Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Global MIL week call for papers and events #MILweek2016 #GAPMIL

Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) week will take place from 31 October to 5 November 2016. This is an event promoted by UNESCO. The key event of the week is a conference at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. The concept note can be downloaded at  https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/global_mil_week_2016_-_concept_note_05082016.pdf  and the website is at https://en.unesco.org/global-mil-week-2016/
There are a number of ways in which people are encouraged to participate.

Firstly, there is a call for papers. I have reproduced the list of topics at the end of this post. You can submit a paper even if you know that you cannot attend the conference in Brazil: the papers may just be selected for the conference, but papers may also be selected for publication by UNESCO (probably in a special open-access volume). This is not evident on the proposal form, but I have checked this with the organisers at UNESCO HQ. The deadline is 20 August. The proposal form is at https://en.unesco.org/feedback/global-mil-week-2016-paper-submission
You will see that you have to upload an “extract”. Again I checked with UNESCO HQ about this, and it does NOT mean that you have to have produced a full paper or presentation already, you can upload an abstract or a few slides that give an idea of what your presentation will be about.
The types of proposal are “Research; Theory; Case study; Evidence; Testimonial; Technology; Audiovisual product; Other”. Therefore if you have produced an engaging video, or have an engaging story to tell, about addressing any of the themes (e.g. migration and MIL; MIL and health; MIL and social inclusion) then you could submit that (i.e. it doesn’t have to be an “academic” paper). Since the term “MIL” doesn’t get used much yet, obviously the initiative itself is more likely to have been an Information Literacy” or “Media Literacy” event. The theme for the conference is Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue (so with an emphasis on intercultural dialogue), but as you can see from the list of themes, the topics are not restricted to that.

Secondly, you can register events: ones you plan for MIL week itself, but also ANY MIL event, which includes any IL event (though you might want to use the term “MIL” in the description) happening between now and November. To be honest, it is not 100% clear where this information will appear (I forgot to ask about that) but I assume it will be on the MIL week website: I think there will be a clickable map. To register your event go to https://en.unesco.org/feedback/global-mil-week-2016-celebration-event-registration.

Thirdly, you can submit a photo to put on the MIL week poster (see the graphic at the start of this blog post). The photo should be relevant to MIL and should be sent to ji.xu@unescco.org by 30 August 2016. The space on the poster that says “Submit a photo to replace me” is a circle with a small slice off the left side.

Fourthly (and overlapping with “firstly”) you can attend the conference in São Paulo, the Sixth Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Conference and the First General Assembly of the Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL), taking place November 2-5, There is no conference fee. You can register now at https://en.unesco.org/global-mil-week-2016/feature-event By the way, if you don’t need viva assistance, I don’t think you need to fill in the 2nd part of the form (with passport details etc.)

Fifthly, you can nominate someone for the International MIL Award: or rather prepare to nominate, since at the moment there is not a form to fill in yet. This will “recognize an educator integrating MIL (media and information literacy) in an innovative way in their classroom and curriculum” “This award is intended to honor an educator in any subject area from kindergarten through university, as long as their curriculum reflects integration of media and information literacy concepts with a focus on intercultural dialogue.” “Nominations should describe how the nominee’s teaching and curriculum impacts students in MIL; Nominations should describe how the nominee’s teaching practice does influence or could influence the Media and Information Literacy field at large; Nominations should provide links to two current curriculum examples and a syllabus (if appropriate) produced by the nominee.” https://en.unesco.org/global-mil-week-2016/international-mil-award

Finally, these are the “relevant themes” mentioned on the MIL Week paper submission form:
MIL and intercultural/interreligious dialogue – promoting mutual knowledge and understanding, both within different societies and internationally; Media independence and professionalism; Human rights, migration and MIL; Social inclusion and MIL; MIL for countering hate speech, favouring freedom of expression; MIL for preventing violence and extremism, favouring peace building; International networks and alliances for promoting MIL; MIL in schools – for children and youth (teacher training on MIL) – current programs, pedagogical models, best practices; MIL in libraries, museums, archives and community spaces – case studies, best practices, etc.; MIL for researchers – identifying key competencies; Current research on MIL – the academic perspective; The private sector – innovation in education through MIL; Public policies on MIL; MIL assessment at national level; Promoting local culture through MIL; MIL, privacy and freedom of expression; MIL and user security regarding ICT; MIL and youth identity; MIL and global citizenship education; MIL, search algorithms, programming and game design; MIL and health; MIL and gender equality issues; MIL and creativity; MIL and financial literacy/entrepreneurialism; MIL and non-formal education; MIL, audiovisual cultures and industries; MIL, environmental sustainability, and urban mobility; MIL, decent work and economic growth

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