Last class we discussed a Frontline episode concerning teenagers growing up online, using Facebook or Myspace. After class I went to watch the episode and watched the section titled "A Revolution on Classrooms and Social Media." I recommend this to anyone who is interested in the new way kids are learning and learning to function.
What this talked about was how children now have everything available to them at a click of a mouse. They are so used to multi-tasker and having multiple websites working at one time that walking into a classroom with nothing but a chalkboard and desks is like "walking into a desert." There attention span in non-existant and they are anxious in class because they are used to fast pace working and thinking. In response to this, there were schools that are implementing computers into their lectures. Teachers are using podcasts so that students can review class discussions, and using data projectors in the ceiling that will show students anything they want from a computer. It was great to watch how teachers use technology to bring students into a new way of learning that they are more accustomed too.
In addition this section of the show discussed the social communities online like Facebook and Myspace. Frontline interviewed teenagers from a high school about their experiences with Facebook and Myspace. Most if not all the students at the school had some sort of profile, and the students interviewed said that they use it all the time. That is it is "addicting." These teenagers are using Facebook and Myspace for more that just connecting with friends, but also to confront others or fight with other people. It easily takes away any face-to-face interaction and socializing becomes completely virtual.
How do you feel about this? Teenagers are now learning through computers and the internet and also socializing through social internet communities. How, if any, does it affect there real life social skill? Are kids now so used to using the internet that they cannot function without it, and if so, how do we find a happy medium? I know i personally feel lost and completely disconnected from the world if my internet gets turned off for the day. I don't feel as though I should feel that way. How do you think this can benefit PR professionals. They can create ways to reach certain audiences by simple tapping into their profiles and websites and noting their opinions on certain issues.
Posts
2 comments:
Have you seen this video? It's very thought-provoking about college students and online living: http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=122
I think having so much information at the tips of our fingers is wonderful. I think part of our education has to be how to learn to navigate and, more importantly, judge what we find online. There is one risk however, that we must address: finding time to think deeply. We cannot only be wide and shallow.
Thinking deeply is slow thought, undistracted thought. It requires one to shut down and shut out technology. I fear that this skill is too rare, and is certainly NOT learned in the multitasking era.
Post a Comment