STORIES4ALL – Exploring the Power of Digital Storytelling with eShadow: STEM, Empathy and Inclusion CRS799
Join us for a dynamic 3-day workshop that blends creativity, technology, and social impact! You’ll dive into the world of Design Thinking and discover how to use the innovative eShadow platform to craft powerful digital stories that go beyond the screen.
Through hands-on activities, you’ll learn how storytelling can be a tool to foster essential 21st-century skills—including STEM thinking, empathy, collaboration, creativity, and critical reflection. Together, we’ll explore how digital narratives can promote inclusion, support social justice, and give every voice a place in the story.
Whether you're an educator looking to enrich your teaching or a student eager to tell meaningful stories in new ways, this workshop will inspire, challenge, and empower you.
The workshop is implemented within the context of the Erasmus+ Stories4all project (Developing Innovative Pedagogies and Tools to enable the Establishment and Sustenance of Communities of Educators Promoting Empathy and Social Inclusion via Digital Stories for All).
For more information about the workshop, please see the workshop syllabus here.
You can participate in the workshop either as a local or a remote participant. To register for the workshop, please open the form here.
Local participants are kindly asked to bring their laptops and mobile phones to be able to work with their peers on the digital storytelling project that they will implement. All presented materials and further content for more detailed information about eShadow will be available in the "Digital Content" section of this activity space.
When: 17-19 September 2025
Where: Cultural Centre of Chania, Andrea Papandreou 70, Chania 731 34, Crete, Greece (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oEZS881cXGBsnPJ4A)
Objectives
- Learn how to install and use eShadow, a digital tool inspired by traditional Shadow Theatre
- Learn about the design thinking methodology and how to use it with eShadow
- Collaborate within a working group to apply the design thinking methodology
- Learn how to use the Stories4All Community Building Platform (Coursevo)
- Learn how to collaborate within working groups to develop digital stories
- Evaluate the Stories4All methodology and the digital tools (eShadow and Coursevo)
- Review the design of the Stories4All online training programme and provide useful feedback
Keywords
shadow theatre, digital storytelling, design thinking, stories4all, eShadow, Coursevo
|
Instructor
Maria Hatzigianni Assistant Professor - Early Childhood and Care - Her extensive professional background stems from over 13 years of teaching experience in early childhood education in Greece and Australia, coupled with more than a decade as an academic. Presently, she serves as an assistant professor at the University of West Attica in Athens, Greece, and holds an honorary position at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Additionally, Maria is a key member of the University Committee overseeing the "Centre of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education" since 2022. Her academic pursuits concentrate on the integration of digital technologies in early childhood education, focusing on children aged from birth to 8 years old. She earned her PhD from the University of Melbourne on a full scholarship, exploring the utilization of new technologies among young children and its influence on their self-esteem. Maria's contributions to the field are extensive, reflected in her wide-ranging publications. |
|
Instructor
Nektarios Moumoutzis Graduated from the Computer Science Department of the School of Sciences and Engineering at the University of Crete. Holds a MEng from the School of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Technical University of Crete and a PhD in Informatics from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. His current work focuses on the design, implementation and evaluation of creativity/learning platforms and applications, interoperability support in eLearning systems, and computer science education. |
|
Instructor
Marios Christoulakis Christoulakis Marios graduated from the School of Electronic and Computer Engineering of the Technical University of Crete in 2008. He has a master's degree from the same department and is a PhD candidate at the School of Architectural Engineering. The research subject of his doctoral thesis is "Intelligent responsive system platforms for the augmentation of spatial impact" while since 2013 he has also been a researcher at the Laboratory of Changing Intelligent Environments of the School of Architectural Engineering. |
|
Instructor
Christos Ioannidis (Greece) - Christos Ioannidis is a Research Software Engineer based in Athens, Greece. He holds a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, complemented by substantial experience in architecting and developing scalable software solutions.
His professional expertise includes AI-powered systems, Human-Computer Interaction, and User Experience (UX) design, emphasizing the practical translation of innovative research into intuitive applications. Christos actively engages in the development of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) projects, focusing on rapid prototyping, integration of AI-enhanced features, and seamless user experiences.
Christos is particularly dedicated to bridging academic research and practical software development, utilizing his interdisciplinary skill set to deliver meaningful and innovative technological solutions. |