If teachers are known for nothing else, they sure are known for their acronyms!

Like all new, innovative, revolutionary technologies, the prevailing opinion is "this is here to stay. How can we harness it instead of fight against it?" Media is a part of our lives now, so understanding and utilizing it is a goal we must work to achieve at some point.

As we have seen with literacy in earlier classes, the words we choose must be carefully crafted for our intended meaning to be drawn out. We must consider not only the words themselves, but the medium they are being presented, as well as the possible interpretations from perspectives different from ours.

I feel this is too important and likely a reason why it may be difficult to study human behavior in media technologies. We are much more than simply humans interacting on a website. What may be concluded easily through a more straightforward experiment cannot be done so through something like this. The intricacies of the human themselves can add a lot to their actions, not just the technology itself.

I have heard of this. It may also go by a more general name "dopamine detox." The goal is to reset your dopamine receptors through an either brief or extended recess from digital media, and I believe it does have merit in certain contexts, especially if you notice your concentration levels are significantly warped.

I think education does not necessarily have to equate to endorsement. I still firmly believe much of the internet is just not suited for children or even teenagers. That said, screen time is an inevitability in our world, so dedicating time to thoughtful, intentional time in media technologies is important, especially if they can be done in environments where learning and reflection can occur.

We have a professional skills course in our school where students spend dedicated class periods learning to write professional emails, and this comment reminded me of it. Actually practicing the skill is important!

I would argue that this allows us to communicate whatever the mood strikes as well. Even ignoring anonymity entirely, the strengthened confidence we attain when our words are thrown into an information superhighway and not another human being right in front of us most certainly impacts what we have to say, whether for better or for worse.

There is what we theorize will occur in media technologies, and then there is what will actually happen. Not that there is no place for skill-building or theoretical analysis, but to say the internet has surprised us again and again would be an understatement of great magnitude. Being immersed in and learning from practical experiences in media technologies is important.