The disassociation between television and education

Abstract

Today’s youth lives leaping between two differing environments: that of mass culture technologies, fundamentally television, and that of educational institutions. Teaching staff is faced with the challenge of integrating school-aged youth into the social and educational medium and into a basic awareness of their cultural surroundings; regardless of their social, familial or cultural status. In our media system the educational body is unaided by the most powerful media: television. A (re) orientation towards television becomes of utmost importance; at the very least a change of strategy to make this media into a tool of which, beyond its role in escapism, entertainment and fun, are demanded changes in its educational aims. In addition, television subjects in keeping with the educational curriculum should be asked for with the aim of incorporating critical education in communication as an habitual and realistic activity in learning centres..