Putting the "Virtual" in Education

In the last post, technological determinism in virtual education was discussed. Today, we will be talking about this movement driving specific social changes in today's society and what that means for the future. In his multiple published works, Marshall McLuhan argues that "the medium is the message." This alludes to the meaning that the way information is published says just as much about culture that day-in-age than the information itself and that it shapes the way we think. Way back in the 1960s, McLuhan predicted a joint "global" society through technology and electricity.  Every day, mass broadcasting and the internet connects us to all corners of the world, thus creating a “smaller world” feel and allowing greater education of different cultures. This adds an entirely new aspect to virtual education, wherein educators now assign homework and projects that require research on the internet. Some assignments may even include connecting to others in the class or those in other areas. For example, in 2010 in my eighth grade class, we had “pen pals” from a class in Croatia. Instead of using mail, we sent messages over the internet and shared our cultures and experiences in school without even leaving our classroom. This proves technological determinism’s effects because now I have friends all over the world, and traveling to Croatia is much less daunting – the world feels smaller and much more connected. This type technological determinism is crucial in virtual education because it also promotes ideas of diversity and inclusion amongst people starting at younger ages; Millennials tend to be more accepting of others who are not like them because of this interconnectedness.

Although these strengths of virtual education in technological determinism prove to be advancing and uplifting our society, there are weaknesses as well. Neil Postman, American author, media theorist, and cultural critic in the later 1900s, stated that literacy and cognitive skills regress a result of today’s perpetual viewing of popular culture. I see first hand on my own Twitter and Facebook feeds the constant misuse of grammar and spelling, sometimes to the point where it is barely readable! Sure, using all this new technology to make education virtual and connect parts of the globe is fantastic and overflowing with opportunities to learn and grow, but does the overexposure to “pop culture” on the internet override the good? Have we gotten so lazy in our own corners of the internet looking at memes and cat videos and spelling words as “rn” instead of “right now” that our brains will start thinking like this in real life? I challenge you to make use of our global tools that are handed to us through our smartphones and laptops – learn something new, today and everyday you have the opportunity to.