In chapter 10 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman argues that television has turned education into a form of entertainment. He uses Sesame Street as an example to portray the problems with modern education. He says, "Sesame Street does not encourage children to love school or anything about school. It encourages them to love television," (144). He also thinks it is a distraction, he thinks children only focus on colors and images, but isn't that what they are suppose to do as children? Depending on what the situation is, I have to disagree with his statement because Sesame Street is known for it's educational purposes and the way this show teaches children is a way that is fun. Learning does not always have to be so serious. The only part that I agree with is yes, they do make education more entertaining. Especially in today's society, this generation was so built up on television and media, it's hard to get off of it. Imagine what the future generations will be like. Also, I am not saying to watch more tv just because Sesame Street is educational, I'm just saying there should be a balance in between, you don't want to go blind of course.
Jim Tankersley, from The Washington Post says, "Kids can learn as much from 'Sesame Street' as in preschool." This means that kids are getting the same education as they should in preschool. They are just "children" after all. They have a whole life ahead of them and what does Postman expect from these kids? What do you guys think? Do you agree with Postman?
I have to say that I do not agree with Postman. Even though television is entertaining, it does provide a way to get children to learn in school, it may serve as a visual for the material they would first obtain from a book. Also, everyone has their different ways of learning and not all people have the ability to quickly understand what it is they are trying to grasp. For example, some learn in audio, kinesthetic, read-write, and visual form. Television is just another tool that aids in education.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree with Postman's statement on Sesame Street because he is looking and favoring the negative side of television. Shows like Sesame Street encourage children to go to school and learn, not to keep watching television. Postman must look at how television is changing lives rather than ruining them. Educational programs have a huge impact on children between the ages one and eight because their brain is still easily influenced and can absorb information faster. So by parents exposing children to programs like these, the child will have a desire to watch another episode and learn valuable information with it as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with having a balance between being taught by person and television. Being taught solely by the television is not a good method, but in moderation it does help stimulate the brain and it does make learning entertaining. For example, a teacher teaching a class about a country solely by describing it can be tough for a student to grasp. However, with the television watching a documentary about the country helps students grasp the information when having a visual.
ReplyDeleteI believe educational programming was created for the simple fact that it is slightly more efficient than sitting in a classroom all day, listening to a teacher talk. I agree with you Melanie that a balance between the two is greatly needed. Kids usually have short attention spans, which means that anything that can grasp their attention, and allow them to learn at the same time is very useful and should be appreciated rather than bashed. Postman was born in a much simpler time, so of course he cannot appreciate this method of learning because he never used it.
ReplyDeleteI also agree and disagree with Postman. I agree that using television like Sesame Street for education is entertaining, and it makes students like television. On the other hand, I do not believe it is a distraction. As children watch the fun colors and listen to the songs on t.v., they enjoy the shows and grow up having a liking for television. However, the kids are still exposed to our language and try to comprehend the moving visuals on the screen; they begin to learn. Although it can be used to teach children, I do not think it is effective alone for education. I believe that interaction and one on one teaching is also needed. Some kids will learn much more quickly with a teacher answering their questions and a teacher coming up with different ways to teach the curriculum to the child.
ReplyDeleteI too think that Postman's statement focused too much on negatives and too little on positives, but I think it's also important to expand this argument to the here and now. As much as I liked Sesame Street when I was much younger, It's effects toward my performance in school are at best, impossible to measure (and at worst, negligible), so I think more towards how online video services have helped me in school now or recently. Services such as Khan Academy have helped me get through the more difficult chapters of Honors Math Analysis this past year, because asking Mr. Nguyen for help often gets me more confused. Whatever ads I watch in order to watch the video have little effect on me as a person and even as a consumer, and the videos definitely help me to understand a concept by explaining it very slowly and very thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteI too think that Postman's statement focused too much on negatives and too little on positives, but I think it's also important to expand this argument to the here and now. As much as I liked Sesame Street when I was much younger, It's effects toward my performance in school are at best, impossible to measure (and at worst, negligible), so I think more towards how online video services have helped me in school now or recently. Services such as Khan Academy have helped me get through the more difficult chapters of Honors Math Analysis this past year, because asking Mr. Nguyen for help often gets me more confused. Whatever ads I watch in order to watch the video have little effect on me as a person and even as a consumer, and the videos definitely help me to understand a concept by explaining it very slowly and very thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Postman on this subject because he says that these "educational" TV shows bring a sort of fun tone to learning, but i don't think that children are learning the way they should. They need a one on one interaction with other people, not a television screen. Also, learning from television doesn't provide all the learning factors that are presented in the classroom, such as being able to ask questions and developing behavior skills.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this chapter, this topic of children being purely entertained by 'educational TV' also stood out to me. I agree with you on your argument. Yes, the shows meant to educate children are purely for amusement, yet that's how children learn. A child cannot comprehend lengthy novels or classroom subjects at such a young age. In my opinion tv education for children is beneficial, but has to be monitored. TV creates a light, fun way for children to understand the educational basics, but parents should not neglect their children and let them watch tv for hours. Parents should also be interactive with their children when it comes to early learning so in the future, children will not be so dependent on the internet for educational purposes.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this chapter, this topic of children being purely entertained by 'educational TV' also stood out to me. I agree with you on your argument. Yes, the shows meant to educate children are purely for amusement, yet that's how children learn. A child cannot comprehend lengthy novels or classroom subjects at such a young age. In my opinion tv education for children is beneficial, but has to be monitored. TV creates a light, fun way for children to understand the educational basics, but parents should not neglect their children and let them watch tv for hours. Parents should also be interactive with their children when it comes to early learning so in the future, children will not be so dependent on the internet for educational purposes.
ReplyDelete