In “rethinking the education in the age of technology,” Collins and Halverson study the new, but complicated, system of technology in education. Colin and Halverson argue that people need technology in order to improve their education and reach their goals and to create new forms of collaboration and learning (p. 26). In accordance to implementing technology into schools, Gaiman believes that preserving libraries is just as important for people’s learning. Gaiman argues that libraries lead to literacy and empathy that allows people to think beyond themselves. He also argues that without libraries, people will not have access to books and fiction, students can’t dream about things and won’t innovate when they’re older in order to change their world for the better. Walter Dean Myers also argues that reading is knowledge that others can’t take away from you (PBS NewsHour). Similar to the importance of libraries in “This American Life: Room of Requirement,” a library is a space of freedom. It’s a space that makes anything that you need, appear for you (Audio: 42:58). The need for libraries can also provide the freedom of reading anything you want. When district authorities instruct schools to remove certain forms of literature from their schools and libraries, they are denying teachers the proper materials of support that are needed to understand the material and challenges that are discussed in Persepolis (McNicol, p. 39). In Degand’s article, he argues for the importance of digital media in schools to teach students about methods and theories, culturally conscious content, and critical thinking schools in order to critique societal stereotypes and biases in the media (p. 368). Digital media can also allow students to move beyond the modes of traditional art to create visual experiences of their academic understandings.
As I read all of these articles, listened to the audio, and watched the videos, I realized that I have been given the opportunity to learn through different forms of media. Throughout all of my school years, college is the first place where I learned in ways other than the traditional textbook. It was hard to navigate the media at first due to the lack of knowledge I had about technology, so I can agree with Collins and Halverson that technology is really important for students to expand their learning if educators want their students to pursue a higher education. During my senior year, a lot of students did not apply to college because they did not know how to use a computer to submit the applications which is a big problem that could have been avoided if computers and technology had been a requirement to graduate. Before I was given the opportunity to use learn through the use of technology, I heavily relied on libraries for information. Beginning with kindergarten, my teacher heavily emphasized the importance of reading and how it would improve all other aspects of our learning. She would send a purple backpack home with us that was filled with 3 books of our choice. In elementary school I had reading logs and I got my books from the library and in middle school I had book reports and projects that required me to do some research in the library. While it was a hassle at the time, I now understand the importance of libraries and their access to everyone who needs information, regardless of context. As we encounter a new era of technology use, libraries remain a safe space for people who need one. Libraries also create an environment where everyone can learn, a feeling that everyone is deserving of.
If media and technology are important to increase student’s critical understanding of subjects, why has it not been made a requirement for schools to hold a class on the use and navigation of it?
Graciela Rivera 