The task for this week has been to think about our own dream project concerning New Media in English classes.
When I started to make up my mind about it, I realized quite soon that it is really difficult to find something which is creative, new and interesting.
But after a while, an idea of a project flashed into my mind and became my dream project. In the following, I want to present it briefly:
Firstly, I would like to describe some general guidelines about my dream project.
In general, German schools offer exchanges between German classes and foreign classes (schools) at the time of 9th grade, for example exchanges between France and Germany or Great Britain and Germany etc. I would like to put my dream project into practice with 9th graders, because my dream project will mainly be based on an exchange between a German class and an English (British) class.
I would like to create a virtual newspaper with my students.
In order to do that, my class will have to use a blog, such as wordpress, which we got to know in our New Media course. Additionally, our British exchange class will also make up a virtual newspaper by making use of a blog. Every student, regardless if German or British should write one short article every week. They might also include images or short videos. The German students ought to write their articles in English, whereas the British students pen it in German. Consequently, one “newspaper” will be published per week. The topics of these articles may be the following:
What have I learnt throughout the week? What has been most striking to me?
Presentation of research project, which the student had to do in class.
Apart from that, students can also include “usual” newspaper characteristics, such as a weather chart, cartoons, a horoscope or the stock exchange. As homework during the weekend, students will have to comment on two articles of their class mates. The following week they will also write articles, but this time they will assess critically two articles from the exchange class. In other words, students will be asked to comment fortnightly on two articles of the other group. 
The first part of the in-class unit will be about gathering current knowledge of the students concerning the other countries. As to do this, traditional methods of teaching and new ones will be combined.
Firstly, students will be asked to collect some first impressions on the other country. In this step, students will first write their own thoughts down (single work, some minutes) and secondly collect and discuss their findings in a group of 5 to 6 students (group work). The results of that discussion will be presented on a poster, which has to be prepared by each group. Afterwards, each group will present their poster to the rest of the class.
Another aspect would be that my students and I will talk and discuss about the themes we will prepare before the exchange actually takes place. They may add topics and we will examine which of these will be prepared in class as teacher oriented lessons, which will be organised in Power Point presentation by a student or which will be arranged 
in group work presentations in class (with short internet research and posters as helping hand).
This first preparation of the exchange will result in the creation of a “real newspaper”, which should include photos of the class, some general facts of everyone, their expectations, hopes and wishes for the actual exchange and some first ideas about what they will deal with during the following lessons. This “real” newspaper will be printed and also send to the exchange partner. That means that the German class will receive the newspaper of the British class and vice versa. They may also comment on articles in this newspaper.
If students have to prepare presentations, they will have the chance to use the Internet and particularly the tool of skype. They have to communicate with one student of the other class in order to get the information they need. It will be like a “business meeting” where they have to exchange thoughts. 
Apart from that, students will also be allowed to talk about other topics, but that time frame will be shorter. (This last aspect is only included in order to give students the possibility to be in a natural talking situation where they feel comfortable.)
During the actual exchange and right after it, students of both classes will write articles again. But this time, they will evaluate the current events. In other words, they will deal with positive and negative aspects of the exchange. Again, photos of themselves, the landscape or of the sightseeing plus extra material can be added. These articles will be collected in a second “real” newspaper, which will be printed twice (one for each class). After the actual exchange, students and teacher will evaluate the whole experience and students will then write their final statements in the blog. The topics for these articles might be:
What did I learn? What has been new/ old to me? Which aspects have been striking and why? Would I like to return or even live there? And if yes, why?
In the last part of this project, students will create a third little newspaper with their final statements, thoughts etc. This newspaper will also be printed and send to the respective group in order to frame the whole exchange. 
That means that every class can see the development of the other one and additionally they have a nice souvenir. Furthermore, language skills will be improved throughout the whole writing process, regardless if it is online in the blog or “offline” in the “newspaper”.
Last but not least, students might prepare a power point presentation on their reception of the whole exchange (including lessons) and show it in school; for example on a parent-teacher conference or on school festivities.
I would like to show the different aims of my dream project and some other steps in greater details later on in my term paper.
