I chose to summarize section ten of Amusing Ourselves. I picked
this section to write about this week because it is the chapter that I could
most identify with. After all, who hasn't been touched by "Sesame
Street" at some point in our lives, either as a child or a parent? The
author is trying to get the reader to understand is that despite the claims the
media makes regarding educational television programming, there is no educational
value in television. In fact, the author states "Sesame Street undermines
what the traditional idea of schooling represents" (143). He also claims, “Sesame
Street does not encourage children to love school or anything about school. It
encourages them to love television” (144).
The author goes on to slam the Department
of Education for providing a $3.65 million grant for a project called "the
Voyage of Mimi." He makes the reader believe that the money was wasted.
When discussing what students have learned from the project he says, "Mainly,
they will have learned that learning is a form of entertainment"
(154).
The author places no value on television
or its place in education. Television sets a classroom setting up for failure
by teaching children that school should be like "Sesame Street,"
expecting school to be a source of entertainment. He describes the challenges
teachers have to constantly make their classroom activities as entertaining as
television.
Every well informed parent knows
television is not good for kids, but our pediatrician’s never really put it
this way. I become frustrated when my children come home from school and tell
me about the movies they watched that day, but now I have a better
understanding about what teachers contend with in the classroom. Now I have a
different perspective on television as it relates to our current educational
system, thanks to Amusing
Ourselves.
I believe that television can certainly be distracting and if used in the incorrect way it can be harmful to a child and their education. However, I also believe that it can be used as a tool to all ages. Sesame Street, for example, brings a child to love the alphabet and love to count the number of bats with the Count. They then can take the knowledge that they gain from Sesame Street to school and they know those things. If used the wrong way, the child can sit in front of the television all day and do nothing but watch television. But, I remember when I was little that we had a time limit. We could pick one or two shows to watch after our homework was done and bath time was over and the rest of the day we played outside. So yes, I believe that television can be used as a tool or be detrimental. It all depends on how you use it. It's like any other tool in the world.
ReplyDeleteTelevision can be helpful to education in many ways. Sesame Street does teach kids to love learning because they can relate what they saw on TV to the classroom. Sesame Street is the same as Dora the Explorer, Little Einsteins, and other children's programs. However, if the children just watch television every moment of their free time, it will be detrimental in the long run as they will only rely on what they learn on television. It is possible for teachers to make school "entertaining" but children will have to learn that school is not a place for being entertained or babysat away from home, but it is a place of learning and it is their responsibility to absorb what is being taught.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, my children loved Sesame street!
ReplyDeleteI believe that educational television, when used properly, can be helpful to some children. Some children are more visual learners than other children are. I remember when I was young, I had a teach that allowed us to watch a portion of either Sesame Street or The Electric Company (I'm dating myself here!) It was very educational, in that, we were able to interact with each other and ask questions to the teacher after the show. I would have to agree with Postman on the point that he makes, that if you simply set a child in front of the TV, they can't interact or ask questions of the TV. However, I would hope that no youngsters are just plunked in front of the television to fend for themselves!
ReplyDeleteTelevision can be very educational if used properly. Everyone learns different and, maybe it can help some children learn better. Some Tv shows are very educational, a good example of this is the Animal planet, the discovery channel, and shows of this nature. Tv shows, like Jersey shore and things of this nature are a waste of education. Postman does make a good point that you can’t just put a child in front of a television, but if you make it a learning process, than it has a good purpose and educational. It is not ,so much televisions anymore that’s a problem for children, its Ipads, phones , tablets, and so on.
ReplyDeleteI actually can remember a few movies that really educated me for my school life. I watched a bunch of philosophical movies for my philosophy class that were assigned. I honestly don't think I would've passed the class if I hadn't had those movies to watch because at times philosophy was hard for me to grasp. I also just think of shows for younger children like barney, Dora, Seasme Street etc. A lot of shows have counting, letters, shapes and Dora even teaches a bit of Spanish I think it's good shows like are shown to chidren. I think if used properly television can be effective in the educational realm of things.
ReplyDeleteBefore I had a chance to read this chapter, I did not know that shows like the Sesame Street had no positive effect on children. I found this information to be rather shocking because now I can see it has a negative effect on them instead! Most parents would rather let their kid turn on the television than actually spending time with them teaching them those basic skills by themselves. As a parent I’ll remember reading this and apply it to my life. Even though television is considered a bad thing, I think that limiting the amount of time your kid spends watching is okay.
ReplyDelete