Discussion Post 1

 Topic: Moderated Media: Is it needed?

In Daley’s article, “Expanding the Concept of Literacy” she begins with an exploration of what individuals usually think of when they come across the word, “literacy.”  The assumption that people generally have is that literacy refers to the process of reading and writing text. However, she encourages readers to rethink about the definition of “literacy” and argues that the definition of literacy should be expanded to include: “the multimedia language of the screen has become the current vernacular; the multimedia language of the screen is capable of constructing complex meanings independent of text. The Multimedia language of the screen enables modes of thought, ways of communicating and conducting research…in the 21^st century will be those who learn both read and write the multimedia language of the screen”  In thinking about Daley’s expanded definition of media, I feel that media is an important part in how students are receiving information. But, the teacher plays even a bigger role in teaching students how to process the information from the media.

  Thirty years ago, most of the information came from mostly television media, however, nowadays; students have instant access to media and its right at their fingertips. The use of the cell phone has provided ways for students and teachers to access news and discusses what’s happening in the world within their classroom. This powerful influence is continuously shaping how people learn and what content they are learning. Today, the process of learning is definitely different because of what is being presented on or within the media and the manner in which students or teaches “digest” the media.   Having more access to various media and its content is definitely different now than it was 30 years ago. 30 years ago, individuals were limited, but now the issue of media limitation is nonexistent unless an individual lacks the tool to access the media. This too can be a problem especially for those who are economically disadvantaged. However, if you have access and are capable of learning, then this means that you will become knowledgeable.  In my eyes, media is definitely linked to the acquisition of knowledge. The way in which students decide to process it can be moderated, but this depends upon the instructor. 

Do I believe that media should be moderated? Well, that solely depends upon what the learning goals are.  Teachers need to provide structures within their classrooms that govern how students receive the media. Visual media can leave a lifelong impression. Would you agree? Therefore, in that sense, educators need to be more vigilant and cognizant of the various role that media plays. I am not hesitant about introducing a multimedia project to my class as long as I am knowledgeable about how to guide my students throughout the project (especially since I teach 8^th grade students. ) So, I definitely have an interest in building media knowledge and learning about how to construct media projects where students are able to learn and build networks.

 

This video addresses technology and the presenter explores how you can achieve a lot with "small" amounts of funding. Specifically, the video examines how technology has transformed how people learn and how our learning process changes as a result of technology implementation.