ECAWA News

Does the use of computers make adolescents stupid, fat and violent?

ECAWA, Events

ECAWA and CSaLT at ECU are jointly hosting a seminar by a visiting German academic, Dr Thomas Irion, on Tuesday the 7th of April from 4.00pm.

If you would like to attend please email CSaLT@ECU.edu.au as soon as possible so that we can ensure that the correct sized room is booked.

The details:

ICT Education in German Primary Schools: Theoretical and Practical Issues

by Dr. Thomas Irion, Lecturer and Researcher at University of Education, Weingarten

Manager of Research Centre for Junior Primary and Primary School

When:  Tuesday 7th April, 4pm-5.30pm

Where: ECU Mount Lawley campus, Building 16, Room 236

What:  Seminar jointly sponsored by ECAWA and CSaLT@ECU

Cost: No cost


Abstract

Does the use of computers make adolescents stupid, fat and violent?

The dramatic rampage in Winnenden/Germany is not the beginning of a big discussion in Germany about negative effects of media on adolescents. There are more and more critics in Germany, who want to ban computers from primary schools and reduce their use in secondary schools, because of their assumed negative effects on the development of students. In their view the use of ICT in schools fosters uncontrolled use of computers at home. They postulate that the private use of computers makes adolescent stupid, fat and violent and claim to base this postulation on empirical facts.

In the first part of the presentation the theoretical foundation of these postulations will be discussed.

Subsequently an overview about different approaches of media education and the German attempts to define Medienkompetenz (media competencies) will be presented and discussed. This basis leads us to different concrete issues for fostering Medienkompetenz in the digital age. Practical realisations for primary schools will be introduced and illustrated. Existing empirical facts about these interventions will be discussed.

Biography:

Dr. Thomas Irion  is lecturer and researcher in the field of Education in Primary Schools at the University of Education, Weingarten, Germany.   His research focus lies on ICT in Education and Media Competencies in the  digital age.   He worked for seven years as a fulltime primary school teacher with a strong emphasis on the use of ICT in Primary Education.   At the University of Education, Weingarten,  he is Co-Head of the  Primary School Center and Manager of the Research Center for Pre-Primary and Primary Education.