Training Programs for Teachers
In the section “The Hessian Curriculum” you can read that new media play an important role in the EFL-classroom. The high significance of teaching media skills is on the one hand given by the Kultusministerium and on the other hand by demands of the society and future employers.
However, to guarantee an adequate education in new media skills, teachers have to be prepared for that task. Today’s students get the opportunity to be trained in the use of new media at university. But how do teachers get trained, who left university a long time ago? They hardly can acquire new media skill as “autodidact”…
There is a huge varitey of training programs for teachers which deal with new media. Some of them offer programs to learn the basics in using a computer. Many programs deal with presentations and power point. There are also some offers of training in web-technology like for example creating a web blog.
However, to guarantee an adequate education in new media skills, teachers have to be prepared for that task. Today’s students get the opportunity to be trained in the use of new media at university. But how do teachers get trained, who left university a long time ago? They hardly can acquire new media skill as “autodidact”…
There is a huge varitey of training programs for teachers which deal with new media. Some of them offer programs to learn the basics in using a computer. Many programs deal with presentations and power point. There are also some offers of training in web-technology like for example creating a web blog.
The Bildungsserver Hessen offers a list of training programs
in Hessen. There you can find a lot of classes dealing with new media.
But the offering is huge and many of the courses deal with very basic
aspects of new media as for examlpe "Arbeiten mit Schulcomputern in der
Grundschule". If you like to get information about more specific
training programs you should take a look at
"Schule @ Zukunft". This is an initiative of the Hessian Kultusministerium which is engaged with new media education in school. They offer training programs for teachers which deal with very new approaches of new media education like social networks and independent learning.
Very interesting is the offering of LPR Hessen (Hessische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien). They offer training programs on very recent aspects of new media and web 2.0; for example news caching, video games and digital media. Some of their classes can be attended by both, the teacher and his students.
What needs to be mentioned here as well is the VZL of the Philipps Universität Marburg. This centre offers online classes in which teachers (and future teachers) can improve their media skills. I attended a class which dealt with interactive whiteboards in the classroom and I found it very interesting and handy: I could do all the research and work at home and I found very interesting and motivating information in the online sessions.
The amount of charges depends on the provider of the program. On the Bildungsserver you can find many classes which are offered for free. Other training programms cost up to 100 € and more.
All in all, teachers have a lot of opportunities to develop and improve their new media skills. Of course, I cannot tell whether these programs really prepare teachers for teaching their students in the use of new media. But the huge offering reflects the great demand of training programs dealing with new media.
"Schule @ Zukunft". This is an initiative of the Hessian Kultusministerium which is engaged with new media education in school. They offer training programs for teachers which deal with very new approaches of new media education like social networks and independent learning.
Very interesting is the offering of LPR Hessen (Hessische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien). They offer training programs on very recent aspects of new media and web 2.0; for example news caching, video games and digital media. Some of their classes can be attended by both, the teacher and his students.
What needs to be mentioned here as well is the VZL of the Philipps Universität Marburg. This centre offers online classes in which teachers (and future teachers) can improve their media skills. I attended a class which dealt with interactive whiteboards in the classroom and I found it very interesting and handy: I could do all the research and work at home and I found very interesting and motivating information in the online sessions.
The amount of charges depends on the provider of the program. On the Bildungsserver you can find many classes which are offered for free. Other training programms cost up to 100 € and more.
All in all, teachers have a lot of opportunities to develop and improve their new media skills. Of course, I cannot tell whether these programs really prepare teachers for teaching their students in the use of new media. But the huge offering reflects the great demand of training programs dealing with new media.