Media Literacy Game Happy Onlife already available in Georgian
By Mariam Chanishvili
Thursday, November 28
The online application and board game "Happy Onlife" - one of the most successful projects in eight EU countries - is now available in Georgian for the development and promotion of media awareness.
The Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) has created an adapted version of "Happy Onlife" and translated it into Georgian.
From now on, children, parents, and teachers can learn the rules of digital media safely through the app. The purpose of the app is to critically evaluate and analyze online content through play for children and adolescents.
At the same time, Happy Onlife encourages parents and teachers to actively develop their children's media skills and protect them from cyber-bullying. Anyone can download the app for free on their iOS and ANDROID mobile devices and personal computers.
Apart from the online application, in close collaboration with the GNCC and the Ministry of Education, the Happy Onlife board game will be used and taught in Georgian schools. The game is designed for both elementary and senior students.
The game is a board game inspired by the traditional “Snakes and Ladder game,” combined with quiz questions on the subject. Quiz questions on the use of the internet, social networks, online-games are designed to prompt discussion and allow the moderator to drive the players towards a responsible and balanced way of using digital media. In addition to the paper version, the game is available as an online application.
As a first stage, Happy Onlife will only be used in about ten schools. However, the online application, as already mentioned, is available to anyone.
In 2018, the GNCC was tasked with developing and promoting media awareness under Georgian law. The GNCC, together with the Ministry of Education, will implement 5 projects in 2019 for the development and promotion of media literacy for teens, with the involvement of parents and teachers.
Happy Onlife is a toolkit, including a game for children, parents, and teachers, aimed at raising awareness of the risks and opportunities of the internet and promoting the best online practices. The game and toolkit are proposed as a work in progress to be extended with the contributions of all stakeholders applying innovative research methods for formal, informal and participatory education in the use of digital technologies with children aged between 8 and 12.
It is noteworthy that since 2007, Georgia became a full member of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). The administration is represented by the Ministry of Economic Development, but the Commission, as the regulatory authority, closely cooperates with CEPT. One of the main principles of the activities of the Commission is open and transparent communication with society.
