McDonough District has consistently scored low on the reading and writing portions of state testing. Thus, they have decided that in order to improve test scores in reading and writing, they are going back to the basics and pulling media studies classes and much of the availability for students to access media tools. The current curriculum has only two media studies classes available. These classes are always full and students are on waiting lists. The community seems to be divided over the importance of continuing the media studies classes. Some feel as though students are not gaining valuable skills and that the classes are taken because students get to play around on computers. Others feel as though these are critical skills that students must learn to be successful in college and in their future career.

It is my opinion that media studies should not be cut but instead expanded and used in more classrooms, when applicable.

Due to modern technology, students’ brains are programmed differently than only a few decades ago. This leads some, myself included, to believe that more and more students are not, in fact, suffering from ADD and ADHD. Rather, students learn differently as they are accustomed to having multiple stimuli presented to them simultaneously. Thus, they need more stimulation in the classroom to keep them engaged. Media forms can easily serve this purpose. Neurologist Richard Restak goes into great depth on this subject in his book, Brainscapes: An Introduction to What Neuroscience Has Learned About the Structure, Function, and Abilities of the Brain. Click on the following link to read excerpts or purchase your own copy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/explorer/0786861134/1/ref=pd_lpo_ase/104-1733677-5804726?ie=UTF8

As a Language Arts teacher, my main goal is getting students to read and write. Why does it matter if reading and writing happens on a computer screen rather than with an actual text and hard copies? Students learn and are motivated to learn when information is relevant and personal to them. What better way to make something relevant and personal to a student then to present information and to allow information to be presented via media forms – something Americans spend 11 hours a day using? My primary goal is to educate and I am prepared to use whatever medium necessary in order to accomplish that goal.

Technology is here to stay and it is becoming more available and more frequently used. This includes colleges, universities, and work places. If teachers’ jobs are to prepare students for the real world, then teaching them to use forms of media is necessary. Students are using the internet and need to know how to critically analyze the information they are viewing so they can separate facts from opinions. Media studies can teach them to think critically and carefully, both when viewing information and when posting it.

In my literature classes I plan to use Blogging in the following ways for the following benefits:

--Students will be able to communicate through blogs with some of the authors of the texts they’re reading.
--Students will be able to communicate with other students from all around the world. This is particularly important for the multi-cultural books we will be studying.
--Students will be able to communicate with students from the same state who are reading the same texts, but who have different backgrounds. This gives urban and suburban students, who otherwise might never encounter each other, a chance to see how opinions vary depending on backgrounds and where they live.
--Blogging will be used as a book club where students can easily communicate in and out of class (this serves to assist shy students who might not otherwise voice their opinions). This also allows students to have the time to better formulate their thoughts prior to posting them.
--Blogging provides an easy way to keep track of students’ assignments and progress, not only for teachers and students but also for parents.