Wesley Fryer's post "The Case For Instant Messaging In The Classroom", really left me with a strange, uppity feeling. Why is it that teachers have to make "a case" for providing opportunities for their students to use relevant media in the classroom? I may not be the most seasoned teacher under the sun, but it seems pretty clear to me that the world has changed from a book-driven model of disseminating knowledge. I love books. Books are good. But for a number of completely valid reasons, books are not the only, or the most popular medium out there.
I know when it comes to buying books, school budgets and spending procedures seem to have long established and predictable. But media such as instant messaging really shouldn't eat into the considerable budget put away for books. What are the software budget needs? Free! Hardware costs? Minimal! Students already largely have the devices and will continue to upgrade ad nauseum. We need not be concerned about a threat to our book money.
Why else do teachers need to "make a case"? Perhaps because some teachers are unfamiliar with new media? I don't see this as a valid reason to prevent others from doing so. There are teachers in my school that have knowledge and skills pertaining to their subject areas that I am completely lost to follow. If there is already a discrepancy between teachers, their methods, and their knowledge and skills, the "threat to those unfamiliar" argument ought to be a moot point.
I simply cannot find a valid argument for keeping a contemporary communications media out of my English class. Thanks for reading. I'm already feeling a little less uppity.
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