Censorship in schools

Parents have always believed that they know what is best for their children, and in most cases this is true. However there comes a day when every parent realizes that they cannot control everything their child sees, hears, tastes, and does every moment of every day, and this is a scary thought. Teachers have the same conflict in their classrooms as for the most part when they first meet their students they have no idea what those students have already seen, heard, or done. When I was in fifth grade i had watched Child's Play behind my parents back and had night mares for a week. Now this is a common occurance and most children will find a way to try and do something that is considered an "adult activity." I then went into my fifth grade classroom and began to tell each of my fellow peers every gory detail of the movie, (and i had a very good memory for detail). This is also a common thing to find in children as most children want to share everything they experience with one another.

We live in a new age in which children are forced to mature at an alarming rate, where 12 year olds are talking about sex and where 13 year olds want to get tatoos, piecings, drink, smoke and all other activities that they have seen on television, in movies, or even in their own homes with older siblings and adults who do it. We are fighting a battle with the media, one in which everyday we are losing our footing.

In an article we read for class entitled "Lights, Camera, Learning" written by Glen Bull and Lynn bell they state that "in the past 6 months, individuals posted more than a million hours of original video on you-tube alone." This would be an amazing resource to use in the classroom, to have over a million hours of footage right at their fingertips to help them learn any subject imaginable, the only problem is that you cannot rely on anything you get from the site. Like wikipedia.org it is a site composed of others thoughts, opinions, and ideas. So it is hard to let students use the site especially in the classroom when with each word they type in a million videos will pop up that could be raunchy, violent, inaccurate, or completly inappropriate for the classroom.

the same could even be said for using television in the classroom as with each channel you switch to there could be a whole number on unwanted scenes shown. It is impossible to watch one news program that does not have the titles "murder" "rape" "robbery" "war" or "gun" in the title. And for an elementary school class these things should not be discussed by a teacher. We must constantly be on the lookout for the appropriateness of materials being used in our classroom and this includes certain technologies and the effects they will have on our students.

Article link

Remember the Magic School Bus?

The Use of Television in the Classroom

The use of television in schools has been a large issue in schools since its development and mass production in 1928. Every one of us have had some experience with the small screen in our lives, for some it was like a replacement babysitter, and for others it was a magical box that only was turned on as a reward for good behavior. So how do we implement a technology into the classroom without abusing the many different ways it can be used? One advantage of using a television in the classroom setting is that the students have a chance to visually understand different concepts that up until then were only verbally understood. To read about the human circulatory system in a textbook with overdeveloped language and something confusing stationary images can be stale and will lose their interest very easily. However if the students were to watch a part of the famous TV show “The Magic School bus” where they are given a tour of the h

uman circulatory system while inside the human body the students will be much more interested and will be more likely to remember key concepts and words because they have a visual and physical representation for them.

 

However one major downfall for using a television in the classroom is the abuse of its convenience. For some teachers they use the television as a sort of substitute teacher, in order for them to have a break from teaching a lesson. Television is a useful tool like a textbook, however when a teacher overuses it students can lose focus and use the time to do other non-academic things.  Another downfall to using a television in the classroom is the danger a teacher faces when showing students a segment of news, sitcoms, documentaries or other shows.  Before any use of the television as an academic aid it is the teacher’s responsibility to inform the students about the issues, opinions and biases of certain TV programs and how not everything you see and hear may be true.

 

Dr. Faith Rogow states in her article, Don't Turn Off the Lights: Tips for Classroom Use of TV,  “Television can be a powerful educational tool, but it we want our students to absorb specific content from what they see, we need to give them a model for viewing that is active and critical. For starters,

•     view from videotape rather than real-time broadcast
•     Don't be constrained by programs; only use the segments you need
•     Don't use the television as a babysitter”

This article can be found here

In conclusion television can be a very efficient tool in the educational environment however some exclusions and rules must be made while starting. 

First Class Blog Entry

Along the Yellow Brick Road of Technology...

My first ever experience with technology was in third grade when my school was furnished with their first ever computer lab. At that time our only time on the computers was spent on two programs, one was a typing program that timed our speed and efficiency with typing, and the other was a game called “Oregon Trail.” I have come a long way since then, and have booked many hours on a computer. I find that I am technologically savvy in my own right; I can pick up on new devices, programs, websites, and operating systems with relative ease. In high school I took three different computer programs to fulfill the requirements for college and have already taken a college computer course that for some reason did not transfer over to this school.

I got my Bachelors degree at Cal Poly Pomona, a Poly Technical university that is known for their teaching practices that involve bringing creativity, imagination, dedication, and community into the classroom. My Liberal studies program focused on more practical forms of education instead of literal. By the time I graduated I had spent over 40 hours of classroom observation and participation. This includes all grade levels ranging from k-12 and even special Ed and physical education classes. I also took part in a program called "Young Scientists" where college students went into local elementary schools and preformed an after-school program revolving around different science experiments. Now here at CSU San Marcos I will be beginning the Multiple-subject credential program in the fall.

What i hope to get from this class is a better understanding of the different things that technology can do in the classroom. We are living in a technological age where everyday computers are getting more advanced and we are falling behind. Every generation is now becoming more immersed in technology, it is hard to keep a child's attention anymore without having some form of technology involved. This class will help me learn how to connect with my students as well as have them connect to the material. I hope it will also give me the tools to make myself a better prepared teacher that can plan out their classes and use different programs to make teaching easier and more efficient.