The morning session's presenters discussed media literacy from a variety of perspectives with an emphasis on educational uses for new media. As tools for teaching and learning, media have wide applications, and a good deal of research backs up the benefits. I look forward to more in depth discussions this afternoon. We also heard a compelling presentation on the role of independent journalism in Sri Lanka.
Of particular interest to me is the dichotomy between computer mediated communication (CMC) and face to face (F2F) interactions. Specifically, does extensive use of CMC affect our capacity for presence in the non-virtutal (F2F) world? And are these effects exacerbated in our young people who have never known a world without portable phones and the internet?
As enthusiastic as I am about CMC and new media in general--particularly the positive role these tools can play in schools--I wonder how we mitigate the inevitable trade-offs, those Faustian bargains, that each new technology contains. No doubt, media literacy is an essential ingredient for a healthy communication ecology. Perhaps these trade-offs are a worthy area for future research and less formal observation. Just a thought.
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