Use of media such as computers, TV, music, video games, and movies by 8 – 18 year olds has increased in recent years, and in some cases in a dramatic fashion. The natural question is what effect; good, bad, or indifferent is media exposure having on our children? Also, what is the opportunity cost of their media activity? In other words, what are they not doing by spending so much time with media that could be affecting their cognitive, personal and social development?
I suggest that our young people are learning with great efficiency how to interface with today’s technology far better than most adults could ever hope to. Some adults may even envy how quickly our youngsters can tweet, twitter and face book while listening to their favorite musical artist on their MP3 player, while also doing their algebra homework. However, I believe these same children are developing a formidable deficit in their ability to successfully develop and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships, as well as the ability to read the intentions of others. Being able to participate in meaningful way socially is a necessary tool for every member of society. It is a skill that has to be developed through repeated interactions with others. Media exposure increase may be reducing the time our youngsters need to increase these skills.
I believe that our educational system will need to press society on the dangers of too much media exposure and stress moderation in time spent with media in favor of more productive uses. As a teacher, I may need to set up situations which stress collaborative activities among students to help lessen the impact of time spent with media and not with people.
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Very good points. I especially like the idea of media consumption having an opportunity cost -- that provides an entry point to thinking about comparing possible activities for students. In terms of setting up face-to-face collaboration time, I wonder if face-to-face time responding to media, or designing new media might be a useful compromise?
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I like Jim's idea of using some of the face-to-face collaboration time or group discussion to discuss media. I believe that talking about resposible use of media is an important avenue for educators as we continue to deal with negative media issues like cyber bullying and privacy.
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