Literacy, Learning, and Media

Technos: Quarterly for Education and Technology, Winter, 2000 by Dennis Adams, Mary Hamm

Youngsters can sometimes get closer to understanding with electronic devices than they can with books or through discussion. This is especially true if electronic imagery is coupled with concrete activities. It is preferable to simulate a dangerous chemical reaction and then use real chemicals for a safer classroom experiment. Actual chemical experiments can be viewed at the micro level with digital cameras and graphically simulated by computer. But the technology takes us only so far. Computer-mediated online study can teach many things. However, learning the broader themes of life requires a certain amount of face-to-face interaction with knowledgeable adults and a community of peers. Classrooms that are centered on learners and learning recognize the importance of interpersonal dialogues, critical thinking, and active collaboration.

SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT AND EFFECTIVE TEACHING

The Internet has been praised as superior to television and other passive media because it allows users to choose the kind of information they want to receive, and often, to respond to it in chat rooms, email exchanges, or on electronic bulletin boards. The reality is that sometimes we connect and sometimes we don't. It has long been known that television reduces social involvement. The idea that Internet communication can be just as lonely may come as a surprise to many, but virtual relationships can be disembodied and distant when formed in the vacuum of cyberspace.

The problem with much of our current information and communication technology is that it can fill our heads with isolated fragments of facts without providing the social context that would give these facts meaning. This can make life in the world's technological societies a whirl of disconnected general notions and attitudes. Fortunately, there are some positive possibilities. For example, teachers can avoid placing children in solitary confinement by pairing them up to work on the computer. No one has to be trapped in the sad, lonely world of cyberspace. Teachers can also take advantage of the computer's proven ability to provide dynamic visual representations of various concepts.

We would do well to remember that the entire curriculum, no matter how advanced technologically, must be filtered through the mind of the teacher. The most comprehensive high-tech curriculums and pleasant school environments are of little use unless they are matched with quality teachers. Putting learned thoughts and principles into action requires preparation and sustained professional development.

An effective medium has the ability to change how we use our senses to process thought and perceive reality. Like traditional reading and writing, it is not just a simple matter of decoding symbols but the construction of meaning. The video image is more vivid than print and speaks powerfully to a new generation. The ease with which the electronic image involves all of our senses is unparalleled in the history of communication. On a superficial level, it is easier to decode; however, deeper understanding and control are harder to come by. When new electronic means are coupled with effective teaching strategies, speech, writing, print, and visual media can all be enhanced.