Field trip to the Martin Luther Schule Marburg
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On May 9, 2011, our New Media in the Foreign Language Classroom course went on a field trip to a local Gymnasium (College Prep. school). We were asked to think of some questions we would like to have answered before this excursion. My biggest question was even asked by our guide, the vice-principal of the school himself, Mr. Pichl. The question was 'Will technology make a class better?' Two other questions were 2) How will the media help my students learn English, better than without it? and 3) Is this technology cost effective?
Question 1: Will/How can technology make a class better?
Answer: Well, just like any teaching material, the technology used is only as 'good' as the material being presented. It has to be thought through and used effectively, age appropriate, level appropriate, etc. For language classes the use of video (movies, shorts, news clips, etc.) can give helpful audio/visual input students can use to better learn ways of using the language themselves and test comprehension. If the Smartboard, TV, DVD player, CD player, etc. are all functioning properly and the materials are effectively and thoroughly prepared, the multi-media classroom could be very time efficient and beneficial, not to mention fun and motivating for the students. If there is a glitch in the technology, however, then a whole prepared class can be ruined. Back-up plans take time, but are necessary..with or without technology, but to prepare a back-plan for a whole 45 or 90 min. class time can hardly be seen as time efficient.
Furthermore, not all classrooms may be equipped with the needed technology for a desired lesson plan. Scheduling is important, but also being prepared if the required media is broken, missing (checked out and not brought back) or already being used (scheduling errors) is crucial. Again, the mantra for every teacher's lesson plan is: Be prepared and always have a back-up plan.
Question 2: How will media help my students learn English--better than without it?
Answer: The multi-media classroom is without a doubt more interesting than chalk-and-talk/book and paper lessons every single day. A little variety can't hurt. Interactive technology could be great. Could Skype and Email take the place of pen pals? Probably. It is faster than sending paper letters and with Skype, the audio as well as visual benefits are very helpful for foreign language learners. They can converse with native speakers and learn new vocabulary, get/give immediate correction, and even see facial expressions and hand gestures. A glitch could be if the Internet connection is not fast enough, as we saw at the Martin Luther Schule (no WLAN and only 6000/2000 DSL, although 80-85% of the classrooms do have Internet access.)It could be very confusing and frustrating on both ends. A benefit of this, however, could be having to try to understand people in difficult situations and practicing phrases like 'What did you say?' or 'Could you repeat that?' or 'I didn't hear you'.
Question #3: Is this technology cost effective?
Answer: A Smartboard is €4000. (The MLS only has two of these.) A 'Tech-Eck' (Technology Corner) with flat-screen TV, DVD, Internet access, keyboard, iPod docking station, VWA for laptop hook up runs around €1000. (The MLS has one of these corners in every other classroom.) The benefits of the Smartboard is that it is interactive. As Mr. Pichl said, the teacher gets back in the for-front while teaching where as with the flat screen, the teacher stands to the side and presents only. A Smartboard also allows the information and changes made in a presentation to be saved and easily sent to the students per email. But I don't honestly know if that is worth the €3000. What is wrong with writing down the information manually?
My (personal) conclusion:Technology in the classroom is fun and motivating. I love showing movies in class, especially since DVDs have become available, no annoying stopping and rewinding videos. I have never taught with a Smartboard, so I could not say if its use would save time in the long run. If everything is functioning, I think it would make the information be more interesting and maybe be more tangible than a normal 'chalk and talk', which, by the way, is also possible on the Smartboard.Typing in the information is also possible. I guess what I am trying to say, is that it is nice, fun, interesting and motivational but not really necessary. With or without multi-media technology, the teacher still has to be able to present the information correctly, efficiently, creatively and in an interesting way. Just be ready for system malfunctions.
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