Watching Videos like a Historian

The motivation for this project stems from that in the last decade the way in which people find and process media has changed. It has become easier for anyone to create media and consume said media. However, the media is not always clear regarding who and why it was made, as well as if it is credible. Simultaneously, the trust in traditional media and knowledge institutes have declined. 

The project considers educators, audiovisual holders and students/EU citizens as primary target groups. For a long time educators have been at the forefront of impacting the development of young people. This project seeks to create a toolkit based on audiovisual materials in combination with practices stemming from history studies, that these educators can apply to educate their students in media literacy. The goal is to create a more critical and conscious consumption of media. 

The disciplinary thinking of historians is implemented due to the project's close attention to the usage of evidence, source criticism, and the ethical dimensions of history. The student needs to become more conscious of the viewpoints, evidence, and shifting interpretations in media in order to avoid manipulation, misinformation, conspiracy theories, misconceptions, and stereotypes, all of which run counter to the basic tenets of a diverse, inclusive and equitable society.

Sound & Vision’s role in the project is initially to help define the functional and didactical requirements needed for the efficient development and assessment of the “Watching Videos Like a Historian” project. This entails finding best practices to teaching methods of media literacy, potentials and challenges of using audiovisual collections, and further support growth of media literacy amongst youth and their access to these collections. Further into the project Sound & Vision will engage various audiences in capacity building activities on local and pan-European levels. Workshops, Practitioners’ guide for AV collection holders, integration of the Toolkit, and webinars are all on the agenda for Sound & Vision.

Project partners: European Association of History Educators, Europeana Foundation, Centrum Cyfrowe, TV3, Webtic.