After our First Kick-Off Transnational Project Management Meeting for Wise-Me, celebrated in Madrid, the project was presented in a round table involving experts in digital education who discussed the importance of digital literacy in the current context reaching an audience of over one hundred people in online and face-to-face modalities. The event was also recorded and is available on You Tube. In an effort to combat the spread of fake news primarily affecting teenagers, the European Union has supported the WISE-ME project (The right use of social media to face fake news and disinformation) to promote the proper use of social media and educate young people on the importance of digital literacy.

Dr. Ana Pérez Escoda, Coordinator and principal researcher in the Spanish team, was moderating this round table which was aimed to highlight specific objectives of the project and discuss with experts its relevance in the context of similar projects. According to Pérez Escoda, “fake news, combined with social media, has become a concern that transcends borders and affects both governments and large corporations.”

This first event had an important impact in national online publications such as “Magisterio” an online journal on education which published the event in the education section; “Journal Protocolo”, an influential publication specialized in innovative events also covered the event; and “Éxito Educativo” an specialized publication on educational issues included the meeting as well. As highlighted during the event, the project aims to implement innovative pedagogical methods and provide ongoing support for teachers to integrate these practices into the classroom. “The challenge is how to integrate this training without interfering with the normal school curriculum,” as noted by Professor Pérez Escoda.

In addition to the national impact, the international press was interested in the event in Panama: “Panamá 24 horas” which covered the evet in its online publication; as well as in two journals in the Dominican Republic: “El Sol de las Américas” in the education section and, “Dominicanoahora.com”.

The WISE-ME project not only seeks to educate young people on how to discern between true and false information but also to create a more inclusive and safer digital environment. With the collaboration of various experts and the implementation of innovative resources, this initiative is expected to significantly impact the fight against misinformation among teenagers in Europe.