Evaluation of the PS New Media in Foreign Language Education
The following article serves as a final evaluation of the class New Media in FLE, which, in combination with the class "Presenting Content" (Medienproduktion), has become an obligatory module of the English teaching program at the University of Marburg. Taking into account the new possibilities that new media offers and the concomitant changing requirements for our future profession as teachers, I personally believe that this module was crucial and really helpful to me. First of all, I will dwell on the content and the topics we dealt with, discuss my personal benefits, and subsequently draw a final conclusion.
Content and Topics
The class covered a wide range of aspects related to new media as well as its implications and purposes for school. In particular, we learned about various tools and methods and had the opportunity to reflect on educational aspects when using new media in class. I became acquainted with a large number of new websites, webtools and ideas that I consider very useful for both private and educational applications. Among others, we dealt with the following topics:
The above list of topics exemplifies the variety of options and possibilities the field of new media has to offer. I found it really useful and interesting that the course was rich in variety and that each session focussed both on the actual topic as such and the criteria for the usage of new media in school. What I found especially beneficial was the field trip we made to the Martin Luther School in Marburg since we got to see the use of new media in an authentic context and discussed the pros and cons with experienced teaching staff. Moreover, I got the opportunity to work with SMART Boards and develop a teaching idea involving the latter, which I had not done before in this extent.
The enormous amount of ressources that the world wide web provides constitutes a great opportunity for teachers to enrich and valorize their teaching approaches, leading to great number of modern methods that are more student-centered and paving the way to more authentic materials and learning environments. With respect to foreign language education, authentic material and learning environments are particularly essential in my opinion. Hence, interactive web applications and communication tools have a lot of potential in this regard and should be applied whenever possible. They can also ease the teachers' work and preparation effort tremendously if used productively. As far as I am concerned, delicious, for instance, made my life much easier in terms of managing my bookmarks and useful websites I discovered thanks to this course. I was not aware of its usefulness beforehand and I will definitely continue using this service in the future. The same applies to a couple of web tools such as Google Docs, PiratePad, Wordle, etc.
Working with Weebly and writing articles on a regular basis, I have to acknowledge that this sort of assessment is really helpful when it comes to personal reflections thorough engagement with the topic. Thus, it is safe to say that I will include this approach in a similar fashion in my teaching and - if appropriate - make my students write blogs or e-portfolios as it supports their learning processes significantly and facilitates opportunities to enhance their writing skills.
The class covered a wide range of aspects related to new media as well as its implications and purposes for school. In particular, we learned about various tools and methods and had the opportunity to reflect on educational aspects when using new media in class. I became acquainted with a large number of new websites, webtools and ideas that I consider very useful for both private and educational applications. Among others, we dealt with the following topics:
- legal aspects in terms of new media
- technical equipment and media concepts in school (e.g. see also Field Trip to MLS)
- reasons for new media in foreign language education
- new media in language practice
- new media in literature and cultural studies
- tools for foreign language teaching (see also New Tools)
- teaching ideas based on new media (e.g. interactive whiteboards, see also Comment on a Teaching Idea)
The above list of topics exemplifies the variety of options and possibilities the field of new media has to offer. I found it really useful and interesting that the course was rich in variety and that each session focussed both on the actual topic as such and the criteria for the usage of new media in school. What I found especially beneficial was the field trip we made to the Martin Luther School in Marburg since we got to see the use of new media in an authentic context and discussed the pros and cons with experienced teaching staff. Moreover, I got the opportunity to work with SMART Boards and develop a teaching idea involving the latter, which I had not done before in this extent.
The enormous amount of ressources that the world wide web provides constitutes a great opportunity for teachers to enrich and valorize their teaching approaches, leading to great number of modern methods that are more student-centered and paving the way to more authentic materials and learning environments. With respect to foreign language education, authentic material and learning environments are particularly essential in my opinion. Hence, interactive web applications and communication tools have a lot of potential in this regard and should be applied whenever possible. They can also ease the teachers' work and preparation effort tremendously if used productively. As far as I am concerned, delicious, for instance, made my life much easier in terms of managing my bookmarks and useful websites I discovered thanks to this course. I was not aware of its usefulness beforehand and I will definitely continue using this service in the future. The same applies to a couple of web tools such as Google Docs, PiratePad, Wordle, etc.
Working with Weebly and writing articles on a regular basis, I have to acknowledge that this sort of assessment is really helpful when it comes to personal reflections thorough engagement with the topic. Thus, it is safe to say that I will include this approach in a similar fashion in my teaching and - if appropriate - make my students write blogs or e-portfolios as it supports their learning processes significantly and facilitates opportunities to enhance their writing skills.
Wrap-Up
In a nutshell, I can draw a positive conclusion with regard to this class. I really liked the overall structure of the course and the themes we covered during the semester. Furthermore, I got the chance to reflect on various aspects concerning new media and its educational purposes from a teacher's point of view, which I probably would not have done to such an extent without this class. Most of the time we had plenty of time to try out the tools we were discussing and make our own experiences. I now feel more confident and prepared when it comes to using interactive whiteboards - which are becoming increasingly common in schools at the moment and in the future - and web tools in class. I would generally consider myself relatively tech-savvy but this course nevertheless gave me new insights into the field of new media and ways to incorporate the latter in class. At the same time, though, I gave thought to not only the advantages but also the downsides of new media, respectively situations when using traditional methods is more expedient. My personal conclusion, thus, is that new media does not necessarily have to be included in every lesson, however, it is good for us future teachers to know our craft and be aware of the pros and cons as well the options and possibilites that new media has to offer. If used appropriately and reasonably, new media can definitely enhance classes and lead to more activating and motivating teaching approaches. The important thing about it new media, though, is that we as educators should be (at least) on par with our students as it is our duty to wise them up in terms of possible issues, risks and consequences when using the internet.
In a nutshell, I can draw a positive conclusion with regard to this class. I really liked the overall structure of the course and the themes we covered during the semester. Furthermore, I got the chance to reflect on various aspects concerning new media and its educational purposes from a teacher's point of view, which I probably would not have done to such an extent without this class. Most of the time we had plenty of time to try out the tools we were discussing and make our own experiences. I now feel more confident and prepared when it comes to using interactive whiteboards - which are becoming increasingly common in schools at the moment and in the future - and web tools in class. I would generally consider myself relatively tech-savvy but this course nevertheless gave me new insights into the field of new media and ways to incorporate the latter in class. At the same time, though, I gave thought to not only the advantages but also the downsides of new media, respectively situations when using traditional methods is more expedient. My personal conclusion, thus, is that new media does not necessarily have to be included in every lesson, however, it is good for us future teachers to know our craft and be aware of the pros and cons as well the options and possibilites that new media has to offer. If used appropriately and reasonably, new media can definitely enhance classes and lead to more activating and motivating teaching approaches. The important thing about it new media, though, is that we as educators should be (at least) on par with our students as it is our duty to wise them up in terms of possible issues, risks and consequences when using the internet.