Growing up Online part 2

In the film "Growing up Online" a teacher mentioned that they feel like they have to be entertainers to keep the kids attention. He felt that teachers had to be more technologically savvy and use media in order to keep a kids attention. I am preparing to become a teacher and I agree with parts of these statements and take exception to others.

First the parts I agree with. I agree that as teachers media needs to be incorporated into the classroom. With this new technology, there are easier ways to access information, and that should be utilized as a teaching tool. Also, kids learn in different ways, some are visual learners and others are auditory learners. All learning styles should be taken into account and all media should be used to help kids learn the information that needs to be learned.

Also, kids are more comfortable using media for expression. They do it every day. Therefore, I think that students should be given the option to complete an assignment in a way that shows the teacher they have learned and processed the material, whether it is a power point or a short movie. I recently became aware of a group of high school students two years ago who had to do a project on Macbeth. They decided for their project, rather than act it out in class filmed a movie entitled "Macbeth Wars." The students completed the project in a way that made sense to them.

In my mind though, that is not to say that some non-media techniques should not be used as well. Reading out loud and having students practice that is a great way to help comprehension and improve reading skills. Having to do a research paper actually mixes old and new media and will improve their writing. Students having to actually read a book, with pages and binding, that is difficult for them has a whole host of skills in it, that new media may not be able to help them with. Sometimes the old fashioned way is the way to go.

What I do take exception to in that is teachers need to be entertainers. Now maybe that was a bad choice of words, but teachers are there to teach, not entertain. While teachers need to meet students where they are at and find ways to engage the students, they are not there to entertain them. Students need to be able to function in a world that is demanding and ever changing. I think that they need to learn information in a myriad of ways, not just the ways that are easiest for them so they have experience in all forms and can be more well rounded when they get outside the classroom.

Teachers need to adapt with the times and use media that the students are comfortable with, and at the same time students need to be exposed to tried and true ways to learn as well as new ones. Kind of an old meeting new sort of thing. At the same time. when it comes to projects (especially ones that are worth half a grade) students need to be able to do them in whatever way makes sense to them, and yet shows the teacher the material has been learned, whether it is a power point, an old fashioned paper, or a movie about a Shakespeare play set to Star Wars.

New media is a necessary and can be a good thing, but should not be used exclusively. In my mind, blending the old with the new is the way to go. I love the fact that students can read a poem and then in many cases, get online and actually hear the author read the poem. A blending of old and new to enhance the learning experience.