In the following blog entry I will discuss a quotation that was part of last week’s ‘Practical’ and put on a poster during the in-class session:

A 1996 poll of US teachers found that they ranked computer skills and media technology as more ‘essential’ than the study of European history, biology, chemistry, and physics; than dealing with social problems such as drugs and family breakdown; than learning practical job skills; than reading modern American writers such as Steinbeck and Hemmingway or classic ones such as Plato and Shakespeare. (The Atlantic Monthly, July 1997.)

The group that created the poster shows on the poster what would happen if computer skills and media technology were the most important things to learn in school. Are computer skills and media technology more important than history, biology, chemistry, and physics? What would schools look like if they were? Would there be empty classrooms? Everything could be done from home; no one would have to go to school anymore. What would happen to the teachers? Would they be needed anymore? Maybe they only would become tutors and would not have to teach anymore. But what would happen then to the pupils that need help and support during their learning processes? What would further happen to the pupils’ social competences? Is it enough to get in touch with friends only via the internet?

Although I regard media competence as important I do not think that it is the most important thing to learn in school – not more important than the traditional subjects like history or biology. As we live in a digital age it is necessary to teach media competence in school, but I think the other subjects should not be neglected. Therefore it is essential to integrate new media into the existent subjects in school.

Furthermore, I think social competences cannot be achieved through the internet via e-mail and chats only. Real communication and interaction in order to express thoughts and feelings are important to get along in life. Pupils have to learn how to behave in companionship with others, how to deal with social problems such as drugs and family breakdown. In my opinion, the internet does not always provide the right information about such things and pupils could be guided wrongly.

How could pupils profit from excellent computer skills and media technology if they had no knowledge about other things? What would their researches and presentations be about, if they did not know anything about literature or natural sciences? What would pupils do after school, if they had no practical job skills? As far as I am concerned it is not sufficient to have good computer skills in order to find a job. Knowledge is a precondition for success.

I think new media become more and more important and therefore have to play a bigger role in schools, but does the German curriculum offer enough time for them? Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a lot of time, but teachers should invest as much time as possible into teaching computer skills and media technology by combining them with the other subjects.