Basic IT assistance for implementing digital media in educational settings.
The goal of the project is to establish the conditions needed for digital media to be implemented in Frankfurt schools and to ensure that they can be used easily and as problem-free as possible. The assumption is that teachers in the classroom would use digital tools more extensively for learning with and learning about digital media if the technology was reliable, suitable for their needs, and was easy to use. As the authority responsible for bearing the material costs, the city of Frankfurt would like resources to be used as economically as possible. This includes implementing technology that offers schools the best possible conditions while also making efficient use of scarce financial resources and personnel.
The project’s concept evolved out of the basic IT assistance provided by the fraLine1 (2001–2004), fraLine2 (2004–2007), fraLine3 (2007–2011), and fraLine4 (2011–2014) projects. The fraLine project initially focused on providing opportunities for students to gain experience while supporting Frankfurt schools and developing and testing technological support concepts. In recent project stages, the development and scientific evaluation of comprehensive solutions became increasingly important (cf. inter alia fraLine3 and fraLine4). Practical experiences gained in the fraLine project have brought numerous questions to light and provided a basis for research in the fields of IT organization, IT management in schools, and research on educational media in schools.
In addition, providing schools with practical assistance established personal contacts, which enabled joint research at and for schools. This close contact with the schools also made school visitations possible, increased the percentage of surveys that were answered and returned (response rate), and revealed new issues to be explored in additional projects as well as providing opportunities for a direct exchange of information. FTzM will continue to support schools as part of the IBIdiM project, thus preserving this "door opener" for research and development.
The project is based on the assumptions that digital media and tools are only used in schools when the barriers for doing so are not too large and that using digital media according to didactic principles increases the quality of teaching. Another premise is that the first prerequisite for promoting media literacy is the existence of a functioning IT and media infrastructure that is easy to administer – additional requirements are currently being studied in other FTzM projects, in continuing education courses, and during classroom assistance programmes. This heavy emphasis on research and development was the result of the increasing focus of schools and education authorities on interdisciplinary skills and development requirements. The findings gained from these projects will help to adapt IT support systems and infrastructure to meet the changing needs of schools.
Contact
Project Manager (organization): Olga Merz, MA, MBA
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Initiator and academic supervisor: Professor Dr Thomas Knaus
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Status: completed (2014–2018)
Further informations: www.ibidim.de
Focus: educational informatics