Before we made the field trip we were ask to write down two questions (see below) to ask them during our field trip to the “Alfred-Wegener Gesamtschule”. In this blog I want to write down the answers to the questions.
Answer to question one:
According to Mr. S. (he showed us the school), each 5th grade has to participate in a six-week “crash course” in computer science. The aim is to acquire basic knowledge concerning the use of the computer and therefore to improve the media skills of the students. PowerPoint, the use of “Word”, and the internet research in general are the tools which each student should be able to handle after the six-week course. Nevertheless, Mr. S. admitted that you cannot make them completely fit in the use of the new media because even six weeks are not enough time to achieve that. Furthermore, Mr. S. explained that in terms of other than medial competencies or in terms of an increase in performance in general no changes could be discovered. This is also due to the fact that nobody aimed to find out if such changes occurred since the new media are used. Nevertheless, the school is very happy to get the chance to work with the new media. Their newest aim is to bring the new media to the students and not the students to the new media. Therefore, fixed installed computers shall be available in each classroom.
This would, of course, lead to a further improvement of media skills.
Answer to question two:
In general there are no teachers who are against the use of the new media. Nevertheless, some of the older teachers have the opinion that it is too late for them to learn how to use, for example, computers. They think that this is something for the younger generation of teachers. Nevertheless, the educational authority offers them to take part in different training courses. Unfortunately, only a very few number of the older teachers use this chance to improve their knowledge and therefore acquire media competencies. The main group of the older teachers sticks to their opinion that it is too late for them to learn how to use the new media properly. But in general all the other teachers, and also some of the older teachers, use the possibilities which the new media offer them.
In terms of the parents there is no opposition against the use of the new media because according to Mr. S. most of the parents know that knowledge about the new media is important for the future life of their children.
Hello Daniel,
I am asked to comment on you blog task so I will do just that.
I like the questions you thought about very much especially the second question.
I think the school you visited is one of the more modern ones because to my knowledge it is not in general the case that the school is set on integrating new media in school life.
Most teachers that I know and have heard of are the same kind as the older teachers you mentioned. They think that they are to old to invent new thing and are very content to go on like they did for the last ten to thirty years. I think that this is sad but unfortunatly not easy to change.
All in all I liked very much what you wrote
bye
Kristin