MEDEA Awards 2010

The MEDEA Organising Committee submitted a proposal for the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), Key Activity 4 (Dissemination and exploitation of results of the programme) which was approved in 2008. This proposal was for a project entitled "MEDEA:EU" and its purpose is to enhance, strengthen and complement the European dimension of the MEDEA Awards and to allow for a transfer of the experience and learning that has taken place within the short-listed entries through several actions designed to enhance and extend the work undertaken up to now. These actions will be used to really launch the MEDEA Awards as a Europe-wide initiative by expanding the reach of the awards to the wider European educational and training community.

The MEDEA Awards were launched in 2007 by a small consortium of partners who are active in the field of media enhanced education and as a concrete result of initiatives including European Projects like VideoAktiv, eStream and VENUS. We have taken a number of concrete steps towards building interest in and support for the awards through a variety of organisations, networks and companies.

Objectives of the MEDEA:EU project

The specific actions proposed under the MEDEA:EU project are:

1. To establish a local agent or "national contact point" (NCP) in each European member state who will help to promote the MEDEA Awards in their country by establishing links with other related national, sectoral and regional initiatives including those responsible for related awards and prizes.
   1. Ayşe Akarsu, Terakki Foundation Schools, Turkey
   2. Deborah Arnold, VIDEOSCOP, Universität Nancy 2, France
   3. Knut Olav Aslaksen Senter for etter- og videreutdanning (SEVU), University of Bergen, Norway
   4. Seamus Cannon, Blackrock Education Centre, Ireland
   5. Matej Delakorda, Studio 12, Slovenia
   6. Prof Gabriel Dima, Innovate4Future, Center for Advances Educational Solutions, Romania
   7. Maciej Durczewski, P&R Image Public Relations Agency - Technology in Education and Development, Poland
   8. Sergio Duretti, CSP - Innovazione nelle ICT, Italy
   9. Armin Hottmann, Media Education across the Curriculum (MEAC), Germany
   10. Dr Nikitas Kastis, MENON Network, Belgium & Lambrakis Foundation (LF), Greece
   11. Ene Koitla, Estonian e-Learning Development Centre, Estonian Information Technology Foundation, Estonia
   12. Ruth Martínez, ELEARNING3D: Learning in Virtual Worlds, Spain
   13. Helle Meldgaard, The Danish IT Centre for Education and Research (UNI-C) & Developing Interactive Visual Educational Resources for Students Everywhere (DIVERSE), Denmark
   14. Prof Charles L. Mifsud, Centre for Literacy, University of Malta, R. Malta
   15. Dr Jozsef Mlinarics, Hungarian Association of Content Industry, Hungary
   16. Chris M.L. Nieuwenhoven, WEBstroom and Tilburg University, the Netherlands
   17. Maja Pivec, Information Design at Fachhochschule JOANNEUM, Austria
   18. Dr Vitor Rocio, Universidade Aberta (UAb), Portugal
   19. Prof Danguole Rutkauskiene, National Association of Distance Education (NADE), Lithuania
   20. Seb Schmoller, the Association for Learning Technology (ALT), United Kingdom
   21. David Seume, Ashcombe School, United Kingdom
   22. Dr Libor Stepanek, Language Centre, Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic
   23. Lāsma Ulmane-Ozoliņa, Liepaja University, Latvia
   24. Leena Vainio, The Association of Finnish eLearning Centre, Finland
   25. Mathy Vanbuel, Audiovisual Technologies, Informatics and Telecommunications (ATiT), Belgium

   These NCPs are also indicated on the advisory committee page with an "*".

2. To make available dissemination materials related to the MEDEA Awards in French and German to augment the English materials available and foreseen so the MEDEA Awards and its European identity is enhanced by this multilinguality. This has meant that the MEDEA leaflets, posters, presse releases, website and submission form have been available in French and German since 2009.
3. To disseminate information about the MEDEA Awards to those involved in the Lifelong Learning Community to ensure that those people involved directly or indirectly in this programme are fully aware of the MEDEA Awards and can participate. This involves our direct contacts and extended network, including related projects such as EduTubePlus, EUScreen, Viducate, DIVIS, … and other projects within relevant EU Programmes.
4. Establish a specific award for the 2009 and 2010 MEDEA Awards to recognize best examples of European Collaboration in relation to media-enhanced learning
5. To set up a process whereby those submissions that are short-listed for awards in 2008 and 2009 will be investigated and analysed to identify best practice and to be promoted as case examples of how high-quality media-enhanced learning comes about. This work can be used to further encourage others in their efforts towards improving the quality of their work in this area

Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP)

The specific objective of MEDEA:EU is to enhance the European dimension of the MEDEA Awards and to elevate the MEDEA Awards to a European-level initiative with clear relevance to Lifelong Learning projects. The more general impact of work in the MEDEA:EU Project is to highlight, publicise and promote excellent examples of media-enhanced learning being made by practitioners in schools, universities, lifelong learning initiatives and other education and training organisations and to help others learn from the experiences of award finalists and winners. Such endorsement and promotion can significantly raise the status of media-enhanced learning in both the public eye and amongst key stakeholders.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

For information about funding possibilities through the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) go to their website

Published public outcomes so far