My “dreamproject” involving New Media is in cooperation with a school in England; the students will

·        create their own blog and write posts

·        record a video and put it online

·        communicate with English students in a chat room

·        prepare and give a Powerpoint presentation

As this is not a single lesson, but a project consisting of eight double lessons, I will not describe the individual lessons in detail. I prepared the plan on the assumption that

·       I will only have double lessons with the class

·       we will be in a computer lab each lesson

·       students already know the basics about the Internet

·       there is a cooperation between me and a teacher in England who is currently teaching a sixth form German course

·        the size of my class is about the size of the class in England

In the project my year 11 students get in touch with lower sixth form students in England who study German, so that the students are roughly of the same age (16-17 year). The general idea is that the German and English students get to know each other by sharing and writing in one blog, so that at the end of the project they can give a Powerpoint presentation about each other. Each German student will be assigned to one English student, but as it is possible that certain students can not be bothered to write in their blogs, two German and two English students will share one blog, so that there is at least one student they can find out something about. The students will always write in their mother tongue.

In the curriculum for year 11 there are two topics mentioned that are accounted for in my dream project.

·        “Science and Technology: electronic media (internet, e-commerce, etc.)”

·        “One-track mind (prejudice, intolerance, ideologies)”

Some other positive aspects of this projects are:

·        Students improve their media-competence

·        Students improve their socio-cultural competence

·        Students communicate with speakers of the target language

·        Students read authentic and personalized texts

·        Students watch authentic video

In the following part I will describe the lessons and the homework for my German students.

1^st double lesson:

·        The students will collect idea about “The typical English person” (Mindmap, blackboard)

·        The students are introduced to the project: Find out whether our ideas about “the typical English person” are true

·        The students discuss and learn about “netiquette”, e.g.

•  
  • Remember the human
  • Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
  • Know where you are in cyberspace
  • Respect other people’s time and bandwidth
  • Make yourself look good online
  • Share expert knowledge
  • Help keep flame wars under control
  • Respect other people’s privacy
  • Do not abuse your power
  • Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes

(from the VCT)

·       The students learn how to create a wordpress-blog and create a blog in pairs

·        The students write a welcome message each

Homework: Think of what you would like to ask the English students!

2^nd double lesson:

·        The students will get together in groups of four, discuss their ideas about what to ask the English students and agree on four questions/ tasks.

·        Always two groups will get together, discuss their ideas and again agree on 3 questions.

·        The plenum discusses the ideas and decides on 3 questions.

·        The students are taught more about the features of WordPress.

·        The students will put the first question in their blog.

Homework: Answer the question by the English students (in German), read the answer to your question and make notes on it that you bring to the next lesson.

3rd double lesson:

·        Partner activity: Students tell a partner about what “their” English student has written.

·        Students comment in their blog on the English student’s answer, saying what they found interesting/ didn’t know yet, etc.

·        Possible problems with publishing etc. are discussed and solved in class.

·        Students learn how to put pictures in their posts.

·        The students put the second question online.

Homework: Answer the question by the English student including a picture and read the answer to your question.

4^th double lesson:

·        Students discuss what “their” partners have written in plenum

·        Students learn how to use Powerpoint

·        Students are asked to create first slides of their Powerpoint presentation with information about the English student

·        Students publish the next question

Homework: Make notes on what you would answer to the next question!

5^th double lesson:

·        The students answers are recorded on video and send to the students’ email-accounts.

·        The students learn how to include a video in their post.

Homework: Put your video in the blog and watch “your” student’s video to your answer.

6^th double lesson:

·        In the first lesson the students have the opportunity to get more information about the English students in a live chatroom.

·        In the second lesson they can prepare their Powerpoint presentations.

Homework: Prepare your Powerpoint presentations.

7^th double lesson:

·        Powerpoint presentations (5 minutes each) & short Feedback

8^th double lesson.

·        Powerpoint presentations  & short Feedback

Homework: Did the blog-experience change your view on the English?

Although this project is labeled “dream project”, I do not think that it is necessarily unrealistic to carry it out. Depending on the actual teaching situation, slight changes have to be made, but in my opinion as a teacher one should not be deterred by initial problems because this project could be highly motivating and beneficial for the students.

I interviewed a female student, who goes to a private „Gymnasium” in Baden-Württemberg. She is 17 years old and in year 13. The interview was conducted in German and later translated into English.

How often is the computer used in your classes at school?

We don’t use computers a lot at school. We work with computers maybe once a week in the lessons, but the students from year 11 onwards have free access to the computer room, so if we have a free period, we often work with the computers.

And what do you do then?

Well, normally we don’t work, but check our emails, go to schueler-vz or something like that, although the computers are actually intended for school work only. But most of the students don’t use them for that, except when we have to give a presentation or have a homework where we need to prepare something using the internet.

You said you don’t work with computers a lot at school, but when you do, in which subjects is that?

In English only, I guess.

And what do you use the computers for in English?

For example, if we have to find out things about certain people or a book. Sometimes our teacher gives us tasks to find out something and we have to find material and later present our redults in class.

Do you sometimes you Powerpoint in class?

Yes, when we have to give a presentation. Most of the students use Powerpoint for presentations.

And do you have projectors installed in all the classrooms, or do you have special rooms for presentations, or…?

No there are 5 kits with projectors and laptops at school and if you want to give a presentation, you have to register for one of them.

Is Powerpoint only used for student presentations or do teachers use it, too?

No, only students. Well, last year in physics a teacher used it several lessons for showing some experiments, but that was it, I think.

Do you generally like the use of computers at school?

Yes, but I wouldn’t want to use it too much.

Why not?

Because there’s sometimes just too much information and that gives me a headache.

Do you think it is used either too much or too little?

I would say neither too much, nor too little. As I said I wouldn’t want to use it too much. 

Is it always used in a good way?

Not always. I like when the tasks are creative, but once my history teacher made us solve many tasks that were listed on a website. It was not very demanding, but only boring. And I think the teacher knew, but he was only very lazy.

————————————————–

I wrote down the real answers that I was given, which is why some answers are rather short. As the reader will notice, there are also some inconsistencies, e.g. the student first says computers are only used in English, later she talks about the use of computers in her history and physics lessons.

I have to say I was quite surprised about two things the student said. First of all, I wouldn’t have thought that computers are apparently so rarely used at this school, as I know the school and it is quite well-equipped with new media. Secondly, I would have guessed that most students very much like using computers in lessons and are eager to use them rather more, especially when they are currently only used once a week. Of course, I interviewed only one student, so this might not be representative for the majority of students in Germany.

Still, the findings show that it can not be enough to only buy technical equipment for a school and assume that this alone makes the students acquire media competency. The teachers need to learn how to use the new media in a way that is suitable and motivating for the students.

Well, unfortunately, I will not be able to visit the Lanschulheim Steinmühle next week, but maybe someone else would like to find out the following for me:
* How many computers are there at school for how many students?

* How does the use of New Media differ depending on the age of students?

Task:

This week, you are supposed to do some research, before you write your article. Find out about today’s use of computers in your old grammar school. Try to find information in the „Schulprogramm“ or on the website, remember if and how your teachers included the New Media in the classroom. Describe your findings and your opinion about it. The entry is due on the 9th of December.

Well, my entry this week would be rather short: Apparently, there is no such thing as a “Schulprogramm” for my old school (at least not online). All the information I could find on the website concerning the use of New Media is:

·        There are computers at my old school

·        There is an after school club for informatics

When I went to school, computers were rarely used. I remember a very few lessons, in which we used learning software for English. That was it, basically. It’s perfectly possible that things have changed, after all, it’s four and a half years ago that I last went to school – but there is no way one could find out on the website. If you want to check, that’s the website of my old school: http://www.lgratzeburg.de/page2008/.

To not end my entry here, I would like to describe a school in England I worked at from October ’07 to May ’08 as an FLA (Foreign Language Assistant). It was a comprehensive school near Portsmouth in Hampshire: http://www.bayhouse.hants.sch.uk/. According to national rankings it was neither one of the top schools, nor a “bad” school either. Nevertheless, in terms of New Media it was better equipped than any school I’ve seen in Germany so far. Other FLAs told me about similar conditions at other schools. So, concerning New Media we might actually learn something from the English school system.

New Media Equipment

As I worked in the language department of the school, I will, first of all, focus on the New Media equipment of the language rooms and the implementation of New Media in the language lessons. At my school (and I guess generally in England), not classes but teachers have their own classroom, although sometimes two or three teachers might share one or two rooms. All the classrooms for language lessons are in one part of the school. As I already mentioned, the rooms are very well equipped with New Media devices. In each (!) language room there is a computer and a projector and in most of the rooms there is also an interactive whiteboard, also called smartboard. Before going to England I had never even heard about interactive whiteboards and I felt as if I were coming from some less developed part of the world :-( because for the teachers and students the use of this seemed to be so normal… In case I’m not the only one who was baffled to hear about “such a thing”:

The interactive whiteboard looks like a normal whiteboard, but it is actually linked to a computer and a projector and functions like a giant touch screen. The teacher can project everything he can see on the computer screen onto the interactive whiteboard and by tapping on the interactive whiteboard with his finger he can, for example, open documents, scroll down a document or “drag and drop” items. It is also possible to digitally write on the board using your fingers or a pen (that is not really a pen, but more a pen-shaped stick) and erase what you have written by wiping it away with your hand. I will insert a little video about a teacher giving a demonstration of the smartboard.

I think having an interactive whiteboard in class is a great advantage for teachers and students. First of all, the teacher doesn’t have to sit in front of the computer while projecting websites or documents on a screen, but can stand next to the screen and just touch it to go to a different page, write something, etc. That way the teacher is always present for the students and can face them. In addition, the teacher can easily store things he has written down on the board. When preparing a test, the teacher can check what has been written on the board and moreover, he might send the whiteboard sketch to students who did not attend the lesson. What is more, the interactive whiteboard has a motivating effect on students. From my experience I can say that pupils really enjoy working with it and it keeps their attention to the subject. Lessons in which the whiteboard is used are often experienced as more “fun” than conventional lessons. The interactive whiteboard can also be used to “treat” the students, for example with an interactive game.

Implementation of New Media in Language Lessons

What I experienced in England is that in many lessons New Media was implemented in a way that fostered learning and was motivating for the students. I will give some examples New Media was used for:

-          PowerPoint presentations

o   To introduce a new topic, new vocabulary, new grammar rules

o   To give an overview over common exam tasks

-          Games

o   To practise vorbaulary or grammar (e.g. in two competing teams)

o   To treat the students

-          Websites

o   Presentation of learning websites

o   Students get introduced to those and might use them at home

-          Films

-          Videos

o   Presentation of short (YouTube) videos

o   Work with authentic material

o   Work with songs and video clips

o   Listening comprehension

 Although I am a strong supporter for the use of New Media in school, I have to say that during my time in England I also realized that THE USE OF NEW MEDIA DOES NOT NECESSERILY MAKE A GOOD LESSON! Computers, projectors and interactive whiteboards can be very beneficial for teachers and students, but the TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW HOW TO USE THEM EFFECTIVELY so that they facilitate successful learning for the students (so it’s quite good I’m in the New Media course J…). I also experienced some negative examples – very few, though – of how not to use New Media in the classroom. In my opinion possible risks of the integration of New Media into schools are:

·        Overuse of the New Media and neglect of conventional learning arrangements

·        Inappropriate use of the New Media => Depending on the topic, teaching aim and class traditional teaching arrangements might have an advantage over the use of technical equipment!

·        Some teachers might abuse New Media to justify very teacher-centred lessons (PowerPoint presentations)

In my opinion, the problems mentioned should not deter teachers from using computers, smartboards, etc., but teacher should simply be aware of the potential risks to prevent an inappropriate use of New Media.

Implementation of New Media in the Curriculum

Of course the use of New Media should by no means be restricted to language lessons, but take place in all lessons. At ”my” school, there were also media classes, like “Design and Technology” and “ICT” (Information and Communication Technology). ICT is a subject that according to the website of the school “provides students with an understanding of the range of computer applications. Students are taught through an interesting variety of projects how to use ICT tools to find, explore, analyze, exchange and present information responsibly, creatively and with discrimination”. The students have this subject from year 7 (when they are 11 years old) until year 11 (when they are 15 years old). In their first year students learn foundations for ICT and basics about presenting information, handling data, controlling and monitoring. In year 8 and 9 topics include, among others, processing text and images, public information system, reliability, validity and bias of information, and publishing on the web. In year 10 and 11 some new aspects are introduced and the students further their existing knowledge.

Personally, I think that the technical equipment, as well as the implementation of New Media in the curriculum of the school I worked at can be regarded as a model and pioneer of what the situation of New Media in language learning could and should look like in future Germany. In today’s world the Internet is already so important that –if we want to or not – we cannot close ourselves to it and the technical development that comes with it. The New Media brings along a lot of advantages, but to fully appreciate those we have to learn how to deal with the New Media and prepare our students to do just the same. Computer and communication skills are so essential today and requested by nearly all employers that we as teachers mustn’t neglect the development of information and communication technology, but it is our duty to teach our students the skills needed. Therefore, I am strongly convinced that computer classes should be implemented into the curriculum of each school in Germany, similarly to how it is done at the English school I presented in this entry. In addition, New Media should be integrated into lessons of all subjects where suitable. The (hopefully) coming changes concerning this in Germany will be quite costly and require changes in the structure of our schools – like the creation of technical support teams in schools and a change in teacher training. Nevertheless, in my opinion this seems an important issue that needs to be tackled and win recognition.

Our task this week:

“Find (online or in a magazine) a report on a teaching project with the New Media that you really liked and you think was a success (not the one you had in-class) and explain it to your readers.”

Now, what I found is not exactly a report on a teaching project with the New Media, but a helpful page for teachers wanting to carry out an Internet project, but don’t know what to do. The page “E-Twinning” gives a lot of good examples of what one can do with the Internet in school. E-Twinning is part of Comenius (the European Commission for Education and Training). Comenius has the following goals:

·         “To improve and increase the mobility of pupils and educational staff in different Member States

·         To enhance and increase partnerships between schools in different Member States, with at least three million pupils taking part in joint educational activities by 2010  

·         To encourage language learning, innovative ICT-based content, services and better teaching techniques and practices 

·         To enhance the quality and European dimension of teacher training 

·         To improve pedagogical approaches and school management “

http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc84_en.htm

It can be said that a special emphasis is laid on media competence and multicultural learning. On E-Twinning  one can find a diverse selection of teaching projects involving new media. The projects are described in detail and rated by teachers who tried out the different methods. In addition, it gives interesting information about pedagogical objectives, process, evaluation, and possible follow up-activities. I would like to present one of the projects on this page that I particularly liked. It is called ”E-journal bridges for foreign language learning” and in which classes from at least two schools from different countries create an e-journal together. This could be in form of an online-diary, a magazine or a newspaper. According to E-Twinning the aims are mainly to encourage language learning and intercultural discourse. In addition, pupils shall learn:

·       “to develop writing and reading skills in a foreign language;

·        to develop critical thinking skills when looking for, selecting and organizing relevant information on the chosen topic;

·       to write different types of articles (interview, news, reportage, photo-reportage, advertisement, survey, essay, review, announcement, …);

·        to get familiar with the job of a journalist: rights and duties of journalists; respecting author’s rights;

·        to learn basic web writing and graphical design rules;

·        to take digital pictures and use them in articles;

·        to use ICT collaborative tools for publishing, editing, commenting and, if available, rating articles;

·        to communicate efficiently with both classmates and partners abroad;

·        to develop their inter-cultural skills.”

 http://www.etwinning.net/de/pub/index.htm

The learning goals mentioned here are of great significance nowadays and, thus, as Anna Maria Gallus cited in her blog, are also in the Hessian school curriculum:

„Insbesondere hat auch im Englischunterricht die Vermittlung von Medienkompetenz (auch computer literacy) einen hohen Stellenwert. Mit Blick auf die Ziele im Bereich der Medienkompetenz und des fächerverbindenden Unterrichts lassen sich Projekte unter Nutzung des Internets durchführen – mit darüber erreichbaren Partnern und dort verfügbaren Informationen.
Die modernen elektronischen Medien sind im privaten wie beruflichen Alltag unverzichtbar und deshalb zwingend in den Unterricht einzubeziehen, sei es zur Kontaktaufnahme mit anderen Ländern (E-Mail-Projekte), zur Informationsbeschaffung und -bewertung (Internet-Recherche und Nutzung von Datenbanken) oder zur Darstellung eigener kreativer Leistungen.“

http://annamariagallus.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/new-media-in-the-hessian-curriculum-for-english-g8/

According to E-Twinning before getting started teachers must agree on the involved pupils’ age and level of foreign language knowledge. They should also try to link the type of articles to the foreign language curricula in both countries and agree on time lines and on ICT tools used in the project. And, among other things, the teachers must think about how much freedom they want to allow the students in creating the e-journal and how the pupils shall collaborate.

In a next step the students need to collect and organize the information on the topic they want to write about, collect own ideas, and decide on the layout of the article. In the process of decision-making the students learn with and from another discussing each other’s articles, designs, and cultural perception.

E-Twinning sees the following follow-up options:

·         “Pupils may decide to create a paper version of their magazine. They learn about the differences between on-line and paper magazines;

·         They may create a real cover for their e- or paper journal with the help of the application available for free at http://flagrantdisregard.com/flickr/magazine.php

·         They may translate the most interesting articles in their mother tongue, publish them on the school website or print them, and make available at school or in local community.”

http://www.etwinning.net/de/pub/index.htm

The “Baltic Youth Culture” is an example for a successful collaborative e-journal that was written by students from schools in Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. In their online journal they write for example about themselves and about how they celebrate different holidays in their country.

http://ejournal.eduprojects.net/ipmtools43/

I think e-journals are a lot of organizational work for the teacher, as she/he has to find at least one other school to collaborate with and make all the necessary arrangements with the other teacher(s). Also, the teacher needs to make sure the students acquire the computer skills required for such a project. Still, I think once everything is sorted out, students and teachers can learn a lot by creating an e- journal and also, I guess, it can be much fun for everyone involved!

 The VCT-unit “Internet Communication” deals with advantages and disadvantages of Internet communication, different communication tools, language used and briefly with the methodology of using Internet communication in schools. In this entry I will present my ideas concerning the practical aspects to consider regarding online communication in school contexts. I will explore when, where and how it is useful to use Internet tools for communication in class and what problems might occur.

There are several means of Internet communication that can be used with students. Those can be divided into two larger groups, namely synchronous and asynchronous tools. “Synchronous” means that the person addressed receives a message at the same time it is delivered and can in this respect be compared to the telephone as a means of conventional communication. In asynchronous communication there is a time delay between question and answer, comparable to writing a letter. In the following part synchronous and asynchronous tools of Internet communication will be listed and its relevance for schools discussed.

Asynchronous Means

E-Mails

E-Mails are virtual letters transmitted over communication networks. In class, they can be used for the teacher to…

·        be available for the students to answer questions, help and assist them

·       remind the students of test dates, homework to be submitted, etc.

·        distribute additional learning material, links, etc.

Newsgroups and Forums

Newsgroups are platforms on which each member of the group can post messages and download postings by other users. Forums pursue a similar concept, but are becoming more popular today than newsgroups. Examples how to integrate those tools into school are to…

·        give students information about grading schemes, class rules, etc.

·        give students questions related to the current class topic and ask them to discuss the questions and comments made by their classmates (according to Netiquette standards)

·       plan and present school projects and events, like the performance of a play

Blogs

Another form of an asynchronous Internet communication tool, although not mentioned by the VCT, is the creation of blogs. We already collected ideas concerning this in class, some weeks ago as put together in a list by Anna Maria Gallus:

·        as a learner diary to monitor the students’ progress

·        providing material and information for homework

·       documenting experiments from chemistry classes with pictures and videos

·       summarizing in-class meetings as a repetition and for of documentation

http://annamariagallus.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/blogs-in-the-classroom/

Synchronous Means

Chat

·        teacher-student chat:

o   for the students to ask questions, get help and assistance

·        student-student chat:

o  in FLE-/geography-/politics lessons: joint-project between schools from different countries; students get the task of finding things out about the other country/the other students/ etc. by chatting with students from a different country

MUD & MOO

Personally, I think that MUDs & MOOs are useful when it comes to adult education, but – as far as I can see – there is not a great potential for implementing them into the school education of children.

In higher education MUDs and MOOs become increasingly important, as they enable real-time online lectures for students who are not able to attend “real” university courses. The University of Hamburg offers for example already online lectures in Second Life.

For younger students of English the link to schMOOze University might be interesting. According to the homepage it is

“a place where people studying English as a second or foreign language could practice English while sharing ideas and experiences with other learners and practicers of English. Students have opportunities for one-on-one and group conversations as well as access to language games such as Scrabble and Boggle, an on-line dictionary, a virtual library and a grammar maze.”

http://schmooze.hunter.cuny.edu/

Video-Conferencing

Just as MUD & MOO, Video Conferencing is not widely used in the education of younger students. Nevertheless, it might be beneficial for students living in remote areas. A few possible uses for students attending “regular” schools might be:

·       multicultural learning and oral practiseas may be fostered through joint projects between schools from different countries

·        A teacher’s online “office hour” for students

Internet Communication= Useful in School?

In my opinion, integrating Internet tools for communication into regular lessons seems a promising concept with many advantages as the facilitation of joint projects and multicultural learning – especially asynchronous tools might be beneficial to use in school. Synchronous means of online communication bear several problems, though. The main deterrent for teachers to use those tools is probably the dependence on time and thus the huge amount of organizational work. Working on a project in cooperation with another school means finding a time when all the students have access to a computer at the same time. A more general problems is that communicative ambiguities might come up, due to unclear ways of expressing oneself in text. In addition, problems might arise when students show a lack of computer skills or a lack of politeness in the apparent anonymity of the World Wide Web. Therefore, students need lessons in general computer skills and “Netiquette” – the etiquette of the Net.

In conclusion, it can be argued that “Internet Communication” is a convenient way of communication and if we are aware of possible problems it might bring about, we can take precautions to avoid those. Moreover, in my opinion, the Internet should only be used for communication if it has a distinct advantage over conventional communication tools. I do, for instance, not see why online chats or video conferences should replace a teacher’s conventional office hour with face-to-face communication. Already, before the Internet was invented Charles Dickens (1812-1870) pointed out:

Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.

I think we, as future teachers, should make an effort to not be oblivious to “rules” regarding Internet research, and that’s why I will state what I would like my future students to learn:

Advantages/ Disadvantages

I would make my students aware that Internet research compared to conventional research has not only advantages, but also bears some risks

Research Tools

I would like to introduce different research tools to my students:

o    Search engines

o    Meta search engines

o    Catalogues

o    Link lists

o    Wiki-websites

o    Online dictionaries

o    Web-corpora

Personally, I would guess that search engines are the most important research tool for students, but it is necessary to make them aware of the fact that there are more ways to search for documents than to “google” them. Moreover, the introduction and critical analysis of online dictionaries and online translators might help students in foreign language learning. Nevertheless, we mustn’t forget that many students are already quite familiar with a couple of research tools, which is why, in my opinion, the focus should be laid on helping students how to use the Internet more effectively and responsibly. This leads on to the next topic, the acquisition of certain skills.

Skills

Just as important as knowing where to retrieve information in the Internet is to know how to go about doing research. For an effective use of search engines I would teach my students how to use the “Boolean Logic”. As explained in the VCT-unit, words or phrases can be linked through “AND”, “OR” or “NOT” to specify a search.

o    House AND barn => Only documents with both words in it are listed.

o    House OR barn => All entries with at least one of the words are shown.

o    House NOT barn => Only documents containing the word “house”, but not “barn” are displayed

Evaluation

“If the Net is the most useful research tool ever available [...] it is also the most misleading, dangerous and seductive. Every piece of information has to be weighed for possible flaws” (Roger Ebert, 1996)

I totally agree with Ebert that information obtained from the Internet has to be checked. Therefore, when making students aware of the risks of the Internet, it is our responsibility as teachers to also show them how to avoid pitfalls. Students can learn ways to find out how reliable and relevant.

o    …who the author is,

o    Is he/she an expert/ layman in the field he/she is writing about?

o    Can he/she be contacted?

o    …what the URL is,

o    What is the domain: educational (*.edu), nonprofit (*.org), commercial (*.com) or government (*.gov)?

o    …whether sources are quoted,

o    …whether the information is up-to-date,

o    …whether the information is suitable, to name only a few.

As students become more competent in using the Internet, they need to be informed about plagiarism. They must learn, how to avoid it and what the consequences are if they hand in work that is not their own.

Before working through the VCT-Unit “Internet Research”, I would have claimed that I feel quite confident carrying out research in the Internet. But if asked what important aspects I would teach students concerning this, I could have mentioned only some of the unit’s propositions. There were facts I did not know, yet, but also, and more importantly, skills described I already have – more or less – but of whose importance I had not been fully aware. It’s probably similar like learning a language: The better you get, the less aware you are of the grammar rules and thus are less able to explain to your students how the language works. That’s why I found it very helpful to read about Internet research in the VCT-unit.

Our in-class task this week was to create a poster in groups about a specific topic related to the VCT-unit “Learning Theories & Principles”. I found the poster about  “drill & practise”-software not only very creative and concise, but it also reflects my own opinion concerning this issue. The questions the group was asked to consider were:

 “Why is drill & practice software still distributed? Do you think it is useful?“.

First of all, I think that the answer to the second question is already implied in the first question: If “drill and practice”-software was completely outdated and of no use at all, people wouldn’t buy it and if people didn’t buy it, software engineers wouldn’t produce it anymore…

But why is “drill and practice” software still useful?

Analyzing the poster one can conclude that understanding is indeed not supported by “drill & practice”-software. As grammar or math cannot simply be learned by heart, but needs to be understood, “drill and practice”-methods are not suitable for those learning matters. Nevertheless, learning by heart is fostered by “drill and practice”-activities, and as suggested by the poster, it is useful for the acquisition of vocabulary, history dates, or anatomy terms. The poster states that “drill and practice”-software is still produced and used because it is a way to learn facts quickly and effectively, and because it is very convenient for the teacher as he/she doesn’t have to prepare much.

Moreover, one could add that the teacher has a greater control over what the students are learning compared to explorative learning. Teachers use “drill and practice”-software to monitor what is learned and make sure every student learns the same things at the same time (although, of course, no students really learn exactly the same at the same time…).

The discussion about the usefulness of “drill and practice”-software is also linked to the question whether skills or knowledge are more essential nowadays. In explorative learning the acquisition of skills is emphasized, which is why supporters of the “drill and practice”-method argue that the acquisition of actual facts degrades to a “side-effect” in explorative learning. That is not to say that there are no facts learned in the explorative way, but while this learning theory is more a skill-based approach, “drill and practice” can be described as a fact-based learning approach.

As I already explained in my last post, I would not want to decide in favor of one theory and against another, just as I would not want to decide for or against acquiring skills and learning facts. Personally, I think that we need a good balance of the different approaches in our schools. We certainly want our students to be fit in the use of computers and social interaction, but mustn’t forget that they will remain ignorant if they don’t learn facts, as well. After all, what use are methodological, scientific and social skills, if you think Africa is a country and South Africa is just a part of this country ?

As a conclusion, it can be argued that the quickness and effectiveness to learn facts by heart, the convenience and control for the teacher and the importance of a general knowledge are reasons why “drill and practice”-software is still distributed today. Despite those advantages over other learning activities, “drill and practice” should never be the only method of teaching.

From the very beginning of history people have been concerned with the question “How does effective learning work?”. Over the years scientists and educators came up with various theories regarding this topic. Working my way through the VCT-unit “Learning Theories & Principles”, I got to know the three theories of learning, which shall be explained in the following part.

1. Behaviorism

This theory was established by B.F. Skinner and is mainly based on the principles of operant conditioning, which gives attention to the shaping of behavior through positive or negative reinforcement. In the context of education those principles are applied in “Drill & Practise” – learners are given input and have to repeat the input until they have memorized it.

To learn more about Skinner’s experiments on the role of reinforcement and the validity of behaviorism for human learning you might want to watch the following video:

2. Cognitivism

Cognitivism focuses on the individual, and thus demands learner constructed and relevant learning matter. Instead of the memorizing, students are required to understand the information. One way of doing this is through explorative learning, which concentrates on problem-solving activities.

3. Constructivism

Constructivism is the theory which is given most attention to nowadays. It regards the brain as a self-organizing, information-processing system that constructs an understanding of the world in search for meaning by reflecting on experiences. Therefore, there are rarely “right” or “wrong” answers to tasks, but solutions to a problem can be diverse.

With the theory of Constructivism come certain principles, like:

- Distance education

- Acquisition of certain skills

- Multicultural learning

- Cooperative learning

In my opinion, it is important to note that the founding of the later theories is to some extent connected to the development of New Media. As information is accessible at any time and nearly anywhere today, the memorizing of facts is just not as important as it used to be. Instead, competences that come with the above mentioned principles play a more crucial role. Media competence is in that context of great relevance as it enables the learner to retrieve information. The obtained information has to be structured, stored, and evaluated by the learner, wherefore he needs methodological skills. Also of importance are personal and social skills, e.g. the ability to learn autonomously without a direct instructor, but also to work cooperatively in a team. Those new requirements have to and are increasingly incorporated into existing curricula and reflect the theory of Constructivism.

The Behaviorism theory meets fierce criticism. Nevertheless, it is necessary to state that aspects of behaviorism are not completely outdated, but still hold true today. Who would deny that a good grade and the teacher’s recognition – positive reinforcement – encourage students to “keep up the good work”? Personally, I think that it is not necessary for us as future teachers to decide in favour of one theory, since the theories are not mutually exclusive. In my opinion, we should face the challenges in education today, foster competences and skills needed, and find a healthy balance between methods that derive from different theories.

…I saw the video on what you said about “Young Americans and the Internet” in class a couple of days ago and feel I have to write down some thoughts on this for you. Before discussing your statements I would like to tell you some things about me:

I am under the age of 30.

I’ve got my mobile phone with me every day.

I love facebook to stay in contact with my friends.

And still:

I like to see myself as a trustworthy person.

I am not stupid.

I am not lazy.

I am not ignorant.

But, Mr. Bauerlein, I can agree with you on some aspects. You are right that the digital age brought some problems with it, we didn’t have to face before. Me too, I think we have to protect young children from the dangers the internet brings about, but it’s not the influence of social networking that I am most concerned about.

Speaking of social networking:

What is so bad about it, anyway?

Do you not think communication, even if it’s via the internet, is important for the development of young people?

Do you not think it’s a bit too easy blaming sites like facebook for a lack of disinterest in “historical knowledge and literary understanding” among teenagers?

What you are saying sounds to me like: “In the good old times before the digital age all the young people were highly intelligent and interested in culture, history and literature and then =>BOOM<= the digital age made them all stupid and ignorant.” Since when do the use of mobile phones, blackberries, the internet and so forth contradict studiousness and a broad general knowledge? Yes, of course, there are teenagers whose world revolves solely around social networking and who are just not interested in reading books or politics, but is that really a new phenomenon triggered by the rise of the digital era?

Here are some figures to make up your mind, Mr. Bauerlein:

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more people than ever enroll in and graduate from university. “Enrollment in degree-granting institutions increased by 16 percent between 1985 and 1995. Between 1995 and 2005, enrollment increased at a faster rate (23 percent), from 14.3 million to 17.5 million” (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98). Moreover, participation in adult learning courses increased from 33% in 1991 to 44,4% in 2005. Among the group that attracts your attention the increase was even more significant, namely from 37.8% in 1991 to 52.8% in 2005. That does not sound like a decline of interest in academic learning, does it?

And maybe your students are not as “stupid and ignorant” as you assume. They may not have read all the books you consider important for being “a complete citizen and a complete individual”, but they may have acquired other skills and competencies that are thought of as more essential by the employment market. For many employers nowadays it is more relevant that job applicants have basic skills in computing and new media than that they have read Shakespeare’s tragedies and have learned all the historical dates by heart.

There are definitely positive and negative aspects about the digital era we live in, but we have to acknowledge that the development is not reversible. This is also why, in my opinion, we should come to terms with the digital world we live in and mustn’t close ourselves to new media.

If I convinced you, you might join me in the new media course…

Respectfully,

Sophie Haertel