Digital Education in Greece: A Retrospective View
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Digital education, Educational imaginaries, Sociotechnical futures
Abstract
This study examines the digital transformation of the Greek education system since the early 2000s through the lens of imagined futures. ICT has shifted horizontally from being a mere computer subject to becoming a mandatory instrument integrated across the national curriculum. Using qualitative, descriptive-analytical methods, the study explores how top-down government policies reorganize pedagogical practices, transforming teachers into digital facilitators, and fueling institutional reliance on platforms such as e-class and MySchool. One concrete learning method analyzed is gamification through the "Greek toy children's revolution," which transforms formative assessments into interactive digital games and activates students' visual creativity through the creation of comics and videos. The results show that technological expectations promoted by political authorities often sideline pedagogical innovation in favor of techno-economic interests. Rather than reducing inequalities, this hasty digitalization without a space for collective dialogue reinforces the technocratic character of education, triggering new digital inequalities—particularly in rural areas—and marginalizing critical teaching approaches. However, some educators have begun to independently challenge this standardization in order to maintain the pedagogical essence of the classroom.
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