Duration: 2 hours

KEY TOPICS

• Change and continuity – a brief history of the media
• What is media convergence?
• Digital media as new media
• Key differences between traditional media and new media

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this unit, teachers should be able to:

• Explain a brief history of the media
• Describe how new technologies have led to the convergence of traditional and new media
• Describe the differences between traditional and new media and how the latter has enhanced participatory democracy

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES and ACTIVITIES

• An important development with the growth of digital media has been the move from a traditional communication model of ‘one to many’, characteristic of print and broadcast media, to a ‘peer to peer’ model that facilitates collaborative creation and sharing of content. As content is digitized, it becomes accessible from a multitude of devices, including radio, television, personal computer and, perhaps most importantly, the mobile phone, which is emerging as the dominant platform for delivering content of all kinds. The digitalization of voice, image, sound and data – known as convergence – is creating new opportunities for interaction
  • Trainees working in groups are given the task of researching the evolution of the media up to the emergence of the Internet, and noting how the Internet was first used and how it has come to be used more widely in their society. They should evaluate its applications and benefits to education, civic society and governance. The result of this work should be presented for class discussion
  • Trainees research the extent to which digital media are presenting opportunities for free speech in their society. In their research, they should pay attention to how people are using new media for self-expression. Also, they should note how traditional media (newspapers, radio and television) are converging with new media (e.g. online news sites with multimedia access) in their society. Trainees should present their findings to the class using PowerPoint or other forms of presentation
  • Trainees research the extent to which new media are challenging traditional news media in their society, the different kinds of media that people in their society are using to express their own views on important news items, and the users of the different media platforms, along with issues/topics they are discussing. The result of this research should be presented for group discussion and debate