Media (is) the message?

In looking back on my recent posts, I have noticed that through my blogging I have learned alot about various technolgies. Not only have I explored and created, but actually analyzed these new technologies and contemplated their uses in the educational world. Would I have learned as much if I would not have blogged about them? Could I have optained the same level of understanding if I would have just explored the various technologies, and not blogged at all? These are questions that come to mind when I think of the role that technology plays in education. Is one medium better than the other, or are they all equally important? How much weight does technolgy carry withing the 21st century classroom?

These last couple of weeks I have looked at technology from many different angles. I am the student, teacher, and librarian when I am on what I like to call my technological journey. These multiple perspectives have allowed me to see just how important it is for pedagogy and technology to go hand in hand. 

As a student, I can see that I have gotten a better understanding of the technology I have been exploring because of my blogs. Through my blogs I have been made accountable for what I have learned, because I am going to (in essence) share it with the world. In Eric Sheninger's words  "demonstrate or apply their learning.", is what I had the opportunity to do. Did the media I used influence my learning, I think Kozma said it best in this statement, "learning with media is a complementary process within which a learner and a medium interact to expand or refine the learner's mental model of a particular phenomenon."  I believe this holds true weather a student chooses to use a book, or any one of the endless technologies that are available to help them show what he or she has learned.

As a teacher, I see how important it is that pedagogy and technology go hand in hand. I believe that in today's world, one cannot exist without the other. At the start of the technological revolution, we could identify two different worlds, the world with technolgy, and the world with out it. Since technology had not infiltrated their classrooms at the time..lol...teachers could easily disregard it. In today's classrooms weather we like it or not, technology is part of everything that we do. From a teacher's perspective, I DO NOT  believe that the medium is the message, instead I feel that it is an integral part of the pedagogy that an educator uses to reach individual students. The focus of today's classrooms seems to be differentiated instruction, what better way to differentiate, than through the use of technology. Is this the only way, NO, but it does provide the teacher with opportunities that may not have been available in a world/classroom with out technology.I believe a teacher should introduce the lesson in a way that will captivate the students, engage them in hands on instruction, take them on a visual and virtual experience if available, and allow them to explore with any medium they choose. In Sheninger's words, this will, "add relevance and meaning to the lesson." This will help insure that the final product  that is created by the students, or that the students test on, will reflect a deeper understanding of the concept that was taught to them by the teacher which she/he enhanced with technology.

As a librarian, I feel that technology should play a major role in any institution that is responsible for the acquistion of knowledge. Media should not replace instruction, but help build the bridge that leads to understanding. A librarian's role is to guide and support the development of all teachers and students. Not only should a librarian expose them to new technologies, but she should in an intentional way, guide them as they emark on their exploration and application of various mediums. He/She could do this by providing podcast, screencast, workshops (for both students and teacers), or just simply chech in with students and teachers. I have found that worlds of encuragement can go a long way when one is feeling discourged about something new. The librarian should also be an advocate for both students and teachers epecially because the advancements in technology are happening at a much greater speed than ever before.

I think as librarians we have to make sure that in Sheninger's words, "the goal should be placing a powerful learning tool in the hands of our students — not a digital pacifier." Librarians can help support this vision by focusing on the development of what what Sheninger calls the essential skills. These skills are creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, digital citizenship, entrepreneurship, media literacy, technological proficiency, communication, and collaboration. I believe that as librarians, we are the gate keepers to a brave new world, and it is our responsibility to help students and teachers develop the skills that will help them assimilate to the ethical rules that exist far beyond tangible formats.

The adoption of technology in education has caught on like wild fire, but it is still facing some road blocks because of fear of the unknown. As educators we are accustomed to being in control, and technology forces us to relinguish the reins. Our job is not longer to dictate instructions, but to serve as facilitators in the acquisition of knowlege. This is a scary notion for districts everywhere that are being compared and evaluated through standardized test. Money is the big elephant in the room, when it comes to the addopton of technology as well. Everyone wants to know how much is it going to cost to get and maintain new technologies. Many districts would love to be have technology rich classrooms, but sadly can not affort it because of the budget restraints. 

Works Cited:

Scheninger, E. (2016, April 25). Why pedagogy first, tech second stance is key to the future. Retrived from https:edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/04/why-pedagogy-firts-tech-secont-stance-key-future

(2012, August 30). The media debate. Retrieved from edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate