Mr. Pavlos Komianos, a Junior-Senior High School teacher of our Schools, represented Mandoulides and Greece in the Microsoft Education Exchange (E2) held in Paris from 2 to 4, April. The conference is organized annually by Microsoft to showcase the achievements of teachers who seek to integrate innovative pedagogical teaching methods and the use of technology in their classrooms so as to prepare their students for the future.
Each year 300 of the most innovative teachers from around the globe are invited to collaborate, create, share their experiences and transform education. The aim of the conference is to promote the role of technology within the modern educational system and to give the opportunity to different teachers to interact with one another and exchange meaningful ideas.
The project of the international team of teachers which Mr. Komianos was a member of excelled among 50 teams and received a prize in the Student Voice category. The team highlighted the critical role of the students’ voice in the 21st century classroom, it encouraged them to share their perspectives, experiences and cultural backgrounds and it amplified their voice in the modern classroom using innovative platforms such as Skype in the Classroom, Flipgrid and Sway.
In addition, he was able to become a Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) after sitting demanding exams and participated in Microsoft workshops on programs such as Skype in the Classroom, Flipgrid and Minecraft while attending lectures by inspiring teachers from all over the world.
The team presented a project called “The Metamorphosis of an Ordinary School Textbook”, which aimed to involve students in a more active participation in the learning process through the use of Microsoft tools. It is worth mentioning that the following students contributed to the project: A. Georgiadis, D. Gkeleris, Ch. Karafyllia, E. Baki and A. Charizona.
During the conference, Mr. Komianos and the rest of the team had the opportunity to meet and talk about educational issues with the Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft, Anthony Salcito, as well as with other influential Microsoft executives.
