24th January 2012
_The term is almost over and so is this course. To give my teacher a feedback and to help to improve this course for the following semesters I am going to evaluate this new media course. I will comment on the teacher, the structure, the methods and the learning effect.
_Teacher:
Our teacher Mrs. Schäfer was always well prepared for the in-class meetings. At the beginning of each session she gave an overview of the content and tasks we want to work on throughout the session. In this way we got a general idea what we could expect in the following 90 minutes. Sometimes Mrs. Schäfer provided us with an input via PowerPoint or showed us certain web pages in order to prepare us for the tasks we had to work on. Her behaviour towards us students was always very friendly and distinguished for helpfulness. She was open to answer questions and did not give us the impression that we ask irrelevant questions. She helped us to solve our problems in a very competent way, so that you recognized that she really knows what she is doing. |
_Structure:
Due to the syllabus and the general introduction at the beginning of each session the seminar was structured very clearly. We had concrete dates and deadlines for our e-portfolio entries, so that we could arrange our time accordingly.
Although we knew what the general topic of each session was, we could not guess the concrete information and tasks. Normally, this would not be a problem, but in cases of for example illness, you do not know what the content of the session was. I would suggest a course in the vct or on ILIAS, where important information, results of group works, etc. can be uploaded.
Due to the syllabus and the general introduction at the beginning of each session the seminar was structured very clearly. We had concrete dates and deadlines for our e-portfolio entries, so that we could arrange our time accordingly.
Although we knew what the general topic of each session was, we could not guess the concrete information and tasks. Normally, this would not be a problem, but in cases of for example illness, you do not know what the content of the session was. I would suggest a course in the vct or on ILIAS, where important information, results of group works, etc. can be uploaded.
_Assessment:
I think the portfolio as the basis of assessment for this course suits very well. The five additional tasks give us the freedom to get involved into topics that we are interested in. It was very helpful to receive a feedback on the first two tasks, because then we knew what was good and what could be improved concerning the following tasks and the whole portfolio. To develop a teaching idea should certainly be part of any didactic seminar, and the focus on the IWB has forced us, in a positive way, to take a closer look at the software and possibilities of an IWB. Nevertheless I might suggest that the deadline for handing in the teaching idea could be postponed into the semester break, because the end of the semester is most of the time very stressful.
Although I know how the final grade will be composed in the end, I would prefer to know the grades of the individual tasks as well. In this way the grade is more transparent and I can see what I should have done in order to receive a better grade. Unfortunately this was missing in the presenting content class.
I think the portfolio as the basis of assessment for this course suits very well. The five additional tasks give us the freedom to get involved into topics that we are interested in. It was very helpful to receive a feedback on the first two tasks, because then we knew what was good and what could be improved concerning the following tasks and the whole portfolio. To develop a teaching idea should certainly be part of any didactic seminar, and the focus on the IWB has forced us, in a positive way, to take a closer look at the software and possibilities of an IWB. Nevertheless I might suggest that the deadline for handing in the teaching idea could be postponed into the semester break, because the end of the semester is most of the time very stressful.
Although I know how the final grade will be composed in the end, I would prefer to know the grades of the individual tasks as well. In this way the grade is more transparent and I can see what I should have done in order to receive a better grade. Unfortunately this was missing in the presenting content class.
_Content/Methods:
The methods used in this course were very diverse and thus made it interesting and motivating to follow. Here just a summary that illustrates this: We were working in groups, in pairs or independently, learned a lot about new media (new tools, copyright issues, online learning possibilities, etc.), visited a school in order to evaluate the media equipment, reflected on our own media equipment in school and dared to look into the future of new media, we had stimulating and critical discussions, that we finally processed in our e-portfolios. |
_Learning effect:
As you can see from the description above, I learned a lot in this new media course; basically by trying out and being curious about new media. I have improved my media competence in many respects. Not only have I been introduced to new tools and technologies, but also to topics like data protection and media awareness, which are nowadays very important, if not the most important, aspects teachers have to make their students aware of. I think that this course has been as a really good preparation concerning our future career. However, there will always be improvements and new technology we have to face. So, one can say that this course has been a very good introduction to the field of new media, which can serve a basis for my media competence that will develop further.
As you can see from the description above, I learned a lot in this new media course; basically by trying out and being curious about new media. I have improved my media competence in many respects. Not only have I been introduced to new tools and technologies, but also to topics like data protection and media awareness, which are nowadays very important, if not the most important, aspects teachers have to make their students aware of. I think that this course has been as a really good preparation concerning our future career. However, there will always be improvements and new technology we have to face. So, one can say that this course has been a very good introduction to the field of new media, which can serve a basis for my media competence that will develop further.