Through the article Changing Technology = Empowering Students through Media Literacy Education, de Abreu addresses the importance of getting students, parents and teachers to critically engage with New Media technologies, especially for use in education. In addition the article explores a protectionist view where barriers are created hindering students access and usage of the Internet.
As discussed in the article, protectionists are acting on fear of the unknown. People who tend to follow this view point are usually parents, school administrators and many teachers. The reason for this is mainly due to their own illiterate skills when using New Media, especially in an educational context. Their own use is minimal in comparison to students and they fear the accidental (or not) discovery of negative pages/ information and worry that it will be used inappropriately.
Schools rather than creating firewalls and blocks on sites need to focus more on teaching student literacy skills so they can navigate and filter through all information on the World Wide Web, determining what is truthful and useful compared to that which is false and irrelevant. Educators should encourage students to practice appropriate use of these technologies and engage students in deeper skill knowledge through critical thinking.
de Abreu strongly argues that students have a better use and understanding of the technologies and educators can learn more from the students through the sites they use and what they are accessing on the Internet however, I feel there is slightly too much expectation put on students appropriate use of these technologies. Certainly many students are more familiar with technologies and their use but I still feel navigation and literacy skills lack for many students. I feel their is more focus on the entertainment side to New Media rather than for educational purposes and this is where teachers will well and truly be able to empower students, by opening up a whole new world of critical thinking and analysis and ways of sourcing and filtering through new information.
de Abreu asks ‘How much information is too much?’ (2010 pg. 32) The answer should be no information is too much as long as students and all people understand and have the knowledge of how to seek and engage with relevant information. A skill which needs to be taught.
Reference:
1. de Abreu, Belinha (2010) Changing Technology = Empowering Students through Media Literacy, New Horizons in Education; Vol. 58 Issue 3, Drexel University, USA, Education Research Complete p26-33
Leave a comment