The Use of Media in the Classroom

1. The Use of Media in the Classroom

2. What the Curriculum says…How to deal with Texts and Media • The guiding aim (the ability to act in intercultural contexts) and the various changes in our own and the target cultures (for example the development from a writing-based culture to an image-based culture) have led to an extended notion of what a “text” is. • As a consequence, all forms of text (print, picture, sound, electronic mediation) are to be included in the foreign language class. […] Multiple-code texts are used alongside literary and non-literary texts.

3. What is a “Medium”? Definition (media pedagogics): • In communicative contexts, media transmit, store, order or process potential signs in the form of images or symbols. • The term ‘medium’ includes some kind of technological support. • It refers as much to the technical device(s) as to the resulting material.

4. Terminology • Image: has some similarity to the object it represents. • Symbol: the connection between symbol and meaning is established through convention. “Codes“

5. Media Characteristics I Kinds of coding image or symbol true to realityschematicverbalnon-verbal (e.g. photo) (e.g. animation) (e.g. word) (e.g. busy signal)

6. Media Characteristics II Sense modalities • auditive = related to hearing • visual = related to seeing static dynamic • audiovisual = related to both senses

7. Kinds of Media • Media based on writing(single code) • Media based on image(single code) • Media based on sound(single code) • Media based on film(multiple code) • Computer-based media (multiple code)

8. Why Use Media in the Classroom? • Provision of indirect experience where direct experience is impossible or too dangerous. • Facilitating socialexchange where direct encounters are difficult to arrange or too expensive. • Opportunity for activelymanipulating learning material. • Take-over of teaching functions (relief of the teacher). • More flexibleapproach to teaching and learning (individualisation, differentiation; pair / group work). • Objects of analysis and evaluation, e.g. criteria of design / composition, techniques of manipulation… • Utilisation for ownproductions.

9. What Effects Do Media Have on Learning? • There is no scientific evidence to support such percentages. However, there is strong evidence that a combination of textand (illustrating) picture leads to better learning results than the use of only written or spoken text. • If information is presented aurally AND visually (spoken text + picture), this has a better effect than the only visual presentation (written text + picture). • Such a general statement is misleading. Pictures should only be used if they really illustrate what they are supposed to illustrate. If text + picture are used, their presentation should be in close proximity to each other. Furthermore, illustrations should be commented to avoid misunderstandings and confusion.

10. A simultaneous presentation of spoken text and illustration renders better learning results than their successive presentation. • If a learner considers a medium “difficult” (e.g. a written text) (s)he usually makes a greater mental effort and often achieves better results than with an “easy” medium (e.g. TV). However, learning success here also depends on individualattitudes and motivation. • The use of many different media or the overuse of a complex medium (e.g. TV, computer) can lead to overflow. There are considerable differences between students’ abilities to deal with a change of code (image/symbol) and/or modality (auditory/visual).