This picture came from a blog called Spredfast, which is more about marketing, but I loved the image!
New and old media are growing together into one, technology has been the engine pushing the two together and there is no longer confrontation or controversy in that matter.
Any serious communicators, no matter how traditionalist they may be, are using new media. Newspaper are being published in internet sites as well as on paper, communication has become a lot more efficient and fast, and regular people can express their opinions as effectively as professional writers and journalists. People make web sites and blogs and open them to the public, professionals are using and reproducing peoples's thoughts. Anyone, without age, nationality, or social status restriction has access to media producing software, to experts advice and guidance, and to all the information on the web.
Social media is also merging with traditional media at an unforeseen scale, and while old media is being modernized and keeps evolving, new media keeps taking valuable elements from the old.
Even if new technologies emerge that allow anyone to easily produce media, traditional media, dedicated journalists, writers, and all sorts of creative people will always be the ones leading the way.
Old media refers to Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, etc. New media includes social networks, blogs, digital TV, digital radio, mobile technologies, etc.
All this merging means great news for us as teachers, we get to participate by sharing ideas, lesson plans, videos, strategies, it is all right there for the advantage of the students. by joining different groups, we can always be in touch with what other teachers are doing around the world. Access to digital media is nearly fully available for everyone at all times, but I have to say it becomes really overwhelming, there is just too much out there, and only by having a well organized system of information filters and time organization skills, the whole exercise can turn against us. I think it is very important to consider that although the opportunities are great, teachers really have to make some time for socializing in real life, with colleagues and students. I consider that a teacher with no life experiences can't really communicate anything of value to his students.
Thank you for posting the photograph of the tree! I tried to write a bit about the 1-many model as an information system that spreads information out to individuals at the far reaches of the news tree, but your photo did a better job illustrating the point! Also, it shows the diversity of the type of information shared today, and I enjoyed that part.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of your post that I appreciated was your comment about how important it is for faculty to have broad and diverse experiences to connect to when teaching. I teach 4th grade geography, and the stories I tell about experiences (and cultural blunders!) abroad stick with my students much longer than anything they read in the CIA world factbook. My travel experiences have helped me to learn who I am, and with 4th graders who are also working on figuring out their identities, I find them to be incredibly motivated to compare and contrast themselves with others from around the world. Being able to talk about what is was like going to a rural Quaker 12-student high school in the Costa Rica cloud forest has been more valuable than having students simply research it on their own, and while ASF faculty have impressive backgrounds in travel already, I am curious about how professional development in education in general might better support faculty development by providing educational travel opportunities instead of local workshops. When thinking about helping develop faculty in order to help students develop as well, it seems that making diverse experiences available might be a great way to support both goals!
Thanks for posting.
Vero,
ReplyDeleteI would like to highlight two concepts that I read in your Blog: creativity and experiences.
With the new media and visual culture, people are getting inspired to create and produce. As we know, children are born creative and we, as teachers, want to continue and need to keep inspiring that creativity. Innovations in technology is an excellent step to promote creativity. And yes, as you mentioned creative people will be leading the way. Let´s keep inspiring!
On the other hand, I totally agree in that experience is the best teacher and a teacher rich in experiences can teach valuable things to his/her students. Life simple and enjoyable moments are also very important to teach!