Jesus Vargas
EDTEC 561
Multimedia Research Article # 1
Chapter 11: Research on Learning from Television
This review is from section
11.8.1. The chapter discussed over
thirty years of study in the area of learning from television. Although the chapter covered a wide variety of
areas, this particular section focused on the argument of “whether content
should be controlled or taken into account in research of development of media
literacy.
There is suggestion that I’d
like to reflect upon. It is mentioned
that just as we aim to read critically and to think critically, we should also
aim to view critically. This left me
thinking that that is a very difficult task to with today’s generation.
In a time when everybody
seems to be rushing all the time, most have become headline people. If someone
wants to know what’s going on in the world, they can watch “Headline News” for
five minutes. Long gone are the days
when a person could read every word of the newspaper while drinking a cup of
coffee. Quicker, more practical alternatives
are now available. Not only is it
possible to get the world headlines in five minutes, but at the same time you
can follow the news bars on the bottom and sides of the screen and learn if
your favorite football team won and how the Dow Jones is doing. All in five minutes and without switching the
channel!
It seems to me that as a
society we are viewing television less critically every day. On television, the shows that get the highest
ratings are definitely not ones that require the viewer to be very
critical. Today the major networks are
dominated by talk shows, sitcoms, and reality shows. None of these shows are likely to enhance are
critical thinking/viewing skills.
Seels, B.,