Media and Communication (MaC)

A pilot project of the Media Pedagogical Center (MPZ)

in cooperation with

six public schools in the State of Brandenburg (Germany)

The Interdisciplinary Subject “Media and Communication”

as a New Means of School Development on Secondary

Level

August 1998 - January 2003Dr. Michael Kaden, MPZ

Media and Communication

Thesis

- Media education can help to introduce new styles of learning in schools !

- The potential of media education can not be utilized appropriately without the parallel development of new styles of learning !

Media and Communication

The pilot project MaC is part of the nation-wide program „Systematic Integration of Media and ICT in Teaching and Learning Processes“ (SEMIK). www.fwu.de/semik/

Within SEMIK participate - from all 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany - 25 programs related to the following five focal points:

• Teacher education and training• School development• Development of instructional concepts • Development of curricula • Preparation of technical tools

Media and Communication

Project partners

Pilot school• Voltaire-Gesamtschule, Potsdam

Network schools• Theodor-Fontane-Gesamtschule, Burg/Spreewald• Gymnasium Großräschen• Oberstufenzentrum Oberhavel II - Technik, Hennigsdorf• Einstein-Gymnasium, Potsdam• Sportschule Potsdam

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Project Goals

• Development of new styles of learning

• Development of interdisciplinary ideas

• School development

• Development of media competence

• Development of curriculum and teaching concepts

Media and Communication

Voltaire-Gesamtschule• Adaptation of the new profile

„Society, the Media and Communication“ (apart from the

two other profiles „Literature – Language – Aesthetics“ and „Mathematics – Natural Sciences – Informatics“)

• Integrated concept of a comprehensive curriculum • Interdisciplinary cooperation with further subjects • School development „Media and Communication“

Media and Communication

Profile„Society, the Media and Communication“

Obligatory basic courses related to the profile:

Media and CommunicationGermanCivic Education/PoliticsInformatics

Possible combinations of further subjects:

English – ArtEnglish – HistoryEnglish – BiologyEnglish – Mathematics

+ further basic courses from the areas I, II, III of upper secondary level and optional subjects

MaC as a basic course is not part of the areas I, II or III and therefore not a subject for the final exam

Media and Communication

MaC (basic course)

German

Civic Education

Politics

Interdisciplinary approach

Informatics

English

Media and Communication

MaC (basic course)

German

English

Informatics

Synchronic and subsequential timingof topics

Media and Communication

MaC (basic course)

Informatics

Art

Cooperation in varying constellations of subjects and cooperation concerning further subjects

Media and Communication

11-1

11-2

12-1

12-2

13-1

13-2

Print Media

Foto/Film

Video/Audio

Multimedia

All Media

Discourse

The Media and Usthe use of media, journalistic formats, press and censorship, literary newspapers

We, the Media and Communicationdocument or drama, manipulation, media and political power, the press in Britain, American advertisingStereotypes define the World – Market and Media „soap operas“ as models, „familiar“ and „strange“ images, media and the construction of reality„Utopia“ – Blue Prints of Society in the Past, Present and FutureGeorge Orwell „1984“, social utopia, the ideal stateFree Choice of TopicProject management, topics fitting in the subjects related to MaC

The Limits of my Language are the Limits of my World debate on the chances, risks, options und rectrictions of global communication

Media and Communication

11-1 The Media and Us• „My, your, our daily media life“

MaC German Politics Inform.• Exploring and reflecting the (personal) use of media• Defining „media“

• What is literature? Aspects of a definition of „literature“• The press (focus on literary newspapers)

• Media history,

socio-cultural development (N. Postman: literacy, the invention of printing, the development of childhood s...)

• Computer and society

Media and Communication

11-1 The Media and Us• „Good news is bad news“

MaC German Politics Inform.• „Good news is bad news“ (news and press)

• Editing, production of a literary newspaper

• Literature and censorship (i. e. Frank Wedekind)

• Literary epochs

• The press-market in Germany

• History of press

freedom and censorship

• Operating systems• Desktop publishing

Media and Communication

11-2 We, the Media and Communication

Mass Communication and / or Mass ManipulationMaC German Politics English

• Document or drama – reporting from/

direcing of the world (photography)

• The aspect of imitation or: Mimesis within the history of literature• Between fiction and reality: Büchner‘s literary „interpretation“ of the reported Woyzeck-case

• „Directing power – the power of images“ (L. Riefenstahl „Olympia“, V. Harlan „Jud Süß“, a. o.)

• What‘s up in MaC?• The press in Britain (front page, news stories, the making of articles in different pages)

Media and Communication11-2 We, the Media and

CommunicationMass Communication and / or Mass ManipulationMaC German Politics English

• „Looking for customers“ - manipulative aspects of advertisement (criteria for an analysis of audio- visual texts)

• The working of comics/cartoons

• „The customer – king or servant?“ (the working of advertisments in market-economy)

• American and English advertising (press advertising, the working of advertising, television advertising, advertising agency)

Media and Communication

12-1 Market and Media – it‘s only the ratings!? – Stereotypes define the World

MaC German Politics English• „Stereotypes define the world“ - reception und production of social models within „soap operas“• Production of a „soap“

• Triviality in literature• Structure and dramatics of tv- serials

• Globalization of

the media- business• Basics of media studies• Media and the construction of reality

• Structure of American and British television• Learning by teaching: planing and implementing a

sequence on „daily soap“ for the 8th grade

Media and Communication

12-1 Market and Media – it‘s only the ratings !? – „Familiar and strange“ Images

MaC German Politics Inform.• „Familiar and strange images“ critical analysis

on the representation of strangers in the media

• „The familiar is the strange“ – representation of strangehood in literature (i. e. Jewish protagonists in novels and drama• European lyrics and short stories on strangehood

• „The familiar and the strange“ – the German mainstream society and it`s relation to ethnic minorities

• Introduction „Mediator“ (authoring tool)

Media and Communication

Politics

English

German

Informatics

Art

Biology

Basic courseMEDIA AND

COMMUNICATION

CD-ROM

„Utopia“

„Utopia“ - Blue Prints of Society in the Past, Present and Future

Media and Communication

12-2 Utopia Blue Prints of Society in the Past,Present and Future (G. Orwell 1984)

• MaC: Media history, media in utopian settings, production of a CD-ROM

• German: Utopian thinking in literature, Elias Canetti „Die Befristeten“, George Orwell „1984“

• Politics: On political power: Utopian constitutions – from Platon‘s „nomoi“ to totalitarian systems (essays, blue print of a virtual state)

Media and Communication

12-2 Utopia (continuation)• English: George Orwell „1984“, lingual-literaric

dimension (i. e. Winston‘s Diary), dreams and options of constructing reality / manipulation of reality

• Art: Utopia in paintings and architecture, visualizing the descriptions of towns from „1984“

• Biology: Ecological foundations of present and future societies, alternatively: „The Human Genom Project“

• Informatics: Introduction „Mediator“ (authoring tool), production of a CD-ROM

Media and Communication

New Styles of Learing:• Social competence / team orientation• Problem-oriented individual learning• Cognitive, social, emotional, aesthetical and

practical-technical dimensions of learning• Reliable learning by independent and active

structuring of contents (practical media projects)

• „Learning by teaching“• „Mediality“ of learning• Changing the role of the teacher

Media and Communication

New Styles of Learing (continuation):• Opening of paedogogical and institutional

contexts (teaching/school)• Cross-curricular topics, hyperstructural

thinking, empathy, contextuality• Cooperation and training of teachers • Media and communication competence

Media and Communication

Problems and Difficulties• Orientation towards „classical“ subjects versus cross-curricular approaches • Curricular limitations versus new-style content • Support of fundamental cross-curricular competences versus specialization as a key to success (as far as the final exams are concerned)• The more often you use media, the more often you have to face students encountering technical problems • Overtaxation of idealistic teachers • Project work and production dynamics• Independent learning can overtax certain students

Media and Communication

Problems and Difficulties (continuation)

• A core team is the prerequisite to start processes of school development, but a core team can also split off from the collegues• The development of a distinct profile is dependent to the „(wo)manpower“ available• School development is a long-term „process“,

depending to a high degree also on the political context

Media and Communication

Aspects of Media Competence • To recognize and evaluate the impact of media• To understand and evaluate the messages of

media• To select and use specific media by considering

alternatives• To design and dissiminate media independently• To analyze and influence media as far as their

social-cultural meaning is concerned

(according to Prof. Gerhard Tulodziecki)