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In this age of information explosion and mass media, I found the
following book to be very interesting and informative.  It put everything
into an historical perspective:

Technopoly by Neil Postman

Too many people believe technology will cure all of our world problems
when in fact, technlogy is creating a whole new set of
problems.  I agree that we must not only give information to our
students, but it must be hisorically correct.  Too many
people forget that we managed without computers before they
became so prevalent.

Apparently, as long as information is read or presented in
another format, it is therefore believable when in fact ir
must be still be questioned.

          On Wed, 5 Jul 1995, Paula Neale
wrote:

> Claire and group,
> I should keep quiet as I have already written on this topic once, but you
> have hit what I think is a key point--what seems to be the increasing
> difficulty that kids (any many adults) have in distinguishing fantasy
> from reality.  This is not new.  I can remember a kid who had me
> searching all day for information about the U.S.S. Poseidon (Remember the
> Poseidon Adventure).  When I finally demanded he show me proof that there
> really was such an occurance, he said he could just tell from the movie
> that it was real.  I have argued with kids and even with teachers who
> believe that the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a true story.
>
> However, I think the problem is getting worse.  My kids put Juraissic
> Park together with O.J. Simpson's DNA evidence and consider that proof
> that the events in that movie could REALLY happen. That's my school kids
> not my real ones.  My real ones can tell the difference though they both
> love fantasy.  It seems to me that something useful we could do is go to
> the parents with our concerns.  Although that may be opening a Pandora's
> box.  I've heard quite a few supposedly "educated" adults use docu-dramas
> as evidence of fact.  All this makes media literacy all the more
> important for us to teach, but you know I don't think we can do this job
> alone.  I would like to see some powerful college courses developed and
> required for EVERYONE who gets any kind of education degree- Maybe for
> everyone who goes to college at all.  I am lucky enough to remember a
> world without television.  Kids today have been bombarded with images
> (moving at an ever increasing rate) since they were born.  When they get
> to the age where they ready for abstract reasoning, we ought to get them
> to take a hard look at what has been pouring into their brains (conscious
> and sub) for so long.
>
> Paula Neale
> mohmie@coop.crn.org
>


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