Maria Leonida
Beiträge in merz
- Maria Leonida: Beruf Medienpädagog*in: Griechenland/Greece
Maria Leonida: Beruf Medienpädagog*in: Griechenland/Greece
Maria Leonida, Film director and Media Educator
How do you see your profession/occupation?
The term “media educator” is neither well known nor self explanatory in my language and country, so this by definition creates a need to define the kind, the scope and the quality of the work. My personal involvement with media education has developed through time (2002 till today) from a part time occupation parallelto my filmmaking work to a deeper and a more expanded professional endeavor. I have gradually formulated my own interests, research topics, hands on and collaborative approach. I conceive – or adjust – and apply learning units that involve a critical and creative relationship with a variety of media for a wide range of ages and purposes. Important part of the work is to consider the needs of the target group (e.g. primary school, language teachers, social workers, teenage or nursery school pupil … after school class or curriculum based lesson).
What was your education?
I have an academic background in History, Art History and Filmmaking. Education came gradually in a practical way with trial and error, supported with personal reading and observation of other people working in the field. Any kind of filmmaking, media studies, graphic design, film editing or camerawork et cetera can be a basis for a media educator. Certainly, the creative/constructive side is important, but the pedagogical too – and often media people miss this and have to discover the latter.
What regular working methods are established in your job context?
We receive enquiries and develop content based on the target group context. I coordinate the workshop, assign younger media educators to work and supervise the outcome. We collect feedback and evaluate, especially if it is a new learning unit.
My main values for a sustainable and wider media education are:
- low budget, flexible tools adjustable in both analogue and digital processes
- concentration on the essence of storytelling and the deconstruction of film making to its elements in order to make participants realize their potential
- approach of new technologies through understanding their relation to basic human feelings and desires
Where do you set your personal priorities?
My priorities lie in exploring a wider film and media literacy applied to all ages and contexts.
What are the current themes?
Social issues develop and reflect society’s concerns. So education, propaganda, environment, racism, digital age have been themes recurring every five to ten years, and thus media education follows these trends. I do not believe in terms like hate speech or fake news as being so important, as they actually reflect well known attitudes of groups of people, who become in fashion due to the speed and connectivity of ICT (information and communications technology) and social media. We could think of deeper critical attitudes which can assist us in decoding them.
How would you describe your target group?
Our main target groups are teachers, students and educators.