Review: Christina Schachtner (2002). Entdecken und Erfinden. Lernmedium Computer [Discovering and Inventing. Computers as Learning Media]

Abstract

The book "Discovering and Inventing. Computers as learning media" is based on an educational project held at the University of Marburg in the Department of Education during 1997 until 2000. The main goal of this project was to offer to students the possibility to use new media and to reflect and to discuss the opportunities of new media, both in their own learning processes and in everyday life, in order to develop competence in new media in their future pedagogical practice fields. This process has been scientifically evaluated during the three years following by conducting interviews and doing qualitative analysis using Grounded Theory. The intention of the resultant case studies is not to draw out general theories and prescriptions for consulting and managing educational decisions in higher education, but merely to stimulate and orient reflection and theorizing in the use of new media in specific learning situations. Learning with new media is consequently considered from a constructivist perspective; the focus is less on the technical aspects of media and rather more on the psychological, social and cultural questions about the use of new media, answered by a wide field of theoretical approaches. Because of this, the book can be recommended to all readers who, as teachers or as learners, are interested in an active and reflexive management of the actual changes in learning with new media. From a methodological perspective, this book gives a reason to discuss the questions arising—whether from the qualitative data analysis theories emerging from the data or from the tacit background theories that were imported by the researcher. The author argues that theories emerge from data, but the position of this reviewer is that the study itself makes evident a contrary position. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0303280