Entries for February 9 2008
Podcasts Replace Essay
[SUMMARY—But only in media studies.]
(GBR) Pupils can now earn some of their marks by doing blogs, podcasts or creating websites. This represents a fairly significant change in the way they are able to gain course work marks and an increasing (though seemingly reluctant) acknowledgement of the importance of technology (particularly new media) in young people's lives by the educational powers that be.
A positive thing but raises a question: is this change likely to be reflected in other subjects?
If the use of New Media and ICT as a course work option is relegated to only those subjects where it is perceived as being directly relevant to the course content (ie: Media and ICT) then this seems like a disappointingly tokenistic gesture (what about the oprtion of students gaining course-work marks in English for writing a blog, or in art for designing a website). If new media and other alternative 'tech' methods of creating course work are permitted in other subjects I would be interested to know the time frame in which this is likely to happen. In a field which is developing and changing so rapidly it is essential that the tools available to young people are as current and vital as possible (I can imagine young people just starting school now sneering at us in a few years time for still using outmoded "Instant Messaging" for example).
Use of blogging, vod/podcasts, wikis and all the other various new media developments that are so ubiquitous in young people's lives should be implemented across all subject areas, not using these resources (and continuing to write essays, with (gasp) pens) is akin to people of my generation going to school and being asked to write with feather quills. Relevance to young people's lives is essential.
I welcome this change in the A-level Media syllabus but hope it is only the first step of many to drag UK education (kicking and screaming) into the 21st Century.
Filed by Barney on February 9 2008
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