Orchestrating+the+Media+Collage.

Orchestrating the Media Collage. http://ezp.sxu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=36666618&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live

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Review of "Orchestrating the Media Collage"
//by: Katie Coon//

The most shocking statement of this article was early in the introduction where it states that text and audiovisual media took centuries to integrate into our society whereas digital media has only taken 15 years. In the current educational environment, we as educators feel the pressure to keep up with this quick transition. It seems as though when we have one thing figured out, we have to start learning how to integrate another form of digital media. The article reiterates this concern of mine, as it states that the media experts may not know the best uses in our classrooms, so we as teachers must continue to learn together. This important point has been playing a big part in the revamping of the biology curriculum in my science department. We are integrating new technology to both the teachers (most of us) and the students as well. One thing I have learned from this is that it is important for the teacher to be a "master" of the technology before it is introduced to the students. Otherwise, even the best digital media resources will not serve effectively in the classroom.

I also really appreciated the section of the article that discusses writing. So many critics believe that the digital literacy trend is going to "wipe out" hard copy reading. I think this article makes an important point that we as educators need to remember and stress to our students. Not only can we read their digital text, but often times the "world" can see it when it is published on sites like Wikipedia and the sort. Therefore, teachers and students should be practicing proper grammar, punctuation, etc while typing in the world of digital text.