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| Pedagogy and pedagogic investigation |
The Society for Pedagogy and Information (SPI) (='Gesellschaft für Pädagogik und Information', GPI) was set up in 1964 with the objective, to publicize the latest evolution in the field of systematic and scientifically justified teaching and learning procedures and to support their introduction to school and training. The SPI was set up in 1964 as "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Programmierte Instruktion e.V."(Association for programmed instruction). The name of this association was changed twice by decision of the general meeting, in 1966 it became " Gesellschaft für Programmierte Instruktion und Mediendidaktik e.V."(Society for programmed instruction and media-didactics) and was finally renamed in "Gesellschaft für Pädagogik und Information e.V."(Society for Pedagogy and Information) in 1980. The society first worked on the concept of "programmed instruction", the models of learning theories that are information-psychological and system-theoretical and on drafts for technical aids for instruction and training. They contributed to the evolution of educational technology for a comprehensive theory of educationally relevant procedures and organizations. Today the SPI see themselves as a technical organization for pedagogy and pedagogic investigation. The spectrum of topics of their work covers problems of current educational contents in view of rapidly changing demands, extends through politics, science and technology up to the development of teaching aids that are supported by the media, questions of planning and carrying out of didactic processes, development and evaluation of educational media and media-pedagogic questions concerning multimedia and educational networks. The SPI support a close cooperation of pedagogic science and practice, without being committed to one position of scientific theory or educational policy . Professor Frank, co-founder and honorary member of the SPI, said to this on the occasion of the thirty years' existing of the SPI: " Balancing pedagogic trend variations with relatively insignificant course corrections - the SPI carry our torch of educational technology into the fourth decade ... The success and existence of our SPI is based on the fact that it has always been our endeavour to integrate the different approaches of educational technology, i.e. to give room to a friendly discussion between representatives of different positions instead of excluding polemically or tactically this or that."
The SPI endeavour to report the results of their work and their conceptual ideas to the institutions of educational policy and educational administration. They give their expert opinion on questions of media-didactics and educational technology. The SPI see themselves as a competent body consisting of scientists and practicians who put their experience and knowledge at the disposal of the educational policy. The SPI strives for an appropriate regard for medium-pedagogy and educational organization with the building up and expansion of the educational systems and for the guarantee of investigation and evolution possibilities. The SPI have committed themselves in East Germany since 1990 in order to integrate the results of works in the field of media-didactics and educational technology into Germany. |
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