The Usage of New Media in the MLS in Marburg

Some facts about media at MLS

In general one can say that the school has quite a good media equipment, but that it is not used that often. For example, the computer room is just used four to five times by some teachers, because it just makes sense if there are two lessons directly beyond each other.
Some teachers do not know how to handle new media and they are kind of "afraid" using it for their lessons. Whereas there is a possibility to take part in advanced training courses concerning the usage of new media, not every teacher - in fact just a very new number - do so. The teachers ought to deal with taking part in courses themselves. 
In the near future there should be certificate for education of media. The teachers have to take part in advanced training courses concerning the usage of new media at school and at the end they receive a document that they have learned about the new media and that they are capable in using them.
As one can see in the following information about the equipment at school, there is one thing that is need to mention at this point. The whole school just has one audio pillar and this is not enough. If there were more of them none of the teachers would carry around cassette recorders any longer.

At last there is to say that mainly language teachers use the new media in their classes as well as informatics teachers.

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Staff room

In the staff room one can find two computers. With them the teachers book their exams in their classes and also reserve media equipment for the lessons. There, one can also find a cupboard filled with media. It includes a mobile cinema, a beamer, a laptop and a so called PW-Presenter that includes a beamer, a laptop and loudspeaker.
On a flatscreen that is mounted on a pillar in the middle of the room the teachers can see the cover for an absentee, but at the moment it is not working.

Entrance hall

In the entrance hall there also is a flatscreen on which the pupils can see whether a lesson takes place or not. But because of the high and the too little font, there is also a painted copy of it hanging on the wall.
These plans of covers for an absentee can also be seen online, but there is no list with the teachers that are missing (this can only be seen at school). Moreover, these plans are only online for the higher classes.

Library

One can find four computers in the library. The pupils must have an identification to use them. If they do not own such an identification card, they are not allowed to use the internet at school on their own. This identification has to be signed by their parents - and this has to be done every new school year.
During a lesson, where it is necessary to search for pieces of information in the internet, also the children without such an ID are allowed to do so.

Copy room

In this room one can find three photocopier - two of them are just normal copier and one also has a paper feed. These are definitely too less, because if one of the copier does not work, the teachers cannot make it to copy their things in the school breaks. Most teachers copy and print their worksheets at home, because of just 2500 copies they have in one year. Especially language teachers do not have enough copies for all of their worksheets and so they are forced to copy at home.

Classroom

In nearly all classrooms there are flat screens hanging on the wall. Furthermore nearly every second classroom contains a box of wood, that includes a TV, a DVD player, ports for an USB or an I-Pod. The only thing a teacher has to carry with them is a laptop. These boxes are used quite often in lessons - most often they are used in language lessons.
Just two classrooms consist of a smart board and one of them belongs to the part of the building where biology is taught. The other is in a classroom that cannot be booked. But the good thing concerning these smartboards is about the way the pupils work with them. The smartboards are never turned off during the class time and the pupils are allowed to work with them and experience these on their own.

Room for Seat work for teachers

This room consists of a laptop dolly. Either a teacher can book the whole dolly or just a few laptops out of it. If one just books several laptops, a router is needed. The dolly is a bit unpractical, because you can only use it on the same floor that it belongs to.
Besides, in the room one can find three additional laptops for teachers, although most of the teachers rather work at home than staying in the room for seat work.

PC room

Actually, one has to say that it s not just one but two rooms. The pupils sit in pairs at one computer and the teacher, who sits in the front, can take a look on his computer what the children are doing. With a special program he can see which websites the children are visiting. If he likes to he is able to freeze the screen of the pupils, to go on writing messages the children wrote or even shut down the computers.
The romm also consists of a projection surface, on which all the screens of the computers can be seen.