Digital Media and Education

Though I may be a little behind, I finally watched the PBS special "Digital Media" that aired last month.  If you haven't watched it, especially if you're an educator, I encourage you to do so immediately.  It can be viewed through the link below:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/digital-media/

Watching this special gave me a couple of different reactions.  First, I was greatly inspired.  While the schools and programs featured in this show are undoubtedly special when it comes to the tools with which they work, the message and ideas are universal.  Digital media is here to stay, and kids need to be equipped with the skills necessary for using it to their advantage.  I immediately started thinking about how I can use the technology that I have with my students to enhance their learning and allow them to create to their full ability.  We don't have as many technology tools in my library as I would like, but I have more than a lot of programs and I have been guilty of not using it as I should.  That will change.

The fact is technology isn't going anywhere.  As much as some of us would like to stick to the traditional methods of learning with which we were educated, we can't.  It may be scary, and it may be intimidating, but it's reality.  Our kids are going to be using these technologies for the rest of their lives and they need to be taught how to use it ethically and responsibly.  This leads to my second reaction.

We need librarians and media specialists now more than ever before.  In case you didn't hear that, let me repeat.  WE NEED LIBRARIANS!!  I can't count the number of times I've been questioned about what I actually do anymore.  The general public seems to be convinced that because we have the Internet and e-Readers (Kindles, Nooks, iPads, etc.) that librarians are becoming careers of the past.  They couldn't be more wrong.

Librarians are necessary to the future generation's ability to learn and understand the technology with which they are working.  Yes, kids have the Internet for information.  No, they don't necessarily need print encyclopedias anymore.  But how many kids understand that Wikipedia doesn't always present accurate information because anyone can edit it?  How many adults understand it for that matter?  Not many.  They need people who do understand that, and who can explain that to them.  Like librarians.

Does it sound like I'm fighting for my job?  Yes, because I am.  Librarians all over the country are in the middle of fighting for their jobs.  School districts are cutting them left and right because they are "non-essential teaching positions" or "non-teaching positions".  There are many things wrong with our education system, and this is a big one.  The kids are the ones who are suffering by these cuts.  They need their librarians to be there to teach them how to use technology to better themselves and others.  This includes being taught ethics and responsibility.  It means being taught that bullying on the Internet is the same as bullying in person, if not worse.  That the ideas that are presented to the public on the web are still someone's ideas that are protected and should not be stolen to use as your own.

Many school districts are saying that classroom teachers can take over that part of education.  To them, I say that's not fair.  It's not fair to add yet another responsibility to teachers who are overworked and underappreciated as it is.  It's not fair to expect them to be experts in yet another huge field that is constantly growing and changing.  I work on this full time, and it's hard enough for me to keep up with all of this.  I couldn't imagine having the ability to be an expert in digital media and technology (and all that goes with it), as well as an expert in every other area of education, as we ask our teachers to be.  They need someone who is an expert in media (again, librarians) to work with to present the opportunity for a full education to our students.

If we value our children and the opportunities for societal growth that they are, we need to take a serious look at how we handle our ever-changing technological landscape.  Giving a computer to every child is pointless if we don't provide the education on how to use it well.  The students on the "Digital Media" special were using technological tools to create amazing things...music, movies, games...all incredible tools for learning and incredible tools for communication and personal growth.

Parents and educators often worry about what our children are doing with technology.  How are they abusing it?  How is it hurting themselves and others?  We often forbid cell phones and iPods in schools.  What if we actually get involved with what they are already using?  What if we take the things in which they are already interested, like movies, music, and games, and turn them into educational opportunities?  What if we actually have conversations with our kids about all of this?  How would that change the American educational picture?  How would it affect our students' ability to be competitive with students from other countries?

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we need to completely abandon all of the work we have been doing thus far, or that we need to replace everything with technology.  I'm not saying that at all.  We just need to tweak it.  Integrate what we are already doing with what we COULD be doing.  One teacher in "Digital Media" used a great example...without art, kids wouldn't know colors and shapes.  Without colors and shapes, they can't expect to become the graphic designers they want to be.  Integration.  (Now, art teachers are being cut all over as well...but that's another topic.)

It's important to understand that this is a new direction, and we are going to have to be flexible in our learning as well.  We are not going to have all of the answers.  Problems are going to arise that we don't anticipate.  We're going to have to solve them as we go, and not let those issues slow us down.  It's going to take work to change some of what we've been doing, but we don't have to change everything at once.  It's very easy to get overwhelmed by all of this, but pretending it doesn't exist or that we don't have to use it is not going to help anyone.  Baby steps are okay.

At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves a few questions.  As one of the principals in "Digital Media" stated, "What do we want our schools to be?  What do we dream for our schools and for our children?  What are the most important things that schools can teach kids?  And wouldn't it be wonderful to have a national conversation around that?  And at least start to figure that out.  And then, from there, start the process of maybe trying to reinvent what education looks like in this country."