Students should always be held to a higher standard of learning in
schools. Knowing proper grammar and spelling, and being able to decipher all kinds
of texts are an important part of learning. Although technology and the
internet has made the sharing of communication and ideas much easier and faster
not all blogs and sites are held to the same standard as commonly recognized
scholarly works. Internet technology is important but so are the classics. In
order to be successful on scholastic exams, students must be literate in all
types of works.
Media and the presentation of information is always changing. We have books on tapes, documentaries, educational video games and web sites. All these forms can enhance learning but none of them can replace the reading and comprehension of a book on your own and under the instruction from a professional. We have already become too relaxed with our vernacular in everyday language. Even in certain New York newspapers professional journalists are using words like “prez” and “cuz”. We have simplified our language so that it can fit in an entry of 140 characters or less and are using shorthand for words that are not really that long to begin with. When it comes to education we need to focus on scholarly and culturally relevant material. Blogs and internet sites are not always authoritative references and should not be used to replace classical literature or education.
Interesting points...especially the 140 characters...I laughed when I saw that - because its true - writing becomes restricted when using the internet and that didn't cross my mind when I was writing my journal. My question to you is - when classic lit in paper format becomes excruciating to students - how do you liven it up? Or should I say how can you liven it up so that the students are engaged?
ReplyDeleteWhen I first began reading works such as Shakespeare, my teachers had us act out the plays. It's also easier when you deconstruct the language into terms that students can relate to. We also went over each scene slooowwwllyyy so that everyone was on the same page.
Delete"Blogs and internet sites are not always authoritative references and should not be used to replace classical literature or education." I agree to a certain extend. Not all internet sites are unreliable. Blogs yes should be ruled out because they are more opinion than anything but the internet holds much reliable resources. As a past student of commute, I much rathered using the internet as my library than actually traveling there. There are numerous sites that hold scholarly journals or are the same books/classics you would find in the library just in electronic form. I guess it’s just preference, but I do think that the internet has as much to offer as the libraries. I actually believe it holds more of a selection but does require more review and critique of reliability.
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