Edutainment & Convergence: Philosophical Findings of Participants!

Philosophical approach and profound comments of each participant.

By Chris A. Heidelberg, III

    The official report of findings for my dissertation has been released today. The study was a eleven month national qualitative study of eight entertainment professionals from New York City, Hollywood, and the San Antonio/Austin, Texas, area. The study was conducted entirely through the Internet and with new media on location throughout the country. It was open-sourced research, and all eight media professionals agreed to reveal their identities and they fully collaborated with me on this study and the electronic web sites that were created as a result of this research with the guidance and support of the participants.The research obtained was utilized in the design of this site.

This study utilized the edutainment technique of digital storytelling and convergence technology to gather data, discover emerging themes, and analyze data. This portion of the chapter provides a succinct summary of each participant’s philosophical approach and their individual responses along with what I considered my favorite and their most profound statement from each of them.

Aaron, the academic, focused on the use of edutainment and convergence in the classroom as a way to incorporate the “fun factor” into learning, in way of stimulating the learner. Aaron suggested museums run by institutions of higher learning could have a major impact on learning. Aaron openly worried about socialization, but also attributed this feeling to his age. As a former Disney employee Aaron was aware of the use of edutainment in maintaining the attention of spectators, viewers and listeners. The military, Aaron explained, has already proven the effectiveness of video games, handhelds, bio-metric and personal technologies and simulation technologies in the classroom, in the field of battle, in space exploration and in research.  Overall, Aaron saw edutainment and convergence utilized in and outside the classroom and cited examples such as the Internet and handhelds as technologies transferable to higher education.

My favorite quote from Aaron was when he explained what communications and technological skill sets modern educators would need in the future:  “All of them! Kids have an amazing grasp on emerging technologies. Educators will need to understand them just to be part of the conversation. Students need to want to go to school. If schools can’t compete with emerging technologies for the attention of their students, the credibility of the education system will be undermined.”

Cesario, the doubter, discussed the use of edutainment and convergence in the classroom as a tool; however, he was a strong supporter of socialization as well. Cesario maintained that edutainment and convergence can be utilized in higher education and transferred through tools like the iPod and the Internet; however, Cesario also was not aware of the military’s uses of these technologies, but once he was made aware of this fact Cesario maintained that the military was using these technologies because they work. Highly critical of the educational establishment Cesario described it as antiquated.  He was also critical of the fact that elite universities and their students utilized edutainment and convergence technology en masse while the educational establishment has not supported mass adoption of the use of edutainment and convergence. Cesario cited that digital literacy would be important for all teachers, and recommended that teachers and professors be trained as motion picture producers and directors who create stars out of the students. Cesario suggested the use of new media such as blogging for digital storytelling purposes.

My favorite quote from Cesario was, “ We must all be up-to-speed in the learning department. If edutainment and convergence is the key then we must all embrace this way of thinking and move with it. No matter what their social status is everyone needs to have more than just a fighting chance.  Our future is at stake, and now we do have various mediums at our disposal. Therefore it is a moral must that we give everyone a wholehearted chance.”

Erin, the socializer, advocated the use of edutainment and convergence. Erin maintained the importance of the physical appearance of the professor, and suggested that the physical appearance of the professor impacts students and the professors. She saw professors as role models preparing students for the professional world where appearance is important to employers and employees attempting to advance. She believed that teachers receive edutainment training on how to use visual techniques and improving their appearance because of their status as role models.

 

Enthusiastic about the use of edutainment techniques because her mother utilized visual edutainment techniques to assist her in learning in high school to overcome dyslexia, Erin suggested that convergence technology such as the Internet and handhelds can assist students with disabilities, minorities, and working students through virtual education. She advocated that edutainment and convergence can be utilized in higher education and can be transferred to higher education in visually based formats.  Erin even suggested that students could educate the educators on how to utilize convergence technologies for learning purposes.  Finally, Erin maintained that the military was ahead of the rest of society on the use of edutainment and convergence, and she was personally aware of this through her work with the military.

My favorite comment from Erin was:“ Oh, wow!  There's no end to the possibilities. The technology is changing all the time…for the better.  You can literally have virtual classrooms with students from around the world, so you have not just educational opportunities, but cultural exchange, too.  A perfect example is the commercial with the boy dancing that is shared around the world through the Internet and crosses all cultures.”

Eric, the advocate, was the most supportive participant of the use of edutainment and convergence in the classroom and outside of the classroom based on the fact that he admitted to using You Tube, MySpace, Facebook, iTunes, Brightcove, videogames, and other video sharing and social networking sites for learning, homework, class work and practical experience.  Eric’s dual role as an experienced producer (twenty years) and as a professor (a decade) added a unique dimension to the study.

He advocated the use of cell phones in the classroom and outside of the classroom for learning, family, and safety purposes. Eric was also a fierce advocate of using technology as a boost to keep the attention of students in the classroom setting and to maintain their attention outside of the classroom by speaking to students in their own world as he referred to it. Moreover, Eric maintained that traditional educators have always used edutainment with the technology of the day, and that convergence has blurred the line between technology, entertainment, communication and educational methods. 

Eric also advanced the notion that academia as a whole will have to embrace edutainment and convergence as part of the learning process for students and professors inside and outside of the classroom setting. Citing support for new media technologies that encouraged user generated content, social networking and video sharing for learning and entertainment purposes, Eric asserted that a new form of community news through digital means has been created.

  Predicting that copyright concerns would create court cases for the foreseeable future, Eric maintained that companies will continue to lobby for laws that favor content owners, and consumers would continue to download content for free.

My favorite quote from Eric was;“ If we’re talking entertainment it is my job as an educator to get this information out (to) you. I’ve got to get this information out to you. I’ve got to get it out to you in a way that is going to satisfy you, that is going to satisfy you for your dollars. So I am an entertainer, I have to be an entertainer.”

Jeff, the enthusiast, explained the use of edutainment and convergence was a learning tool for higher education with a proviso--there were some limitations. He cited the iPod, the Internet, cell phone and smart phones like the iPhone as edutainment and convergence tools that could be transferred to education. However, Jeff asserted that cell phones were too disruptive for use in the classroom, but acceptable for use in study hall and outside the classroom. Aware of the military’s use of edutainment and convergence Jeff maintained that the military utilized the technology because it worked. However, like other participants, Jeff was concerned about the socialization process because of convergence technology. Jeff was also supportive of the use of video games and digital literacy for professors and teachers. Jeff had a moderate view on copyright laws as long as individuals were not becoming enriched financially. Finally, Jeff was also disappointed that one company was driving media protection in the video business.

My favorite quote from Jeff was, “Education will be enhanced by the utilization of edutainment and convergence. Reaching students in a way that they are accustomed will benefit them in their future. Yet, getting the technology into the hands of all students will continue to be a challenge. Will minorities and the poor be left behind further?…A question that we cannot answer today.”

Jesse, the questioner, was more supportive of edutainment than convergence as a whole. Highly suspicious of the influence of commercial interests in higher education, Jesse referred to them as edu-sellers and the Internet as a digital flea market. Jesse maintained that some visual techniques could be utilized and transferred into higher education. Jesse was also aware of the military’s successful use of edutainment and convergence. Like other participants, Jesse expressed concerns that the socialization process needs to be preserved. 

Jesse maintained that companies like Disney use effective edutainment techniques to create branded patrons for life who have been captivated by the edutainment experience. Supporting digital literacy and ongoing training for teachers, Jesse maintained that teachers actually serve as motion picture directors in the class setting and that effective communications skills were critical to the success of professors or instructors at any educational level. Jesse was the most avid supporter of content owners’ rights and supported the industry groups’ efforts to inhibit copyright infringement.

My favorite quote from Jesse was his comment on the education industry being influenced by commercial publishing interests :“ Rock stars! Good Lord! Try edu-sellers. The Internet has become a giant digital flea market of our time. Get a B.A. in two days! No payments for one year! Twenty-two percent interest fees! It’s all about fast and cheap.”

Rebeca, the change agent, was supportive of the use of edutainment and convergence in higher education as a tool that merged with existing educational methods. Rebeca cited the fact that edutainment and convergence could be transferred into higher education and utilized in a variety of manners. Advocating the use of new media tools, Rebeca maintained that having students creating blogs and video news stories would maintain interest and improve observation, listening and writing skills that take place during the video editing process.

In fact, Rebeca suggested that teachers would constantly have to be re-educated to keep up with the changing technologies. Moreover, Rebeca was extremely supportive of the use of iPods and the Internet for learning as a tool in the classroom and outside of it. Finally, Rebeca maintained that new tools like video games and iPhones could also be used as learning tools for students.

My favorite quote from was Rebeca was when she stated her support for edutainment, convergence, and teacher training, “I think any games or podcasts should only be used a supplemental tool to accompany existing teaching methods. In no way do I think one should replace the other. Perhaps an advantage would be simply a way (of) bringing entertainment value to learning may actually work. And a possible disadvantage would be that students become overly dependent on relying on video stimulation in all aspects of their life to bring it into the classroom also means training and certifying teachers in a whole new and radical way.”

Sadia, the culturalist, was more supportive of edutainment techniques than convergence techniques and expressed concerns about the socialization process because of the over-reliance on technology. Sadia maintained that edutainment and convergence can be utilized in higher education and that these techniques and technologies are transferable.

Advocating the use of new media, Sadia specifically recommended the use of You Tube, Blip.tv and Final Pro Cut by Apple as technologies that are transferable. Sadia cited the use of role play, oratory, drama and music as edutainment techniques that can transfer into higher education. Critical of traditional education and the educational testing 

, Sadia cited the need for more competency-based forms of assessment such as oral exams, presentations and project based learning.Sadia maintained that edutainment and convergence could be used to teach language skills and cultural understanding. In fact, seizing on the transformative nature of edutainment, Sadia suggested that edutainment could be a tool to assist students of any background to become more interested in a given subject matter.

Sadia was supportive of concepts like iTunesU, Digital Duke and MIT online as being great tools for sharing knowledge but she had some mixed feeling because some people like to write things down and copyright issues. Finally, Sadia pointed out that the military would not spend billions of dollars on convergence technologies if they did not work.
My favorite quote from Sadia was: “There will be a new major that uses edutainment and convergence, but someone will give it a new name and claim it as an original idea. “