Holzinger.+Student-Centered+Teaching+Meets+New+Media

=Motschnig-Pitrik, Renate, and Holzinger. "Student-Centered Teaching Meets New Media."=

"// Educational Technology and Society" // 5.4 (2002). 2002. Web. 17 Mar. 2011.

Abstract
"There exists empirical evidence proving that students who are given the freedom to explore areas based on their personal interests, and who are accompanied in their learning by a supportive, understanding facilitator, not only achieve superior academic results but also develop socially and grow personally. However, pure Student-Centered Teaching is more demanding in terms of communication, organization, as well as the provision of learning material. Thus, the basic idea underlying our paradigm is to combine Student-Centered Teaching with eLearning in order to exploit the advantages of the two approaches. We refer to this combined style as Student-Centered eLearning (SCeL). Strongly simplified, the computer takes over the task of providing information, while presence phases can be used for giving the content more meaning by means of transparent, open, respectful and empathic interactions within the group. Our case study indicates that Student-Centered eLearning has the potential of reducing the increased demands of Student-Centered Teaching in the long run, while fully retaining all its benefits, such as deeper learning processes, personal growth, social skills, and a higher degree of flexibility. Furthermore, the maturity for life-long learning is cultivated. In this paper we introduce our concept and derive first hypotheses on the conditions under which our paradigm appears most effective. While potential continuations of our studies are manifold, we intend to employ SCeL in the course of the new curriculum of the medical faculty of GrazUniversity where a Virtual Medical Campus (http://vmc.uni-graz.at) is currently being developed."

Arguments
Renate Motsching-Pitrik and Andreas Holzinger compare between Renate Motschnig's Student-Centered Teaching and Carl Roger’s Student-Centered eLearning in, “Student-Centered Teaching Meets New Media.” The author’s explain the benefits of Student-Centered Teaching and the impacts it has on students both academically and psychologically. They claim that Student-Centered Teaching, and New Media, are beneficial and quickly rising pedagogies. Student-Centered Teaching sets semi-strict ground rules for students, while still allowing them to have the freedom to choose their own assignments. Encouragement and support from teachers builds upon students psychological personalities and allows the students to feel comfortable and thus allowing student’s minds to explore new types of thinking in the realm of New Media. Further argument claims that New Media requires a specific methodology and therefore requires specific instructors to guide students in the proper direction as opposed to becoming overbearing leaders; such as, teachers interested in Student-Centered Teaching. The two pedagogies combined creates new social interactions and benefits for students.

Key Passages
Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger describe the term New Media in classrooms:
 * “The basic idea is to use the computer as a versatile, adaptable tool for information transfer, while devoting the ‘saved’ time to encourage experiential and social learning within the classroom.”

Motsching-Pitrik and Holzinger describe the term Student-Centered Teaching:
 * “In brief, the Student-Centered approach is based on the hypothesis that students who are given the freedom to explore areas based on their personal interests, and who are accompanied in their striving for solutions by a supportive, understanding facilitator not only achieve higher academic results but also experience an increase in personal values, such as flexibility, self-confidence and social skills.”

Selected Works Cited
Rogers, C. R. & Freiberg, H. J. (1994). //Freedom to Learn//, 3rd edition, Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co.

Rogers, C. R. (1983). //Freedom to Learn for the 80's//. New York: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company, A Bell & Howell Company.

Motschnig-Pitrik, R., Derntl, M. (2002). Student-Centered eLearning (SCeL): Concept and application in a students’ project on supporting learning. In //Proc. of ICL 2002, International Workshop on Interactive Computer-Aided Learning//, Villach, Austria, Sept. 2002.

[|Student-Centered Teaching Meets New Media]