Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play an increasingly important role in today’s life and work. In education, they remain an important issue filled with both opportunities and risks. The Counselling Service “Digital Media in School and Teaching – imedias” assists and supports lecturers, teachers and schools throughout the process of integrating ICT (Information and Communications Technology) into their teaching and learning programs.
The Counselling Service is a part of the Institute of Counselling and Continuing Professional Development at the School for Teacher Education at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.
Imedias is a European pioneer in the deployment of tablets in education, including the launch of the my-pad.ch project in 2011 in Switzerland. The my-pad.ch project participants 30 classes from kindergarten to secondary level. Participating schools are required to have enhanced teaching and learning. The tablets are used as tools for learning in interdisciplinary and cooperative settings – with a focus on didactically appropriate use. Project teachers attend trainings, and discuss teaching ideas and materials suitable for the use of tablets. Each class is allowed to borrow a set of Tablets for one month during the school year four times. The aim is to try out lessons in practice, and optimize and test apps for the respective stages. In the project the possibilities and opportunities of the use of mobile devices are tested and evaluated in the classroom. All teaching ideas and materials produced within the project are freely available on the website.
Imedias has also developed several innovative media projects, and some of their results are available as modules for teacher training, for example:
• myMoment.ch: online writing platform for primary children from 6 – 13 Years
• youType.ch: online writing platform for primary children from 12 – 16 Years
• mi4u.ch: guiding framework/curriculum media and computer science for schools
For more information: www.imedias.ch