Caucasus University, in collaboration with the International Association for Media Education (IAME), is organizing a series of webinars for schoolteachers on media literacy topics.

The webinars will be held on May 5, 12, and 19, 2026, at 20:00 Tbilisi time (GMT+4), via the Zoom platform.

The webinars will be held with simultaneous translation. The May 5 and 12 webinars will be in English with simultaneous translation into Georgian, while the May 19 webinar will be in English only, without translation.

Speakers:

• On May 5 the webinar will be led by Johannes Knierzinger on the topic “No Textbooks, No Templates: How Austrian Teachers Built a Hands-On Media Literacy Toolkit When „Media Literacy" Became Mandatory”

Johannes Knierzinger spent over a decade working for media houses across Europe before making the switch to education four years ago. Today, he is a teacher for Digital Literacy (Digitale Grundbildung) in Austria and works for the Educational Directorate (Bildungsdirektion), where he leads teacher training in Digital Literacy. He is also CEO of Forum MedienBildung (FoMB) and a board member of the International Association for Media Education in Brussels. His background – combining hands-on media industry experience with daily classroom practice – shapes his approach to making media education practical, relevant, and accessible for both teachers and students.

• On May 12 the webinar will be led by Nicoleta Fotiade and Flavia Taran on the topic “Layers of meaning: Reading digital content like an onion”

Nicoleta Fotiade is a media and communications expert, media literacy trainer, and educator with over 20 years of experience. She has led media research and grassroots media education programs for civil society organizations in Romania and across Europe. She has co-authored several media research studies and educational resources, including two high school textbooks, and has extensive experience in audience research, media monitoring, and evaluation, particularly during elections.

She holds a BA in Journalism and an MA in Communications and Media and Cultural Studies from University of Westminster. She is co-founder and President of Mediawise Society and the International Association for Media Education.

Flavia Țăran is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Digital Media at Babeș-Bolyai University, where she teaches courses on digital platforms, digital culture, and communication on mobile devices. She is also a trainer with Mediawise Society, where she develops educational resources and delivers seminars on critical thinking, media education, and digital culture.

She holds a PhD in Communication Sciences, with a dissertation on memes and viral phenomena, as well as an MA in Media Communication and a BA in Journalism.

• On May 19 the webinar will be led by Irene Andriopoulou on the topic “Championing Critical Media Literacy in Cultural and Creative Industries”

Irene Andriopoulou is a global media policy analyst, researcher, author and practitioner with expertise on media literacy for over 20 years, through prototyping media literacy actions, policies, campaigns and multimodal resources for Greece, Europe and globally through UNESCO. Geographical Representative for Europe and North America of UNESCO Global MIL Board. Executive Director of CIFEJ – the International Center of Films for Children and Young People – for 2025–2027, under its new HQs at EKKOMEΔ, Greece. Director of Media, Film Education & Heritage Unit of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, ΕΚΚΟΜΕΔ.

On EU level, she is the Greek National Delegate of the EU Expert Groups on Media Literacy and on Combatting Disinformation through Education and Training (DG EAC, DG Connect), as well as Greek delegate to EU Creative Europe/MEDIA. At international level, Irene has collaborated extensively with the European Commission, UNESCO, Council of Europe, United Nations and OSCE, serving as consultant, researcher, policy expert, and trainer, championing a critical media identity within the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs).

A published author and public speaker, Irene has contributed to over 35 publications and 80 international events. BA in Communication and Mass Media (University of Athens), MA in Media Studies (University of Sussex), and PhD candidate at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

The webinars will start at 20:00 Tbilisi time (GMT+4) and will last for one hour.

The webinars will be moderated by George Jologua, Associate Professor at the Caucasus School of Media.

The webinar series is organized in collaboration between the Caucasus School of Media, the School of Education and the International Association for Media Education.

Public and private school teachers, education and media literacy specialists, as well as other interested individuals, are kindly invited to register via the link.