Television has become a part of our everyday lives. Chances are in most households, low income or high income, there is some sort of television present in the living room. Popular culture has attracted the masses to sit in front of television screens for hours on end on a daily basis.  Adolescents join adults in front of television screens from an early age. Some questions as an educator that I would like to ask are: what educational television programs are available to adolescents? and how much television viewed by adolescents is educational?

Research has shown that by the time a teenager has finished high school they will have spent more hours in front of a television screen than in class. The amount of educational television viewed is different for each individual. There are many different educational programs available for youth of all ages. PBS Kids offers educational television shows for children from the ages of 2-8, such as: Curious George, and Sesame Street. Sesame Street has been known for teaching children the alphabet, concepts of friendship and community, as well basic language skills. Shows on Nick Jr. such as “Ni Hao Kai Lan” and “Dora The Explorer,” expose children to different cultures and language. In a house hold where learning a new language is valued, children may be able to learn words or phrases of the Chinese and Spanish language by watching “Ni Hao Kai Lan” and “Dora The Explorer.” Among other channels and networks, the History Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet, most news channels, and the National Geographic Channel all offer opportunities to learn about the history of our planet, and what it has to offer.

As an educator in a world where technology and society changes as fast as the speed of light, it is my duty to adapt in the classroom to keep my students engaged and on their toes. Involving television as text could be, and should be, on my agenda. Every student carries their own interests. As an educator I have to find new and interesting methods of pedagogy that will help open the minds of my students in a classroom environment that allows all students to explore their interests. It is easy to find a place for educational television within a lesson plan. For example: students may be asked to critically analyze a debate between republicans and democrats and bring to class their own ideas and arguments developed through watching the debate. Students can then conduct their own debate in class. An experience like this can help students with their organization of data, and public speaking skills. The experience can also get students to become more aware about the nation they live in; which should be one of the many goals for educators across the nation.

The amount of media readily available to the youth makes it very difficult to monitor or control what they watch and learn. With guidance and communication between educators, parents, and students; adolescents may be able to flip through their television channels and find an educational network. Whether or not they will stay on that channel and learn something valuable is another question. Students must want to learn in order to learn. If students come from an environment where reality shows, and the “Jersey Shore,” are valued more than educational television; then as an educator it is my job to try and break that mold and encourage the exploration of educational television networks by incorporating them within my lesson plans.

Important Links:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X00001282

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/books/review/its-complicated-by-danah-boyd.html?_r=0