Media literacy as the foundation of the digital transformation of education 

Organised by the members of the Network for the Development of Digital Literacy – Telecentar, ODRAZ, Algebra Bernays University, the Association of Croatian Secondary School Principals (UHSR) and the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) – with the support of the Agency for Electronic Media, the National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs, and the international organisation European Citizen Action Service (ECAS), a conference dedicated to the digital transformation of education and the development of media literacy was held at Algebra Bernays University on 28 October 2025.

The conference was moderated by Žarko Čižmar, Executive Director of Telecentar and Head of the Algebra Media Lab. Participants – principals, teachers, researchers, civil society representatives and policy makers – discussed the role of media creation, critical thinking and generative artificial intelligence in education.

The opening lectures were delivered by:

• Igor Mladinović (HEARTH thinking&doing), who spoke about sustainable development and the impact of non-profit media campaigns such as the volunteer initiative #Boranka.

• Klara Čičin-Šain (Infobip), who presented trends in educational media content and the use of generative artificial intelligence in e-learning.

Participants took part in interactive workshops:

• Exploring media literacy – led by Antun Palanović (Algebra Bernays), where participants developed interview questions and prepared for podcast recording.

• Audiovisual podcast production – a practical workshop on recording interviews with experts from education, science, politics and the media. The podcast was hosted by Dubravko Kuhta, Lucija Petrović, Ivan Fran Prižmić and Ivan Lovro Guljelmović.

The podcast guests were:

• Marina Buhin (ŠUDIGO Zabok)

• Predrag Pale (FER)

• Mislav Balković (Rector of Algebra Bernays and President of HUP)

• Robert Tomljenović (Agency for Electronic Media)

• Tomislav Golubić (Vladimir Prelog School of Science)

At the end of the programme, the Kužiš buraz campaign, created as part of the project Media Literacy and Digital Citizens, was presented, including a promotional film and a podcast that will soon be available on social media.

The conference concluded with a working lunch and agreements on future project cooperation. Participants highlighted the importance of media creation in developing 21st-century competences and the potential of artificial intelligence for the personalisation of education.

We would like to thank all participants, speakers and partners for their inspiring contributions!

The project “Media Literacy and Digital Citizens” is funded by the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) under the EURECA 2025 project. The project is co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or ECAS. Neither the European Union nor ECAS can be held responsible for them.