The ITC revolution we are living through is in many ways value free. It is producing a new media which can be used for both good and evil. The title of this piece comes from a Guardian podcast which takes up the murderer Cho Seung-hui and his video package.
Critics of this change in society tend to cite the darker sides of this revolution. I listened to one such critic, Lars Svedberg, at Åsa folkhögskola two days ago. He is an excellent speaker and presented a historical background to developments focussed mostly on the TV revolution. I found it hard to disagree with his critique of media developments but I didn't really understand the solutions he suggested. They seemed to involve an attempt to put the genie back in the box although in another connection he has said we cannot go back and indeed we should try to awaken people's interests outside of the academic domain (Link to an article in Swedish).
Putting the geni back in the box is not really an option. What is an option is to use the new media in a positive way and by doing that to reduce the impact, or even to counteract, the negative uses of this media.
MA answered LS's critique by pointing out that young people, our future students, already live in the world where this media is just a part of the background (not a NEW media as it is to us) and they will expect to be using it!
Using the new media for education connects education to the world that many young people inhabit, uses this world in way that is positive, and helps to weigh against the less savoury side of internet and web 2.0
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