MLS Field Trip (9.11.11)
On October 9th, 2011 – it was the very Wednesday morning after my Tuesday nightshift – we ventured out to the hallowed halls of the Martin-Luther-Schule in Marburg. Conveniently enough I received almost on time to listen to Mr. Pichl's (the assistant principal) presentation on New Media implementation at his school. It was nice to get a reality check regarding the budget that is out there (something that we dipped into further in the following classes by coming up with a “New Media Proposal”) and to also explore the many ways New Media is already being used. There were moments when the former private-school student within me cringed at the sight of ancient PCs in the library or IT rooms but there were some ideas that genuinely impressed me:
- 1. The “virtual school bag”. This idea is easy, cost-efficient, and effective. Collect ideas from teachers which software might be useful for students, search for the corresponding shareware, and burn them all onto an USB-stick. Sure, as with most New Media appliances the VSB has more to offer for sciences but certain lexica or other Encyclopedia could also lessen the use of such hideous services as Leo.dict or Wikipedia.org. (As an university student and future teacher I HAVE to claim that these web services are outrageous, atrocious, and a sure sign of the apocalypse.)
- 2. Multimedia cabinets. Every classroom we saw at the MLS had a wooden locker in front next to the blackboard. While some might expect frustrated teachers have found a more comfortable way to store their liquor these cabinets actually contain a truckload of media equipment. Not only were all of these equipped with flatscreen TVs that looked fairly up-to-date, but also with DVD players, USB-port. Gone are the days of having to wait for that grainy old piece of…well, TV, to show your class a documentary in history class.
- 3. Smartboard criticism. Sure, the establishment is always wary of new innovations and technology, however, when Mr. Pichl gave reasons for not investing into the SmartBoard he made some points that should be heard by all those jumping on the SmartBoard bandwagon all too joyously. By claiming that the SmartBoard offers no “Mehrwert” (I would call this added value, a parameter that is also being used in sports statistics) towards traditional methods he struck a key point. The SmartBoard is trying to emulate the spirit of a blackboard while copulating with the sexy new trend that is New Media. However, as was correctly pointed out, the SmartBoard does not save time when trying to explain mathematical theory or grammatical phenomena. In regards to presentation functionality it lacks the depth and functionality of current PC software such as Office, Adobe, etc. And most importantly: the SmartBoard is NOT the future! So, while some disciplines at the MLS have decided to spend their funds on this technology, others have decided not to. I think it’s great that the school does not force everything that might seem fresh and innovative onto the teachers but leaves them some room to decide for themselves.