Media Impulses

Editorial 02/2024: Ästhetische Medienbildung

Alessandro Barberi — 2024-06-20

1.097 / 5.000

Digitalization has arrived in education. It is anchored in the formal education system of our children and young people both as a separate subject "digital basic education" and as an interdisciplinary competence "media education". Digital (basic) education in Austria is based on three pillars: IT education, media education and design competence. Current discussions revolve primarily around IT education, i.e. a practically applied mindset that - in the sense of computational thinking - is problem-centered and solution-oriented. It is used to solve specific technical tasks, the aim of which is to ensure flawless function, to eliminate errors and to understand IT systems. Every now and then one also comes across media pedagogical approaches of the "media-critical" questioning attitude of media education, which is just as aware of the social and personal implications of technology use as it is of problematic social processes, as Dieter Baacke identified back in the 1990s (Baacke 1996).

Ein Update für schulische Leistungsbeurteilungen: Noten für Lernende oder für KI?

Petra Missomelius — 2024-06-20

The article addresses a little discussed aspect of the penetration of artificial intelligence and, in particular, AI-based language models into everyday school life: its use by pupils to do homework. In general, the use of artificial intelligence should be pedagogically supervised and not banned. There is no doubt that the necessary fundamental redesign of homework is challenging – for some subjects more so than others.

Künstliche Intelligenz und Hausaufgaben

Christian Swertz — 2024-06-20

Petra Missomelius has proposed redesigning proven types of homework and task types in schools in order to meet the requirements placed with artificial intelligence systems, which she justifies by the possibilities of fraud. This essay argues that first these possibilities hardly exist, secondly, are largely harmless, and thirdly are in the social interest. Instead of changing school practices in the interest of technology companies, the teaching of critical media literacy is therefore recommended.

Kathederstreithengst

Günther Sandner — 2024-06-20

In his contribution to contemporary history, Günther Sandner summarizes Otto Neurath’s biography and political work in order to trace a decisive intellectual lineage that is deeply connected to Red Vienna. Even 100 years later, Neurath’s achievements and the positions of Austromarxism – such as the demand for a “full socialization” of the economy and society – are impressively topical in the face of neo-feudal capitalism.

Rezension: "Individuelles Handeln und Gemeinwohl. Eine interdisziplinäre Handlungstheorie im Kontext von Freiheit, Verantwortung und künstlicher Intelligenz" von Gerhard Tulodziecki

Bardo Herzig — 2024-06-20

Why do we make a decision this way and not otherwise? What factors influence our actions in everyday life, work and leisure? How and by what do we orient ourselves? In addressing these questions, Gerhard Tulodziecki develops a differentiated and well-founded theory of action, which can also be understood as a well-founded postulate of a reflexive subject capable of social action. The author develops his considerations in two parts. The first part of the book outlines a complex model of human action, while the second part places this model in the context of fundamental questions of human action – in particular the questions of freedom of choice as well as the underlying human image and possible changes in the context of the development of artificial intelligence.

Rezension: "Sprachmodelle verstehen – Chatbots und generative KI im Zusammenhang" von Hans-Peter Stricker

Hans-Martin Schönherr-Mann — 2024-06-20

In his review, Hans-Martin Schönherr-Mann offers the readers of MEDIENIMPULSE a pointed look at the much-discussed possibilities that arise with artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT. His review of Hans-Peter Stricker's “Understanding language models” also makes it clear, in view of the discussions on the relationship between man(s) and machine(s), where the unavoidable limits lie in this respect.

Rezension: "interirdisch" von Elisa Asenbaum

Birgit Schwaner — 2024-06-20

In her book interirdisch, the Viennese conceptual artist Elisa Asenbaum combines literary writing, photographic works and scientific reflections to negotiate contemporary concepts of cosmology and (non-)human existence. Adressing art-led processes of knowledge acquisition and information presentation embedded in the texts of the volume, language itself and its own manifold qualities necessarily become objects of negotiation. Accordingly, Asenbaum questions conventional ontological and epistemological models in a language characterised by artifice and neologisms, which is also used again in her most recent publication Einfaltung. The renowned Austrian writer Birgit Schwaner has reviewed interirdisch and analyses the conceptual foundations and contexts of this remarkable publication.

Rezension: "Viermal ICH" von Maria Lazar

Günter Krenn — 2024-06-20

It took almost a century before the forgotten work of Austrian exile writer Maria Lazar was rediscovered and made accessible to today's reading public. The novel Viermal ICH is part of her estate and tells the story of a quadriga of female personalities in the 1920s. In a series of notes, the nameless narrator interweaves the fates of three friends with her own.

Rezension: "Lesen im Zeitalter der Künstlichen Intelligenz" von Florian Rötzer

Davide Gnoato — 2024-06-20

How do people relate to the cultural technique of reading in view of the rapidly developing possibilities of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT? What role does the body play in reading when confronted with disembodied chatbots? Davide Gnoato reviews the book Reading in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by philosopher and journalist Florian Rötzer.

Rezension: "Lola, Toni, Yella und die anderen: Der deutsche Film nach 1990. Ein Kanon" von Corina Eker, Matteo Galli & Jörn Glasenapp (Hg.)

Michael Burger — 2024-06-20

In a total of 30 contributions, the anthology deals with 30 films that are considered representative of filmmaking in Germany since 1990. The work creates an analytical overview that shows that above all the main concern of the films are Germany's own contemporary history and living in a country dominated by migration that are seen as representative of recent cinematic work.

Self-efficacy in distance learning

Daniel Otto — 2024-06-20

The article deals with the role of self-efficacy in distance learning. It is argued that the concept of self-efficacy in distance learning must consider different dimensions than in face-to-face study. Based on a literature review, three key dimensions in distance learning are emphasised: academic, learning and social self-efficacy. In order to evaluate this framework and to measure the dimensions and assess their interrelationships, students on six bachelors' degree programmes at a distance learning university in Germany were surveyed. The results show that each of the three dimensions of self-efficacy has specific characteristics. The academic dimension shows that writing a thesis is the greatest challenge for students in terms of self-efficacy. There is a strong correlation between students' academic competence and their self-efficacy in terms of problem-solving and their confidence in completing their degree programme. For the learning dimension, it can be stated that self-efficacy in time management is decisive, as it influences all other items in this dimension. Although there is no strong correlation within the social dimension, self-efficacy in relation to private support and resilience can be further analysed based on the academic literature and transferability to the concept of face-to-face study.

Measuring Media Literacy.

Christian Swertz — 2024-06-20

The article presents a complete overview of existing publications on the measurement of media literacy. 178 papers are analysed. Methodologically, an analysis based on Critical Media Theory, a statistical analysis and a categorising analysis are carried out. The central findings are that (1) media literacy can be measured with all dimensions, (2) media literacy can be taught, (3) there are only a few discussion threads, (4) many studies are conducted in the US, Turkey and Iran, (5) most measurements are used to communicate economic, religious or political ideologies and (6) hardly any knowledge tests are carried out.

„Hast du gehört? Der widerspricht sich voll selber.“

Marcel Mierwald — 2024-06-20

Against the background of increasing “platformisation” in the education sector, this article examines the extent to which digital learning platforms can influence students’ practices and learning processes through their different didactic designs. For this purpose, the historical learning of two learning groups under the changing conditions of a content- or method-oriented designed learning module from the digital contemporary witness learning platform MiBLabor in a history project was ethnographically researched and analysed in terms of practice theory. The results showed that the students’ historical learning with the digital learning platform was characterised by the evocation of different practices on a technical, social and subject-specific level. Differences between the learning groups emerged mainly on a subject-specific practices and historical thinking, presumably evoked by the different didactic designs of the learning modules. The results are critically reflected upon and implications for research and practice are formulated.

Demokratie braucht Medienbildung

Christian Swertz — 2024-06-20

The Barcamp of the initiative Media Education NOW! has been the meeting place for media educators from Austria for 13 years. This year, the barcamp entitled “Democracy Needs Media Education” took place in the media center of wienXtra. In eleven exciting sessions on democracy and media education, all media educational facets of this important task for the professional work were discussed on the basis of concrete projects from practice

CALL: Video & Filmtage 2024 Filmfestival des jungen Kurzfilms