Media vs. Education
Position Paper
Media vs. Education
“Eight-to eighteen-year-olds spend more time with media than in any other activity besides (maybe) sleeping- an average of more than 7 ½ hours a day, seven days a week,” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation Study. This statistic shows how much of an importance the media has on children these days. They spend most of their time in front of some sort of screen; whether it’s a television, phone, iPad, or computer screen, as if it were an unpaid job, absorbing what they see and/or hear. The media today is a great part of children’s lives especially with this generation known as Generation M2. All of the variety of interactions they make with certain types of media, such as watching TV, playing video games, listening to music, tweeting, chatting on AOL and more are the interactions children take part in everyday that offer opportunities to absorb different types of topics. For instance, Black Ops, a video game that revolves around shooting the so called ‘enemies’ refers to the topic of violence, or another example would be Keeping Up With The Kardashians which is a reality television show reflecting not only on the topic of family relationships but also sex. With the understanding of the concept that kids these days are becoming greatly attached to the media it comes to the thought of questioning the affects it has on a child and their education. Is there some sort of relationship between kids’ media use and poor school performance? Personally I believe the media use has become too available in the sense that children have access to it at any time of the day even throughout school hours. Although, some teachers may inflict certain regulations such as the use of cell phones during class does not necessarily keep students from using them during school hours. Students could easily sneak off to the restroom with their phone in their pocket or discretely use the phone under their desk or during lunch hours.
Media vs. Education
“Eight-to eighteen-year-olds spend more time with media than in any other activity besides (maybe) sleeping- an average of more than 7 ½ hours a day, seven days a week,” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation Study. This statistic shows how much of an importance the media has on children these days. They spend most of their time in front of some sort of screen; whether it’s a television, phone, iPad, or computer screen, as if it were an unpaid job, absorbing what they see and/or hear. The media today is a great part of children’s lives especially with this generation known as Generation M2. All of the variety of interactions they make with certain types of media, such as watching TV, playing video games, listening to music, tweeting, chatting on AOL and more are the interactions children take part in everyday that offer opportunities to absorb different types of topics. For instance, Black Ops, a video game that revolves around shooting the so called ‘enemies’ refers to the topic of violence, or another example would be Keeping Up With The Kardashians which is a reality television show reflecting not only on the topic of family relationships but also sex. With the understanding of the concept that kids these days are becoming greatly attached to the media it comes to the thought of questioning the affects it has on a child and their education. Is there some sort of relationship between kids’ media use and poor school performance? Personally I believe the media use has become too available in the sense that children have access to it at any time of the day even throughout school hours. Although, some teachers may inflict certain regulations such as the use of cell phones during class does not necessarily keep students from using them during school hours. Students could easily sneak off to the restroom with their phone in their pocket or discretely use the phone under their desk or during lunch hours.
References: Pew Internet and American Life Project (2002). The digital disconnect: The widening gap between Internet savvy students and their schools. Available at http://www.pewinternet.org. Downloaded October 16, 2002. Subrahmanyam, K., Greenfield, P., Kraut, R., & Gross, E. (2001). The impact of computer use on children 's and adolescents ' development. Applied Developmental Psychology, 22, 7-30. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2002). A nation online: How Americans are expanding their use of the Internet. National Information and Telecommunications Agency. Available at http://search.ntia.doc.gov/pdf/fttn02.pdf. Downloaded November 5, 2002. "Children and Internet Use: Social, Psychological and Academic Consequences for Low-Income Children." Children and Internet Use: Social, Psychological and Academic Consequences for Low-Income Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. Rideout, Victoria J., Ulla G. Foehr, and Donald F. Roberts. "Generation M2." Generation M2 (n.d.): n. pag. Web. Baran, Stanley J., and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1995. Print. The M2 Generation: Are Your Kids Too Dependent on the Media?" How Much Time Do Children Spend with Television and the Media? N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.