International projects

Pestalozzi - Gymnasium Herne
Grammar school for boys and girls
with German-English bilingual section

Harpener Weg 6, D - 44629 Herne
Phone ++49 (0)2323 / 16-2213 , FAX ++49 (0)2323 / 16-2359

International Projects on Internet

Introduction
Arts - "From Brunelleschi to Virtual Space"
Description
Have a close look at our RESULTS ! ( Sorry, only available in German language so far. )
E-mail / international communication
Description

Introduction

Pestalozzi-Gymnasium Herne would like to expand and diversify its contacts with its European partners by engaging in an international project. This project would necessarily combine IT and subject skills and, at the same time, provide valuable insight into the necessity for international co-operation.

Teachers of various subjects across the curriculum have compiled a preliminary list of project titles which are open to negotiation between those who would like to get involved in them. Major areas of research and modes of procedure may be decided on once a project has been selected. The following overview of project topics is in no way complete, and ought to be read as an invitation for further suggestions covering both different subject areas and a wider range of subjects (for example, science).

E-mail / international communication

Subject	Topic
Political Studies / Sociology	Mean Streets - Crime sweeping over Europe Sorry, no vacancies: Growing up in a society that has no jobs to offer to the younger generation - the problem of youth unemployment. Fed up with politics ? Disenchantment with political parties. The two-thirds-society: Marginalising increasing sections of society in the race for a competitive economy. (to be continued)
History	Roman traces in our neighbourhood Grandad, what was it like in the war ? Interviewing our grandparents about war-time experiences and how views of former enemies have developed in the post-war period. Never again ! Fascism and fascist movements in our town, region, country ... (to be continued)
Geography	Don't copy our mistakes ! Dead centres in our cities. Our vision of an urban environment. (to be continued)
Foreign languages	Newsletter. Exchanging current school news. (all junior forms) (to be continued)

Space Construction: From Brunelleschi to Virtual Space

Project Scope

In the course of this project students will gather experiences in creating virtual space by computer simulations. Apart from exchanging and discussing sketches of space constructions there is also the possibility of realising some kind of exhibition via Internet links.
The topic of space construction is also accessible from a historical point of view by presenting realisations of space from Brunelleschi's rediscovery of scientific perspective to concepts of space developed by representatives of Mannerism and Cubism.
Digitised holdings of museums and galleries (such as Quai d'Orsay in Paris) or resources of academic institutions (like the Institute for the History of Art at Bochum University) may be tapped for research purposes.

Educational aims

Increasingly, students of all age groups are confronted with concepts of space on PC screens. In coining the catchword of "virtual reality", video and software producers claim that increasingly, their screen images acquire a real-life quality - a reality as perceived by the observer. This illusion has been achieved by perfectly applying the laws of perspective, thus creating space for both animated characters and players of video games to act (and fight) in. This type of space allows for projections of the remote past as well as the future - computer games invariably use the illusion of space to turn fiction into reality. Undoubtedly there is the danger of media images becoming misunderstood as perceptions of reality.

With respect to these aspects (for example, the invitation for identification as aimed at in video games) teaching students to competently assess what they perceive and act accordingly appears to become increasingly important. A teaching programme like "Space construction" may help to create an understanding of "virtual space" as "constructed" space the laws of which may be learned and become comprehensible, thus stripping video and computer games of their "magic" appeal.

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