
Notes
- ↑ Media Smart [1]
- ↑ Concerned Children's Advertisers[2]
- ↑ Barbie Clarke interview with Paul Jackson, [3], Young Consumers, published 2005, Accessed on 20/10/10
- ↑ Evaluation Report, [4], Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Published on 2007, Accessed 01/11/10
- ↑ World Federation of Advertiser's,[5], Published 30/11/09, Accessed 09/11/10
- ↑ Contact Us,[6], Media Smart Homepage, Accessed 31/10/10
