Media education is a field that must constantly adapt to current societal needs and threats. In recent years, it has undergone significant changes with the development of technology and the emergence of new trends, such as artificial intelligence. Educational systems are increasingly pressured by society, particularly by parents, to quickly respond and integrate these topics into the curriculum.

Although media literacy in the Czech Republic is gradually improving, rapid technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence, place growing demands on teachers’ preparedness. Through the research "Teachers and Media Education: The Czech Republic in a Global Comparison of EU Countries," we aim to assess the education, needs, and goals of Czech teachers, as well as their readiness to embrace digital education. Our goal is not only to contribute to professional and public debates and highlight the relevance and necessity of this topic but also to ultimately enhance students' critical thinking skills and support efforts to preserve democracy.

As a theoretical base for the research we conducted a review of trends in media education abroad, focusing on the European Union and countries that consistently show the highest levels of media literacy among students in international studies. This review has allowed us to identify potential approaches that could be applied to the Czech education system and teacher training programs.

Our research employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. The first part of the research, the quantitative phase, examined the media education background of Czech teachers. Data were collected via an online questionnaire. The survey was based on a questionnaire designed by the agency Median, which studied media education among teachers between 2017 and 2018 but was slightly modified for this study to include all teachers, given that media education is now a cross-curricular topic. The choice of a quantitative approach enables the research to be easily replicated in the future and facilitates data collection over time, allowing comparisons between the current and revised national curriculum.

The qualitative phase utilized focus group discussions to explore teachers' media education background, their needs, support from school leadership, and the availability of teaching materials. Three focus groups were held online, each 14 days apart. The first group included teachers who do not engage in media education and see no reason to. The second group consisted of teachers who consider increasing media literacy a crucial milestone in education. The third group was a mix of teachers who are not currently involved in media education and those who are enthusiastic about digital education.

The research "Teachers and Media Education" has provided up-to-date data and highlighted the needs of teachers in strengthening their own digital media competencies. It offered a clear picture of teachers' media readiness to face the challenges posed by new media and provided EU-backed recommendations in the form of reviews. Another objective is to create a methodological guide based on best practices from selected EU countries to help effectively present and teach media education in classrooms.

Keywords: Media Education, Media Literacy, Teacher Preparedness, Czech Education System, Artificial Intelligence, Educational Trends, European Union, Focus Groups, Quantitative and Qualitative Research, Cross-curricular Topics, Teacher Training, Critical Thinking.