Personal Evaluation of the Course
This page is about my personal evaluation of the course “New Media in Foreign Language Education”. I attended this class at the University of Marburg during the summer term 2011. In this class, we looked at different tools belonging to the field of new media (e.g. weebly, delicious), discussed their usage in class and also developed our own teaching ideas.
Importance of new media
Right at the beginning of this evaluation, I would like to state that I liked the course very much because of several reasons. The first reason is that it was the first course dealing with new media I attended during my studies. Normally, university courses focus on linguistics, literature or language experience. Of course, these courses should be part of studying English, but as a future teacher I also need some instruction on how I can actually teach the language. Concerning teaching English, new media become more and more important. In today`s world, the children grow up with lots of technical devices, and that is why one should also make use of them in school.
The relevance of new media is even documented in the Hessian curriculum which points out the following:
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://www.hessen.de/irj/HKM_Internet?cid=9e0b5517dfc688683c15ce252202d4b9)
Apart from that, new media offer many possibilities to improve teaching. Listening to podcasts created by native speakers or using skype to communicate with students in other parts of the world makes English language teaching more natural.
In advance of this course, I had no idea what tools exist and how I could include them in my own teaching. During the semester, I got to know a huge variety of websites and tools I can use. In addition, I also like the fact that we discussed all those tools (advantages and disadvantages) in detail. Due to the discussions, I learned how to decide whether a website is suitable for teaching purposes or not. Before we collected criteria for good tools and websites, I would not have thought about the aspect of advertisement, for instance. Now that we have talked about all these criteria, I would cease from using websites that display advertisements of political parties etc. Another aspect related to the previous one is that we had the possibility to test lots of tools in class. Whenever there was a problem, the instructor could be asked for help, or we could work together in small groups.
Good mixture of theory and practice
Another positive aspect about the course is that there was a good and appropriate mixture of theory and practice. At the beginning of the course, our instructor presented a study about media kids showing to what extend new media are used by children. Concerning the use of media, I had never thought before that nearly all pupils have got their own computer or at least a computer that they (can) use regularly. Besides, I also got to know different learning theories (behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism) I had not worked on before. Now, I am able to connect this theoretical knowledge with practical implications. Additionally, this knowledge offers the possibility to reflect upon the teaching tools available in more detail.
E-portfolio as a course requirement
Furthermore, I appreciate the fact that one of the course requirements was to create an e-portfolio. Instead of handing in several assignments in printed versions, we had to publish a task on our e-portfolio every two weeks. This method of submitting assignments is very nice. Due to the fact that the tasks are published online, they can be accessed by unknown people, as well. Therefore, the essays are not only written for the instructor (as it is most often the case when it comes to assignments), but they can be read by more people. Apart from that, I simultaneously got to know another online tool I can use in my own lessons. As the e-portfolio is part of the final grade for the course, I had to familiarize myself with many of the functions that are offered by the website weebly. com on the basis of which my portfolio is created. Now, I know how to operate with this website generator, and I think I will use e-portfolios in my future lessons, too. By creating an own e-portfolio, my pupils can collect all or some of the works they produce in class or as a homework and can thereby document their own learning process.
Evaluating and developing teaching ideas
Another part of this course was to evaluate existing teaching ideas and to develop one, too. These are two topics I also appreciate very much. To be able to comment on a teaching idea and to make judgments about its usability in class is a part of my future job. In nearly none of my classes I`ve learned which criteria should be considered when evaluating teaching ideas. This class now showed me, that there are many aspects which should be taken into consideration. One aspect is, of course, the question whether a tool can be used to teach a topic or not. But I also learned to consider aspects related to data protection, copyright and so on. The internet brings along some dangers that do not occur when using classical media. In my new media class, I have learned that teachers should be careful that students do not publish too much private data on the internet and that it might be a good idea to create class accounts for some tools. If that is the case, there is no need for individual registration.
As mentioned before, I also want to comment on the task of developing an own teaching idea. During most parts of the course, we tried some tools ourselves, got to know the theory, and evaluated already existing teaching ideas. The task to develop a teaching idea ourselves practiced my abilities in using the new media again. In order to develop a teaching idea, I had to think about a topic I want to teach. After the decision was made, I started searching for a tool that practices the topic in the best way. It took me a while until I found the program Audacity and during the search process, I got to know many other tools that can be used, as well. Also the formulation of the teaching idea made my engage with the topic in detail. All in all, I think that this was a well-chosen exercise and a good preparation to plan lessons on my own. In this context, I also like the fact that all our teaching ideas are going to be published in a little booklet that can be purchased at the university of Marburg. Due to the collection of all teaching ideas, we as teachers have got a relatively huge source of ideas we can use and test in our future lessons. This might help us varying our teaching style and also provides us with ideas how to implement new media into our everyday teaching.
The only thing I suggest to change is the discussion of the teaching ideas. As nobody wanted to comment on the teaching ideas developed by his or her fellow students, I would alter the way of discussion. Instead of asking the students to provide oral feedback, I would probably distribute some feedback forms. While one student presents his or her results, the other class members could fill in the prepared feedback forms and then hand them to the student. By using this feedback method, especially if it is conducted anonymously, the other students do not have to be afraid of uttering criticism.
The actual use of media in school
Besides getting to know different tools and to practice planning lessons, I also got an insight into the actual use of new media in school. In one of the first weeks of New Media in Foreign Education, the whole course went on a fieldtrip to the Martin Luther school in Marburg. Here, we had the possibility to see which media are available in a school of an average size, and I have been impressed by the vast amount of technical equipment. When I think of my own school time, I can remember that nearly no classroom was equipped with a television, and I can only think of one whiteboard for the whole school. The field trip to the Martin Luther school showed me how much the situation has changed, and I realized how important it is to be able to deal with new tools and the technical equipment.
Conclusion
For me, the course “New Media in Foreign Language Education“ was important and helpful to prepare me for my future job and to meet the requirements listed in the curriculum mentioned above. What I have learned in this course is to evaluate tools and teaching ideas, to operate with new media and to implement some of them in my own teaching. Besides, I am now familiar with the didactic background and some important learning theories. All of these aspects will help me to improve my future lessons because they enable me to use a wider range of teaching methods.
Importance of new media
Right at the beginning of this evaluation, I would like to state that I liked the course very much because of several reasons. The first reason is that it was the first course dealing with new media I attended during my studies. Normally, university courses focus on linguistics, literature or language experience. Of course, these courses should be part of studying English, but as a future teacher I also need some instruction on how I can actually teach the language. Concerning teaching English, new media become more and more important. In today`s world, the children grow up with lots of technical devices, and that is why one should also make use of them in school.
The relevance of new media is even documented in the Hessian curriculum which points out the following:
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://www.hessen.de/irj/HKM_Internet?cid=9e0b5517dfc688683c15ce252202d4b9)
Apart from that, new media offer many possibilities to improve teaching. Listening to podcasts created by native speakers or using skype to communicate with students in other parts of the world makes English language teaching more natural.
In advance of this course, I had no idea what tools exist and how I could include them in my own teaching. During the semester, I got to know a huge variety of websites and tools I can use. In addition, I also like the fact that we discussed all those tools (advantages and disadvantages) in detail. Due to the discussions, I learned how to decide whether a website is suitable for teaching purposes or not. Before we collected criteria for good tools and websites, I would not have thought about the aspect of advertisement, for instance. Now that we have talked about all these criteria, I would cease from using websites that display advertisements of political parties etc. Another aspect related to the previous one is that we had the possibility to test lots of tools in class. Whenever there was a problem, the instructor could be asked for help, or we could work together in small groups.
Good mixture of theory and practice
Another positive aspect about the course is that there was a good and appropriate mixture of theory and practice. At the beginning of the course, our instructor presented a study about media kids showing to what extend new media are used by children. Concerning the use of media, I had never thought before that nearly all pupils have got their own computer or at least a computer that they (can) use regularly. Besides, I also got to know different learning theories (behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism) I had not worked on before. Now, I am able to connect this theoretical knowledge with practical implications. Additionally, this knowledge offers the possibility to reflect upon the teaching tools available in more detail.
E-portfolio as a course requirement
Furthermore, I appreciate the fact that one of the course requirements was to create an e-portfolio. Instead of handing in several assignments in printed versions, we had to publish a task on our e-portfolio every two weeks. This method of submitting assignments is very nice. Due to the fact that the tasks are published online, they can be accessed by unknown people, as well. Therefore, the essays are not only written for the instructor (as it is most often the case when it comes to assignments), but they can be read by more people. Apart from that, I simultaneously got to know another online tool I can use in my own lessons. As the e-portfolio is part of the final grade for the course, I had to familiarize myself with many of the functions that are offered by the website weebly. com on the basis of which my portfolio is created. Now, I know how to operate with this website generator, and I think I will use e-portfolios in my future lessons, too. By creating an own e-portfolio, my pupils can collect all or some of the works they produce in class or as a homework and can thereby document their own learning process.
Evaluating and developing teaching ideas
Another part of this course was to evaluate existing teaching ideas and to develop one, too. These are two topics I also appreciate very much. To be able to comment on a teaching idea and to make judgments about its usability in class is a part of my future job. In nearly none of my classes I`ve learned which criteria should be considered when evaluating teaching ideas. This class now showed me, that there are many aspects which should be taken into consideration. One aspect is, of course, the question whether a tool can be used to teach a topic or not. But I also learned to consider aspects related to data protection, copyright and so on. The internet brings along some dangers that do not occur when using classical media. In my new media class, I have learned that teachers should be careful that students do not publish too much private data on the internet and that it might be a good idea to create class accounts for some tools. If that is the case, there is no need for individual registration.
As mentioned before, I also want to comment on the task of developing an own teaching idea. During most parts of the course, we tried some tools ourselves, got to know the theory, and evaluated already existing teaching ideas. The task to develop a teaching idea ourselves practiced my abilities in using the new media again. In order to develop a teaching idea, I had to think about a topic I want to teach. After the decision was made, I started searching for a tool that practices the topic in the best way. It took me a while until I found the program Audacity and during the search process, I got to know many other tools that can be used, as well. Also the formulation of the teaching idea made my engage with the topic in detail. All in all, I think that this was a well-chosen exercise and a good preparation to plan lessons on my own. In this context, I also like the fact that all our teaching ideas are going to be published in a little booklet that can be purchased at the university of Marburg. Due to the collection of all teaching ideas, we as teachers have got a relatively huge source of ideas we can use and test in our future lessons. This might help us varying our teaching style and also provides us with ideas how to implement new media into our everyday teaching.
The only thing I suggest to change is the discussion of the teaching ideas. As nobody wanted to comment on the teaching ideas developed by his or her fellow students, I would alter the way of discussion. Instead of asking the students to provide oral feedback, I would probably distribute some feedback forms. While one student presents his or her results, the other class members could fill in the prepared feedback forms and then hand them to the student. By using this feedback method, especially if it is conducted anonymously, the other students do not have to be afraid of uttering criticism.
The actual use of media in school
Besides getting to know different tools and to practice planning lessons, I also got an insight into the actual use of new media in school. In one of the first weeks of New Media in Foreign Education, the whole course went on a fieldtrip to the Martin Luther school in Marburg. Here, we had the possibility to see which media are available in a school of an average size, and I have been impressed by the vast amount of technical equipment. When I think of my own school time, I can remember that nearly no classroom was equipped with a television, and I can only think of one whiteboard for the whole school. The field trip to the Martin Luther school showed me how much the situation has changed, and I realized how important it is to be able to deal with new tools and the technical equipment.
Conclusion
For me, the course “New Media in Foreign Language Education“ was important and helpful to prepare me for my future job and to meet the requirements listed in the curriculum mentioned above. What I have learned in this course is to evaluate tools and teaching ideas, to operate with new media and to implement some of them in my own teaching. Besides, I am now familiar with the didactic background and some important learning theories. All of these aspects will help me to improve my future lessons because they enable me to use a wider range of teaching methods.
