The applicably of the McLuhan’s speech, within Living in an Acoustic
World, to today’s education is striking.McLuhan explains the “medium in the message” as the “hidden environment of services created by an innovation, and the hidden environment of services is the thing that changes people. It is the environment that changes people, not the technology” (1970, p. 11). Taking this message on, we recognize that how we relate to the Internet, or aspects of it, is the environment we associate with it. This revelation brings up new thoughts about how I work with my students in relation to technologies. They will likely take on what they learn in school and at home, and the opinions they see in relation to technologies.
In connection to the statement from Jenkins (2010), calling schools to “foster a critical understanding of media as one of the most powerful social, economic, political, and cultural institutions of our era,” McLuhan hints the messages expressed. Technology as a tool in education is can be used to create and develop critical thinking skills for all types of students. Whether the discussion is questioning the use of technology, or using technology itself to discuss, educators must bring in technology into the classroom for the sense of providing world experiences for students and a tool to relate to what the world is turning to. As a cultural lesson, the environment we provide for our students in relation to the media is critical.
I really appreciated McLuhan’s comments on the electric environment and the “total absence of secrecy” (1970, p. 8). In relevance to today, I do not know how many times I have told students, once you send it or post it, it is on the Internet forever, and accessible. “With the end of secrecy goes the end of monopolies of knowledge…there can no longer be a monopoly of knowledge in learning, in education, or in power” (McLuhan, 1970, p. 8).
McLuhan, M. (1970). Living in an acoustic world. Marshall McLuhan Speaks Special Collection. Retrieved from http://www.marshallmcluhanspeaks.com/lecture/1970-living-in-an-acoustic-world
Britt,
ReplyDeleteMcLuhan's reference to the "total absence of secrecy" is so relevant today. Educating students about the foreverness of their posts is critical. They need to realize that pictures and posts can come back to haunt them well into the future. Many adults need to learn this lesson as well and become better digital citizen role models.
Britt and Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI also found this statement of McLuhan's to be so important and reflective of today's society. I really think that the statement speaks about power and how the power of literacy has transferred from the hands of a few to the hands of many. Now everyone can be both consumer and producer and this new dynamic really affects the exchange of information.