1. CREATIVE USE OF NEW MEDIA IN THE FIELD OF
EDUCATION: PROJECTING AND DIFFUSING ALTERNATIVE
CULTURAL PATTERNS BY MEANS OF BLOGS AND
STREAMING MEDIA.
E. Deliyanni & D. Korkoriadis
The “Creative Use of New Media in the field of Education” that we
are about to present, is three-fold:
1. It is not a research project that has started after a scientific
suggestion including its practical application in a school. On the
contrary, it has started when the teacher Demetris Korkoriadis
had a spontaneous idea during the school year 2008-2009 to
create the blog of the Third Grade of the Experimental School
of the University of Thessaloniki. Afterwards Mr. Korkoriadis
will explain that the said blog has been made without any
specific goal. It was more something like an experiment just to
see if this social medium would give him the chance to improve
–and in what degree- his communication with the pupils of
Third Grade but also with their parents. (Slide 1). What is also
worthy of being noticed is the fact that the progress of the
project as well as the entire procedure it has involved (from the
practical part until the wording of a scientific project) has been
mostly experiential. In other words, theory came through action
and experience.
2. I have participated in Demetris’ idea firstly because I am a
mother and my daughter was a pupil at the Third Grade of the
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2. Experimental School of the University of Thessaloniki. One day
at the late September of 2008, my daughter asked for a Google
email address so that both of us could upload posts in the blog
that has been made by her teacher. I was really excited with this
idea because, a year ago, I had supervised the post-graduate
thesis of a Thessaloniki blogger with title: “Legal issues, morals
and ethics in blogs and in the Citizen Journalism”. I was also
teaching a similar course at the undergraduate course of the
Department of Journalism and Mass Media of the Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki.
3. The content of the blog was not exclusively about school issues.
It also gave information about things that an 8-9 year old child
would probably like: quality music, art and interactive games
etc. In addition the educative posts aimed at giving a different
view of the lesson in relation to the way it was presented by the
school book or at enriching the lesson with additional
information. As time went by, children of the class started to
explore new worlds, worlds from the past, the present and the
future, they started to comprehend the difference between Sakis
Rouvas, Lady Gaga and Madonna from one side and Manos
Hatzidakis, Louis Armstrong from the other side. Sometimes,
children of the class were spending all afternoon playing or
discovering new posts on the blog. We, the parents from the
other side, took a trip to memory lane as we listened again to
“All you need is love” by Beatles as well as to an updated,
universal version of “Stand by me”. The whole project felt like
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3. a spontaneous and unscheduled group therapy aiming at
improving us through art!
Thus, the daily routine of educational procedure gradually escaped
from the uniform and grey colored educational technique and received
another bright, vivid color. It was at that point that I came to realize that
the teaching of my lessons was even more enriched with examples I was
taking from the blog and vice-versa: through the daily use of the blog I
have started to connect various aspects with different scientific fields of
Communication, starting from Law and the Ethics of Communication as
well as the field of audiovisual education and Media education. Thus,
theory enriched the daily use of the blog and we have all experienced a
dynamic feedback.
I. Character and function of the interactive Medium. The function of an
interactive social Communication Medium (the term social means equal
access and active participation of all participants to the dialogue and
content definition, that is of the issues of the “public agenda”
(Habermas)), refers to an ideal and democratic communication model that
contradicts to the dominant model that is imposed by the traditional Mass
Media: for example as far as TV is concerned, communication is one-
way, vertical and not direct because journalists are in charge of it while
the citizen is a simple receiver of information and is not able to actively
participate in public dialogue and intervene on the content of the
program. (A striking example of the way the traditional model of mass
communication contradicts to the natural human communication which is
direct and interactive: when my children were very young and were
trying to understand the function of TV, they were asking me to call to
the people of TV and tell them to broadcast the song or fairytale they
wanted to watch or listen). In addition, the incorporation of that kind of
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4. democratic communication within the field of the educational procedure
is connected to the application of an educational model that is far more
democratic and favors the active participation of all pupils in order to
acquire knowledge, doubting at the same time the teacher’s authority.
II. Content of the Medium. Afar from the fact that Mass Media have
dominated public space, they also have excluded citizens from any access
to public dialogue. Mass Media harbor relations of authority, influence
and control with citizens, a fact which is one of the most serious
problems of modern commercialized TV communication and is
connected to its huge potential to shape and impose unified, consumer
behavioral standards and identities [1]. According to researches in the
field of communication, the commercialized Mass Media have huge
effects on TV viewers and especially children.
The TV message has been repeatedly accused of spinning public
communication and weakening the language. Commercials from the other
side as well as marketing and lifestyle strategies, divide citizens into
groups, depending on their likes and dislikes towards their consumption
habits and lifestyles.
The mediation of public communication under the aforesaid terms and
conditions has resulted in a stronger addiction on the Mass Media and has
deconstructed human identity.
After observing the intense interest of pupils and parents for the class’
blog as well as a certain change in their behaviour as far as their
amusement habits are concerned, we came to realize that the blog with
the specific content could be a valuable tool of alternative
communication, a Communication Medium that would promote an
alternative anti-Hollywood standard that could possibly lead in a different
way of life.
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5. III. The blog of the class as a New Social Medium.
In other words what we are saying here is that the teacher, who was
playing a major role in the field of educational procedure as someone
transmitting knowledge and culture and is able to influence pupils and
their parents. This blog has been an exemplary and innovative
application of the communicative possibilities offered by the New Social
Media and 3rd Generation technological tools in the field of education.
[2].
IV. Limitations, tasks and obligations…
Very soon we recognized the power and effect of the messages that were
uploaded in the posts and came to realize our tasks and obligations as
adults, especially towards children and parents who were not literate in
New Technologies and New Media. The first year that the blog was in
operation was 2008-09 was more like a test. After that, and as the blog
was richer in content, we faced routine problems that had to be solved:
 Access of pupils and their parents as well as the aspect of digital
divide: how could we possibly talk about a democratic medium
when the participants have not equal access, either because they
did not have the necessary equipment in order to connect to the
web, or they are not computer literate and thus they cannot make
use of new technologies. In our case, pupils were not aware of the
use of technology, very few parents were familiar to Internet and
even less had access from their homes.
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6.  Technical issues that had to be solved at the beginning: firstly, the
class had to be connected to the internet so as pupils and the
teacher could access their blog at least during the teaching hours.
Secondly, adequate number of computers should be installed in the
classroom and thirdly, the teacher had to train pupils in new
technologies. (Απάντηση Δημήτρης).
 A serious issue that came up was how pupils could learn to use
creatively and with safety the New Media. In Greece, the education
about Internet and the new media is found under intense
protectionism that is focusing on the dangers of internet without
taking into serious consideration the content of communication:
that is to teach children to control and manage the content they
receive or send, to learn to search knowledge and culture, to use
new technologies in a way that will free their creative forces and
imagination and to become users that will comprehend all dangers.
In particular, in a social medium where everybody is entitled to upload a
post, the administrator is liable for the uploaded content. What kind of
content is proper and suitable legally and morally? (Also, how do we use
third parties’ works, intellectual property issues, behavioral models in the
internet including rules about not revealing or exposing ourselves to
others (children especially) more than we would do in the traditional
public sphere etc).
These questions led me in 2009-2010 to the creation of another blog
entitled “New Media Culture” aiming at informing and training on legal
and moral issues related to the use of New Media. My goal was to
support the teacher’s work, to enlighten parents about relevant issues and
of course to inform my students.
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7. Another important aspect that we have faced was about how to maintain
the character of the Medium as a Medium that is producing and diffusing
anti-Hollywood models, when 25 pupils and their parents are entitled to
upload posts without censoring the content and without violating
anyone’s right to freely upload the content he/ she wishes (διαβούλευση
αναρτήσεις Καλφόπουλου).
V. A new educational project related to the creative use of New Media
has arisen through the experience of this project…
The two-year operation of the blog as well as the rich experience we
gained, combined with the study and observation of new trends in the
field of Media in education, have led us to certain conclusions and
suggestions:
1. The use of digital technology and interactive New Media in
education is not limited to the education of technology or the
learning of potential risks and dangers.
2. The simple use of new technologies and Communication Media
in school classes does not suffice so as to make citizens that will
know how to deal with the content of New Media, and how to
use it creatively1.
3. As shown in past researches2, teachers do not use New Media
and the corresponding technologies either because they are not
1
Ευρωπαική Σύσταση για την Παιδεία για τα Μέσα στο Ψηφιακό Περιβάλλον
www.europarl.europa.eu. Βρυξέλλες, 20.8.2008, Σύσταση της Επιτροπής σχετικά με τον γραμματισμό
στα μέσα επικοινωνίας (παιδεία για τα Μέσα) στο ψηφιακό περιβάλλον για ανταγωνιστικότερο
οπτικοακουστικό κλάδο και κλάδο περιεχομένου για μια κοινωνία της γνώσης χωρίς αποκλεισμούς»,
παρ. 3.
2
Μαράντος Π. Διδακτορική διατριβή «Εκπαίδευση και Μέσα Μαζικής Επικοινωνίας. Η χρήση των ΜΜΕ
στην εκπαίδευση»- Εθνικό Κέντρο Τεκμηρίωσης. http://thesis.ekt.gr/content/index.jsp?
ID=11382&p=609&lang=el
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8. familiar with such technologies3 or because they are not
properly trained to do so.
4. Teachers of the younger generation may be good users of Mass
Media but that does not ensure that they know and they can
teach the procedure related to the production of messages
namely the construction of content and their ethics. 4.5
5. Given that the successful operation of the particular
Communication Medium was born through the co-operation of
the fields of pedagogy, communication, ethics of
communication and culture in Media, the training of teacher in
Media should include lessons coming from all the aforesaid
disciplines. The training material that will be used must come
from a close co-operation of all cognitive fields involved.
6. Finally, in the frame of modern Communication Societies, the
communicational training is something that concerns us all and
lifelong learning in Media should include wider parts of the
population, parents for example.
VΙ. From operating the blog, to the founding, installing and operating of
an interactive web medium.
So far we have not typically estimated the operation of the blog. We hope
though, that it will be done in the near future in the frame of the research
program that will follow. Similarly we came up with the idea of the
development of an alternative social web medium that will produce and
3
«Η εκπαίδευση στα ΜΜΕ χαρακτηρίζεται από μια συνεχή αντιπαράθεση σχετικά με τους βασικούς
στόχους και τις κύριες μεθόδους. Ελάχιστοι εκπαιδευτικοί έχουν εξαρχής την ανάλογη εκπαίδευση, με
αποτέλεσμα να προσεγγίζουν τα ΜΜΕ με διαφορετικά επιστημονικά εφόδια και με διαφορετικά
κίνητρα», Buckingham David, Εκπαίδευση στα ΜΜΕ, Ελληνικά Γράμματα, 2008.
4
Επιτροπή Πολιτισμού και Παιδείας, εισηγήτρια Christa Prets,
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?
pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A6-2008-0461+0+DOC+XML+V0//EL#top
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Ευρωπαική Σύσταση για την Παιδεία για τα Μέσα στο Ψηφιακό Περιβάλλον Σύσταση Ι2.«σε
συνέδρια και άλλες δημόσιες εκδηλώσεις να εγκαινιαστεί διάλογος για την ένταξη του γραμματισμού
στα μέσα επικοινωνίας (παιδείας για τα Μέσα) στο διδακτικό πρόγραμμα της υποχρεωτικής εκπαίδευσης
και ως μέρος της διδασκαλίας των βασικών ικανοτήτων για τη δια βίου μάθηση» .
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9. communicate culture and will address mainly to children and young
people from 1 to 25 years old, and secondly to their parents.
In the beginning, the said Medium must operate as a pilot project so as to
examine its effects on childhood and young people and other questions
such as:
- Would teachers, artists and producers of culture undertake the
responsibility of the production and diffusion of culture (and not
TV)?
- How, under which conditions and after how long could the cultural
preferences of children change if the cultural communication is
undertaken by their teacher for example and the children
themselves actively participate in producing the content.
Content
- Interactive program that will be produced by the teacher and the
producers of culture in co-operation with pupils. This program will
educate through Art.
- Interactive program that will educate pupils and their parents on
how to properly use traditional and New Media (Media literacy).
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