Earlier this week I posted an image, courtesy of Darren Herman's blog, that really represents the shift in the way people, especially young people, consume information. Today in my RSS feed I found an article from the BBC that offers another idea about the shift in American viewing habits. The article is about the increase in online video viewing resulting from the Hollywood Writer's strike. The article is correct in its accounting for the shift. It's important to remember that this shift was happening before the strike, has been bolstered by the strike, and will continue after the strike.
Implications for Teachers
The shift in the way people consume information has a myriad of implications for teachers. Teachers must remember that today's students will not be engaged by the same videos that engaged students ten or fifteen years ago. Today's student has been raised in a sound bite and multitasking environment. Does that mean today's student is incapable of watching a 45 minute educational video? No, but it does mean that teachers should be looking for media that is engaging in its presentation and interactive for students. Rather than dusting off the same old video from 1995 (yes, that was 13 years ago) do a search on one of these video websites, Google Video, YouTube, TeacherTube, Big Think, Ground Report, or any other video sharing website.