Media and the Mind

Why can’t we participate in the media frenzy?  Dr. Roberts phrased his talk by saying that this is a technological revolution or a trend that cannot be countered.  In other words, the ship has left the port.  The increase in exposure and media use has drastically grown over the past fifteen years and the types of media keep evolving for young people.  But why can’t we, as teachers, employ this media to our own advantage?

Dr. Roberts made the correlation between large media exposure and use and a lower academic achievement with students.  Students that use over sixteen hours have dramatically lower grades and successful habits.  While it may take a societal effort to change that sixteen hour clip down to the reasonable seven or eight, we should employ strategies built within this trend to reach the students.  It seems to me that teachers should fight for this media time and immerse themselves in this independent world that students are creating for themselves.  This does not mean that teachers have to try and entertain the student at all hours of the day, but the allowances and resources of the internet and computers are vast.  Educational material and programming is very accessible.

As the internet invades the television, it ability for teachers to assign television or viewable programming will improve.  Most PBS and many other educational documentaries are accessible on YouTube and fifteen-minutes of a video and some additional reading is a way to include media resources that students could adapt towards.   Discussion boards and wikis can be easily accessed so that students can participate in social activities that are focused towards the curriculum.  Many secondary math classes are already working with a flipped or modified flipped classroom that let students use the power of stop and rewind lectures for increased retention.  Why can’t this be done with other interactive materials while requiring discussion on an online forum?

Of course this sounds great in this spacious ivory tower.  But there is still the problem of multiple exposures and the constant flipping of cognitive functions that prevent problem solving.  I’ve got no clue on that one.

More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality

How does one model behavior through a computer screen?  How do they problem solve difficult tasks and compromise with other humans to create not-perfect, but manageable solutions?  These seem to be just two of the glaring problems with a comprehensive transition into “online learning”.  Although, through using the technology responsibly and with an inquiry focus, it could reap benefits and reach motivated students in ways that the typical classroom cannot.

Young people learn from their exposure to other people.  If a student has 40% less exposure to responsible adults, they will have 40% increased influence from other factors.  This could be peers or it could be media on the computer used during instruction.  Additionally, very few people remember the specific skills or content information gained in grade school.  They may use this information to build other important information later in life, but the skills are only sometimes retained.  Yet the relationships, motivations, and resiliencies created during school last must longer.  I find it very difficult to believe that student can make as serious relationship with instructors who have to construct their responses to fit into a digital communication.    

But there are also great opportunities here.  I love ordering and taking course from “The Learning Company”.  It’s how I get through, and look forward, to my commute every day.  These courses have a wide range of topics that would allow students to invest an opinion and choice into their secondary education.  What if administrators required that students take one online course every year, but required these to be elective classes where students could pick something of interest.  This would prevent cheating during the core academic areas and allow students an endless variety of course material that could help build critical thinking and organizational skills all the while preparing them for a university culture. 

Technology Resources for the Teacher:

Props to Josie for this compilation of tech tid-bits.  I’ve already made a series of vocabulary terms on quizlet and made them into three different flash card games, two testing sequences, and a review.  I’ve posted these cards onto our course webpage and linked it up for students.  They can now spend five minutes a night trying to compete with themselves and other classmates regarding who can match the terms fastest or master the terms without error.  Sweet!

I’ve also downloaded the cool timer and screen catch applications.  A lot of the freeware for these materials cause complications and these two seem to be pretty solid.  I love that the clock runs directly off an .exe and therefore doesn’t have to be downloaded onto the fascist district network.