New Media - New Chances
This topic concentrates on the use of new media in schools. It wants to group some positive and negative aspects and how to help teachers , who are not convinced by media being a good teachers-aid.
Young teachers
Young teachers are well educated in terms of new media. They know, or at least are better informed about how to use new media in language learning contexts.
| motivated Teachers
The motivated teachers embrace many types and ages of teachers, but there are many teachers who just want to follow their everyday work habit and are afraid of any change.
The motivated teachers want to try out new things and give the best learning possibility to the children. Some teachers who belong to that group are in need for some more support and opportunities to help the pupils through new media. | Old teachers
The stereotype, that old teachers are not interested in new ideas is very plane, but unfortunatly fits very often.
They are afraid of the new technologies, because they do not know how to use them and therefore fear them. They believe that they can do everything just as good as the younger teachers with all the gadgets. | ParentsParents are often unable to cope with the correct eduaction in terms of the internet and new media in general. They themselves are often not as fit as their children and therefore do not dare to teach them any guidelines.
Many parents want their children to learn how to work with new technology responsibly. |
How can new media be helpful for everybody?
New Media is only helpful, if you know how to use it and you are not overdoing it. To much media is even worse then to little, one always has to be aware of such thing. Using new media is only advised when it brings a surplus, with less effort. Some things like vocabulary or visualizing texts are better done with the help of new media, because students are able to learn new things through many more ways and skills. They can hear, see and write exercises, while working at their own speed. This makes it very successful and individual. So, one has to find a compromise between old and new media and techniques. The older teachers have to reallize and be aware of the useful aspects of this new aid.
What can each category do in order to give the pupils a better learning experience?
What can each category do in order to give the pupils a better learning experience?
The young teachers have the knowledge of new media and therefore have to lead into this new area. Their challenge is to integrate and help all the other teachers by enabling them to use the new technologies.
They have to work ahead, prepare certain projects and build up a learning environment, which is easy to use for older teachers and the students. |
This is the time to shine for the motivated teachers. Here they have a new field, where they can help at. They can help building up this new learning environment and to calm the skeptical older teachers.
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This new field is a tough new start for elder, experienced teachers. They have to learn to be students again and give themselves the opportunity to learn even through mistakes. They have to accept these new possibilities and give them a chance. Ideally, they have understand the possible gain for the students. But as long as they use the prepared units and new learning environment, created by the younger teachers, they give the students the chance to learn in various ways.
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Parents also have an important role, they have to trust the teachers, that their children will learn something through these new media concepts. They need to tolerate the computer as a new learning device and not something one only plays on. Parents might be skeptical, because they are afraid, that they can not afford a new computer for their children in order to keep up with the neccessary standard. But this can be ruled out, through an information day via the teachers.
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