According to the short film "Media Smarts: Kids Learn How to Navigate the Multimedia World," the average American spends about 6 1/2 hours in front of a screen such as a television, video game, or computer screen. At first, this statistic appeared quite drastic considering that some people spend less time asleep. So I asked my ninth grade students, who commonly announce their fascination with Multimedia, what they thought about that number. Surprisingly, most consider the data to support only the amount of time they spend on just one form of media - such as the computer. Investigating student use of technological equipment thus establishes a foundation of interest and motivation. I believe that students need to be engaged in a multitude of activities unlike the former thought of teacher-centered approaches. Also, if students take ownership of their work, they will succeed in more areas because they are actively participating rather than taking the backseat. Although proper equipment is always a questionable commodity, the basic tools should be accessed some time during a student's academic career. According to the journal The Future of Children, technology can enhance how children learn by supporting four fundamental characteristics of learning: (1) active engagement, (2) participation in groups, (3) frequent interaction and feedback, and (4) connections to real-world contexts. With these elements of learning, teachers can develop an array of tools that elicit each with the millions of resources found on the web. Most of the time the teacher is on the hunt for new material, but with the effectiveness of search engines and critical procedures for finding particular information, teachers will be able to allow students the freedom of exploration and self-discovery. As described in the short film, teaching students to use the media as a source of information gathering and dissemination promotes individualistic student perspectives and not simply the teacher's. This enables students to take pride in their views and portray what they perceive as important to them - something that previous teaching practices took away from learning.
3 comments:
Very nice illustration. I like how you polled your class about their habits. It is true, if you put all media together, you would have more than 6 hours use time.
Barbara
I agree with you that students need to be engaged in a multitude of activities unlike the former thought of teacher-centered approaches. Teachers should focus on student centered approaches. This will encourage students to take ownership of their work and will build confidence in students. My main concern is some teachers are set in their ways that they don't even try new things.
Teachers should focus on student centered approaches. They should focus on approaches that will encourage students to take ownership of their work. By doing this, teachers give students the opportunity to build confidence in themselves. When given a multitude of activites students have many opportunities to express themselves effectively and appropriately.
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