To read the article: Media and Information Literacy pages 120-127
Because of the increasing demand for faster data delivery
new technologies led to the convergence of traditional and new media. For many years, TV, radio and printed
materials like newspaper, books and magazines brought all the necessary
information into our homes. Domestic schedules and routine were mostly set
around broadcast times. Traditional media served as an important part of daily
life and primary source of information. But its roles, to inform, to educate,
to present a point of view and to influence others opinions have been challenged
by new media, which has greatly affected the audiences’ means of participation.
New media as described in Wikipedia is “a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century
which refers to on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation
and community formation around the media content. Another important promise of
new media is the "democratization" of the creation,
publishing, distribution and consumption of
media content. Another aspect of new media is the real-time generation of new,
unregulated content.” It has therefore started a cyber culture covering all
forms of communication in the digital world and all sorts of
technological innovations like laptops, tablets and Smartphone.
As technologies advance, new media tools provide a lot of potential to help in teaching and learning. But how we learn with them can have both positive and negative effect on our ability to learn. Social networking sites allow students to explore and access information about their interests on a global scale. They can even discuss these interests with a wider range of people. Because resources are so accessible, students are drawn towards self-learning. However, for students that are not skilled at evaluating contents, it would be difficult for them to sort through and find accurate information. As dictionaries, encyclopedias newspaper and calculators find their way to the “Museum of Forgotten Tools”, comes the rise of Wikipedia, Google, YouTube and Smartphone. Students have become highly dependent on them. While Wikipedia is a great tool for gathering information, it is difficult to find information about more in-depth topics than just mere definition. It doesn’t include information that an expert or an experienced professor can provide. Therefore, it cannot replace traditional academics. You tube on the other provides a lot of potential for student learning. Learning using a video has become a preferred choice among students and teachers. It can be use to back up a lecture or to trigger discussions, which can improve students’ classroom experience. But in order to create a more meaningful learning environment there should be a balance between the use of video in the classroom and live instruction. The use of Smartphone allows students to have access to many applications including dictionaries, calculators and language translators. It is therefore a challenge to give spelling tests or geography tests when students can easily look for the answers from their Smartphones. This leaves us with the question, is it still necessary to have such tests when students can easily access answers?
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This culture brought about information revolution and swept
away the limitations of the analog world.
Younger generations are drawn to faster means of acquiring information
with Internet based gadgets. They are not as patient as we used to be to wait around
for broadcasting schedule. Blogs, online news, Facebook, You Tube, podcasts and
instant messaging enabled anybody to be journalists with little to no
investment and with a worldwide audience. The surfacing of blog stream is an
indication of the audience desire for diverse information. Traditional
journalist for example, writes about what the editor assigns to them. Bloggers
on the other hand are led to write by passion, making blogs more popular and
interesting to read. This is why we see a lot of traditional journalist
blogging, which contributes to blogs gaining more credibility. The media
environment depends highly on the needs of the audience. The primary need is to have a “voice”.
The Internet provides a round the clock medium for exposure. Anyone can be a
journalist by producing news without relying on traditional media or the
dictates of an editor.
As technologies advance, new media tools provide a lot of potential to help in teaching and learning. But how we learn with them can have both positive and negative effect on our ability to learn. Social networking sites allow students to explore and access information about their interests on a global scale. They can even discuss these interests with a wider range of people. Because resources are so accessible, students are drawn towards self-learning. However, for students that are not skilled at evaluating contents, it would be difficult for them to sort through and find accurate information. As dictionaries, encyclopedias newspaper and calculators find their way to the “Museum of Forgotten Tools”, comes the rise of Wikipedia, Google, YouTube and Smartphone. Students have become highly dependent on them. While Wikipedia is a great tool for gathering information, it is difficult to find information about more in-depth topics than just mere definition. It doesn’t include information that an expert or an experienced professor can provide. Therefore, it cannot replace traditional academics. You tube on the other provides a lot of potential for student learning. Learning using a video has become a preferred choice among students and teachers. It can be use to back up a lecture or to trigger discussions, which can improve students’ classroom experience. But in order to create a more meaningful learning environment there should be a balance between the use of video in the classroom and live instruction. The use of Smartphone allows students to have access to many applications including dictionaries, calculators and language translators. It is therefore a challenge to give spelling tests or geography tests when students can easily look for the answers from their Smartphones. This leaves us with the question, is it still necessary to have such tests when students can easily access answers?
All these new media tools are one way or the other causing students
to have a short attention span. And I must admit, they do the same thing to me,
too. Now a days we expect to learn instantaneously which presents a big problem
for subjects that require in-depth analysis. But whatever argument there may be
over the use of new technology, they are here to stay. They have also created a
culture where everyone is free and willing to participate.
References:
You are right! It is indeed a challenge to give the traditional tests to students when they can easily get the answers from their Smartphones, and you ask: Is it still necessary to have such tests when students can easily access answers? I think we as teachers need to adapt to the new technology and use it in our favor and for the development of students. For instance, with the development broadband, virtual classrooms platforms are now available, making the teaching and learning a synchronous process. In the virtual classroom, the teacher and the students interact the way they do in a traditional classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteRuth,
ReplyDeleteAs we know, our culture on blogging is becoming more and more popular. As you pinpointed, traditional writers are becoming passionate bloggers. But, as the new media is embraced, not only writers become bloggers, people with various characteristics are writing to have "a voice". People are having a real, live audience for their ideas.
Students, as we know, they know how to gather and search information, but, as you mention, the in- depth analysis is still there to be taught.
I really enjoy your blog entries. Hope you inspire more ASF teachers! I love your graphics.
ReplyDelete