Audio-Visual – Week 5

Growing up I always loved school. My mom still makes fun of me because I was the only kid who walked out of the school crying at the end of June. My birthday, Christmas, a trip to Disney World, those things had nothing on that wonderful day in August where we got to go school supply shopping at Staples. I remember getting emotional over a glittery binder. How I did not go into education immediately after high school is beyond me. I asked my mom if I liked Sesame Street growing up and she said “you never really liked it. I would put it on, and you just seemed bored, and some of the characters freaked you out, especially Big Bird. You were a total Barnie girl, everything was Barnie this Barnie that. You even learned how to count in Spanish at 3 years old because of Barnie”. The memories came flooding back and yes, I was in fact a Barnie girl, but my mom did confirm that I loved to learn from TV, just not schizophrenic Big Bird.

https://soundcloud.com/user165073885/sets/barnie-remix

^Even if you do not read/respond to this post, you should check out this remix.

I think I have always enjoyed learning by means of audio-visual technologies. Throughout my childhood (the early 90’s), I watched educational children’s programming. Growing up I never played video games or computer games, but if I did, they were mainly founded in education of some sort. In high school I had a strong obsession with Jeopardy and other TV shows that required knowledge of random facts and when I got Netflix in university all I did was watch documentaries. Now I find myself scrolling through TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram looking for the latest and greatest DIY project. #thisis31

It’s interesting that when I see a kid with an iPad watching YouTube, I assume they are watching some pointless show, when really they could be watching something that is teaching them another language or the importance of respecting diversity and inclusion. Why do I judge kids use of YouTube? YouTube is my best friend! When I need a visual to better explain something, YouTube. When I do not understand how to teach something, YouTube. When I need that perfect video that is going to pull the whole lesson together, YouTube. When I just do not feel like teaching today, YouTube. Postman’s quote is a bit of a reality check for me. I am quick to point out the flaws in technology when it comes to children using it, but I literally could not function without it. Scott Wideman said technology is not a fad and it is not going anywhere. The kids we teach live in a digital environment and we as teachers can not change that. Teachers can not slow down or stop the use of technology with our students; we have a responsibility to help them navigate technology use. If we choose not to educate children with technology, we are producing inexperienced and underprepared digital citizens. I completely agree with Wideman that we have a responsibility to show our students how to use technology and develop digitally skillful and literate citizens.

Sunder states technology must be integrated through meaningful and relevant ways. I think this is something some teachers consider, and some do not. Educational technology is a useful tool when employed effectively. Sunder offers that audio-visual aid makes subject matter easy to understand and explain to students; it also helps with students’ acquisition, retention, and recall. I really related to this quote by Sunder, “audio-visual aids arouse the interest of learners and help teachers in explaining the concepts easily and effectively”. As I stated previously, I use audio-visual aids for several reasons, but sometimes it feels like I am falling short because it is impossible to keep up and keep things equal.

In this week’s presentation, the presenters used a visual titled “The Future of Digital Learning”. The infographic stated that approximately 81% of students have access to computers in schools. This graphic was published by PBS in 2015, the makers of Sesame Street. Similarly, The Chey and Pav show episode 92 was about finding and closing inequity gaps in education. This made me wonder, what would Canadian statistics surrounding educational technology would look like pre and post pandemic? Specifically, digital literacy skills of our students. I have students who still do not know how to use the copy and paste functions on a keyboard or upload a Google Doc to Google Classroom.

Sunder’s last suggestion states, “curriculum planners should encourage the use of audio-visual materials throughout all levels of education”. I know this class is predominantly elementary teachers so to you I ask, does the curriculum emphasize the creating and developing of digital literacy skills? What can I expect the next generation (post Covid) of technological learners to know or not know?