Media Public Education ... But Why Media?

The contents of the 6^th annual meeting of the authors of author pedagogy is Media Public Education, …but why media? The word “media” in English explanatory dictionaries is defined as “mass communications” eg television, radio and the press. The primary task of these three has always been the illustration of life in our country as well as in the whole world. They illustrate warm spots of conflicts,  position or power abuses, election campaigns, car accidents, disasters, relationships between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law, murders and causes of suicides, political views of different parties, repellent talk shows of arrogant “stars”. In a small clearing of this media forest of thick trees, in “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex has come out a new sprout Media Public Education by name. That sprout has already got its small shoots which are just being formed: media library, public school website www.mskh.am , media self education, media Olympiad, media festival, electronical  pedagogical periodical, “personal computer-classmate” programme.

The library after Tigran Hayrapetyanis media because it is no longer only ours. Due to www.gradaran.mskh.am the library is accessible not only for the children of our educational complex, but also for the children of other schools and for Armenian Diaspora.    

The library has begun making electronic versions of books. Our young compatriot, if You have had to temporarily interrupt Your education because of living in another country with your parents, You may visit the site www.gradaran.mskh.am , and find electronic versions of text-books there. It is two months that this work has begun and now there are 40 electronic books in the site. Teachers’ guidebooks on different school subjects have also been digitized. Hundreds of electronic teaching materials have been made in our educational complex for the last two years. Most of them have been placed in You Tube. Here science teachers can find DVDs of biology, chemistry and physics experiments with explanations. The History teachers can make their lessons more interesting and effective with such electronic teaching materials as: The Battle on Avarair, Armenian Kingdom of Kilikia, Ghars and Sevr Contracts, the Battle at Sardarapat, Mesrop Mashtots, Grigor Narekatsi, Komitas, Mkhitar Sebastatsi. Are you interested in Mathematics? Mathematical quizzes and geometrical problems are waiting for you.  Are our historical monuments especially dear to you? Here are tens of teaching materials born during the educational trips about Armenia from Lori to Meghri.  The teaching material “Drawing skills” is a real gift to teachers of drawing. Junior school teachers can find animated electronic cartoons of tales by Tumanyan and Andersen made by our computer teachers. Everything is unexpectedly fresh.

At our media library one can even find an electronic teaching material on vocational school subjects eg “Carpentry”.                  

The Public School Websitewww.mskh.am takes the second place in Armenia among educational websites as far as the number of everyday page viewers is concerned, but it is sure to be unique of its kind. It is unique, first of all, for its being democratically. Written materials, articles, photos or videos can be placed in the site by primary school pupils with their teachers’ assistance, high school pupils , teachers and the director of the educational complex without any initial censorship.          

The site is breathing every minute and every hour. For example, having heard her Granma’s memories about Easter celebrations in Gavar, Azatuhi Harutunyan, a pupil of grade 2, has placed a most colourful and lovely material on today’s page with the help of her teacher. The material was posted in the evening, and it has already had 31 viewers early in the morning.

Children here learn to write not by writing dictations constantly being afraid of making spelling mistakes but by creating their own texts. A child is given a chance to reveal his or her capabilities which is the most difficult and important problem of pedagogy. Learners are encouraged to express their own opinions, raise a question which later may become a topic for discussion for all the pupils and the staff of the educational complex.   

Nearly 30 new materials and articles are placed in the site every day, and the number of everyday page viewers is more than 1000. In fact the www.mskh.am is the only kind of mass media in Armenia which helps children find, read and create texts according to their interests. And the most important thing is that the website helps the children to evaluate their each day and to feel that they live a busy and interesting life.   

The 39^th issue of  theElectronic Pedagogical Periodical www.dpir.mskh.am  has already come out to help the teachers with their everyday self education. Articles on world-wide experience of progressive pedagogy as well as methods of teaching different school subjects and classroom activities by our teachers are published in the Dpir. We learn in order to teach and teach to enable the children  to learn.

We are inviting all the pedagogues with progressive ideas involved in public education to take part in the 6^th annual meeting of the authors of author pedagogy which is to take place in the media centre of “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex on May 12, 13 and 14. The meeting is entirely devoted to media public education. Come to study our experience, come with your own ideas, come to collaborate with us. Media public education belongs to the 21^st century.