I don’t want to read!
As an educator, I will tell you that the key to life is reading…but I never really believed it. When I was a child I didn’t like to read (you don’t know what you don’t know!).
I grew up in the 70’s where this new medium, television, was just going main stream. I loved the visual aspect of a television. I like to hear sounds and see color pictures move. I remember that type of information easily so it was more fun to me. The problem was this: there was a new media in the main stream but no one used it educationally. Then the early 80’s hit and movies became more visually awesome!! Yes, the original Star Wars episode had, by today’s standards, bad special effects. But boy, compared to other movies of the day, it was AWESOME!! In fact, it was so awesome, that is the only movie I remember going to see when I was young with my entire family!!! I believe we had five of my six brothers and sisters born at the time, we were on food-stamps I’m sure, too, but it was a big enough idea that my entire family went!!! Very memorable to me. Yet again a new media in the main stream but no one used it educationally. Next were video games. “Pong” was simply captivating to me. So much so, that I made friends who had video arcade systems so I could go and play the games. My family had none for a few years and then it was the old ones that were already cheaper to buy because they were out of date!! I loved color, motion, and sound. It was easy to be drawn in and captivated by the media. However, again a new media in the main stream but no one used it educationally. Today the graphics in video games, movies and television are outstanding!! Music, video…all digitized. It is hard to see what is real and what is computer generated. These are not new media, but again, is anyone using it educationally? Today we have Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, and the like where social networking is dominating the media of today. Still again (do you sense a pattern here?) a new media in the main stream but no one is using it educationally.
The one constant through all of this? Books.
Later, my story with books and why I wanted to read. Then what can reading do for you. Finally, how can we use the new media in the main stream today in an educational setting.
