In my efforts toward becoming a confident and well-rounded educator; I try and take as many real-life examples and attribute them to something positive and relatable in my prospective classroom. My father always said to me, "Life's about moderation. Too much of anything is never any good." Of course, there's wiggle room with this, but I've always found that when I cut myself off from over-indulging in something, it most often proves beneficial. In the article, A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools, the reader is reminded of the negative impacts of relying too heavily on one source of educating. During the interview, Grace travels through her family's lineage of educators, and in just about every one, there is an instance where the educator was conscience of the dangers of becoming dependent on any one source (visual aids, radio/film, television). The article shares the anxieties of these educators, “How can you compare something so spontaneous with something so scripted? How is a television going to stop and answer when a student has a question?” I think she felt her principal was trying to put a different spin on the same efficiency-oriented model that my grandmother rejected back in the 1920s" (Domine 45). The more research I take in, the larger my anxieties often seem to get. As I noticed in the article, some of these 'teacher anxieties' are good, and are only attributed to the desire to become a better educator.
I personally feel that television had the greatest impact technologically on the process and transcendence of education. The article, I feel put it well, "It really drove home for me that TV and film - both as technologies and media - are powerful agents of history, politics, and society at large"(46). Much of this statement is true, however, it's vital that we stay analytical. Like when Bessie had her students analyze the marketing agenda of McDonalds. Taking anything for face value can be devastating, by teaching our students to think critically, we will better allow ourselves to use technology in its most positive sense. As Rethinking Technology in Schools wisely put it, “Technology is merely a vehicle through which the young consumer can attain social, cultural, and economic power" (p. 41) It's a progressive tool that allows us to create success for ourselves. In retrospect, one can think back to the American Dream taking on a new wave, where we have access and ability to more knowledge and presumably a better life.
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| Remember, "too much of anything is never any good." |
Works Cited
Domine, Vanessa. "A Social History of Media, Technology and Schooling." The National Association for Media Literacy Education’s Journal of Media Literacy Education 1 (2009): 42-52. JMLE. Web. 1 Feb. 2012. .
Domine, Vanessa. "Rethinking Technology in Schools Primer." New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Print.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assessment of the TV being extremely influential in the classroom (I elected to use the TV in my post too). Do you think that as a fellow future English teacher that the TV will enhance your teaching?
In the "Rethinking Technology in Schools Primer" the emphasis on technology being used as a tool to stream propaganda and commercialize education. I think that this could actually be turned into an effective lesson taught about deconstructing media messages. What other ways could you use the TV in you classroom?
Michael,
ReplyDeleteThe quote that accompanied your picture "Too much of anything is never any good" truly resonated with me. I feel that this pertains particularly to technological integration within the classroom setting. Although technology can be very beneficial in countless ways, its over-usage can have negative effects on students for they can become over-reliant on technology to aid them with simple tasks and thus can become debilitated. How would you work to ensure that technology does not become overused within your classroom?