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Media and Mass Communication What media (print/ curricula, radio, television, cell phones, Internet, computers, talking dictionary) are available in your classrooms? How do you use them? What are the positive and negative effects of a mediated classroom, school, or society? I remember an incident two years ago when a student asked me what I do during my spare time. I replied that I barely have time for myself but when such opportunities arise, I read, swim, clean my apartment, or write in my journal. He further inquired, “Don’t you watch TV?” To the surprise of the whole class, I answered that I do not own a television set for nearly two years already and rarely watch television. Oh they were simply amazed and responded that it’s impossible for a person to survive without the tube. Then and there I realized how immersed modern society has become not only on technology but also on mass media. I personally could live the rest of my life without watching Oprah or Friends, but I don’t see myself getting through the day without “punching” through the Internet. Mediated communication and mass media have been indispensable units of the modern society especially since the turn of the first half of the 20th century

In my class we did not only watch films to be informed and to complement a science or social study lesson, but also to be entertained and for relaxation. For diversion purposes, I use media to relax my students after a heavy week or as a treat for a good performance. It follows that if parents have failed to teach their children responsibility and discipline, values that are commonly lacking in the modern world, the burden falls on the teacher to educate students to be responsible television watchers and media users. " -Susan Douglas, professor of communication studies, UM, p. Ours is definitely a mediated society and we can"tmt deny that. After lunch time, students would often arrive in class wet with perspiration and with nerves still active from heavy playing, and music is used to relax their muscles and prepare them for an afternoon of mental activities. We also had quite time after lunch where students just sit there quietly for five to ten minutes listening to soft music. In my 6th grade class, all the students have cell phones. With the advent of mass media and mediated communication, it is becoming hard to control the flow of information accessible to children and adolescents. We did it especially on Friday afternoons, we would order pizza and chicken, turn the lights off, and lounge comfortably on mats on the floor enjoying a love story, comedy, or scary movie. Talking dictionaries and PDAs are also common to upper elementary students. Adler (2003) defines mediated communication as "the sharing of messages that are conveyed through any type of device or medium," which includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, CD-ROM, DVD, personal computers, Internet, telephone, and others (p.