Digital Bulletin Board
First of all, Mr. Schouler showed us the new digital bulletin board which should replace the information in paper form completely in the future. On the digital board the students can see the substitution plans for the day and additional information regarding general issues and news. There should be more than just one digital board fixed at an important point at school by the time. The system is being established and especially the students are already used to it.
I think that the idea of a digital bulletin board is good as you can add news in addition to the substitution plan as well. You can update and announce the daily content from one central point and don’t have to walk through the whole school in order to change announcements on five papers on a “traditional” board. Nevertheless, this “innovation” was not new to me as it is quite common at many schools already and going to be a very normal element at schools in the future, I think.
I am sure that it will not replace paper information completely and you should always bear in mind that such a system can be broken one day which shows the dependency from a perfectly functioning technology. But all in all, the idea of using such a digital information board is good and will definitely be a fixed element at nearly all schools in the next couple of years.
I think that the idea of a digital bulletin board is good as you can add news in addition to the substitution plan as well. You can update and announce the daily content from one central point and don’t have to walk through the whole school in order to change announcements on five papers on a “traditional” board. Nevertheless, this “innovation” was not new to me as it is quite common at many schools already and going to be a very normal element at schools in the future, I think.
I am sure that it will not replace paper information completely and you should always bear in mind that such a system can be broken one day which shows the dependency from a perfectly functioning technology. But all in all, the idea of using such a digital information board is good and will definitely be a fixed element at nearly all schools in the next couple of years.
EPD-Rooms
The school provides three EDP-rooms (electronic data processing) which are primarily used for the computer science lessons. If the rooms are not occupied, teachers can use them for other subjects as well. The computers are equipped with Open Office in order to be independent from Microsoft and their frequent and expensive updates. The arrangement of the computers was rather inappropriate for a communicative purpose which is why teachers of English often go back to the classroom for the rest of the lesson. All in all, students like working on the computer but there are quite a lot of obstacles as for example the administration of the more than 100 computers at the school. Here, the administration is done by motivated teachers with little support as for example one lesson off and the help of a computer expert. The EDP room we saw was rather old-fashioned regarding the interior design. The computers were quite new although the general equipment of the room was not extraordinary. I was not really fascinated by what Mr. Schouler showed us there but that should change when I talk about the next room we went to.
A short addition: Mr. Schouler also told us that the school has 16 interactive whiteboards which is quite a lot. Nevertheless, especially older colleagues still avoid using these boards. Younger teachers instead use them more often. There are special trainings for teachers in progress about how to use these whiteboards.
A short addition: Mr. Schouler also told us that the school has 16 interactive whiteboards which is quite a lot. Nevertheless, especially older colleagues still avoid using these boards. Younger teachers instead use them more often. There are special trainings for teachers in progress about how to use these whiteboards.
"Lernwerkstatt"
Another room we went to was the so-called “Lernwerkstatt”, a computer room integrated into a library which means that new media is integrated into older forms of learning. That room offers many positive aspects regarding didactic and pedagogical issues:
+ open room
+ small, separated rooms for groupwork
+ availability of room
+ interactive whiteboard, computers, books
+ a lot of learning software for the students as for example Cornelsen
+ students seem to automatically work more quietly and accept the learning environment
The Lernwerkstatt really seems to get close to how a perfect classroom should look like or rather what a perfect classroom should provide. I personally like that room and the idea behind it. Students have several possibilities regarding their learning method, combining old and new. The atmosphere is rather quiet which is good for learning. The interior design was rather modern which I quite like and which has, in my opinion, a positive effect concerning the “feel-good factor”.
+ open room
+ small, separated rooms for groupwork
+ availability of room
+ interactive whiteboard, computers, books
+ a lot of learning software for the students as for example Cornelsen
+ students seem to automatically work more quietly and accept the learning environment
The Lernwerkstatt really seems to get close to how a perfect classroom should look like or rather what a perfect classroom should provide. I personally like that room and the idea behind it. Students have several possibilities regarding their learning method, combining old and new. The atmosphere is rather quiet which is good for learning. The interior design was rather modern which I quite like and which has, in my opinion, a positive effect concerning the “feel-good factor”.
"Oberstufenarbeitsbücherei - OAB"
But, apart from the separated working rooms, there was another room, the so-called OAB (Oberstufenarbeitsbücherei) which got really close to an ideal classroom. It provided computers, arranged as an “island” so that the students can see each other’s faces and talk together while working. There is a large table for talking in a plenum as well. The walls are covered with bookshelves which are structured according to the different subjects. The room provides a Whiteboard, a Smartboard and a pinboard. Even the lighting is special as you can use indirect lighting as well and roller shutters in order to darken the room.
If the room is not used by a teacher, students can also use the room and work there on their own. But normally the room is always fully booked which shows that the concept is accepted not only by the teachers, but also by the students who really like working in there.
The OAB was also my favorite room, apart from the old-fashioned interior design which I did not like. It seemed very old, “dusty” and dark. Apart from the interior design, that room was my favorite and a model of how a good classroom should look like.
If the room is not used by a teacher, students can also use the room and work there on their own. But normally the room is always fully booked which shows that the concept is accepted not only by the teachers, but also by the students who really like working in there.
The OAB was also my favorite room, apart from the old-fashioned interior design which I did not like. It seemed very old, “dusty” and dark. Apart from the interior design, that room was my favorite and a model of how a good classroom should look like.
Taking Everything into Consideration...
... I have to admit that the first parts (digital information board and the EPD rooms) did not really catch my attention whereas the Lernwerkstatt and the OAB indeed show a trend of how a well-equipped school or classrooms could all look like in the future.
