Oct 14 2010
How has TV changed our society and our learning practices?
I read about Plato’s concerns regarding the use of technology (writing) in Etec 540 and thought they seemed a little ridiculous. Of course, it is difficult to us to imagine a fully oral society as existed then. I am now ready to reconsider, having looked at Moody’s perspective. What I think is affected is not the role of books but how we approach education and entertainment in general. TV, when first introduced, was used as a gathering point for families to watch a show in the evening. Later on, parents started to use this technology to entertain their children while they attended to other tasks. This whole evolution seems to have isolated us more and more. So although we might continue to find ways to communicate more easily, rapidly and globally through our new technologies, we seem to be doing this in an isolated fashion where each person pursues their own interests at their own pace.
These are considerations we must look into when designing curriculum, whether it be f2f or distance. Technology has truly changed our society in terms of roles, communication and even values. Therefore we must respond to this shift in our educational practices.