Using TV to teach the Internet
I teach undergraduate students in communication and marketing, particularly in the area of digital application. That means teaching the Internet. It’s impossible for any communications or marketing student to fully appreciate the shift in these industries without understanding the history and the role of the internet in changes to consumer behaviour, marketing communications and markets and business.
Teaching the Internet in a non-technical area is relatively new and resources have been hard to find. There are text books and the Internet itself has a lot of valuable content. However, I was looking for something more in-depth and I went searching for TV resources to assist me. It was a challenging task and I thought it would be useful to share with others what I found out.
I could find no programs on the history of the internet (if anyone knows of one please give me a shout!). Program topics generally related to social issues and the internet, such as bullying and gambling, worthwhile but not for my purpose. I finally came across two programs that were actually broadcast in the same week and during my search. One is the 4 Corners program, Fear in the fast lane, the other is Web Warriors, a CBC (US-based) program also broadcast on the ABC.
Both documentaries are about cybersecurity and are useful in teaching the Internet because they describe:
- how the internet works & what scale it works on,
- how the Internet has changed markets,
- business and governments’ reliance on a safe and secure Internet for consumer confidence,
- The risks of the Internet,
- and the rise of new markets, such as cybersecurity.
Discussion in my class room after showing parts of each of these documentaries was lively with students engaging in topics around online businesses reliance consumer confidence and the challenges of e-government and related privacy issues. I recommend them both to teachers/educators who are looking for TV resources about the Internet. If anyone knows of any others please share it here.
Teaching the Internet in a non-technical area is relatively new and resources have been hard to find. There are text books and the Internet itself has a lot of valuable content. However, I was looking for something more in-depth and I went searching for TV resources to assist me. It was a challenging task and I thought it would be useful to share with others what I found out.
I could find no programs on the history of the internet (if anyone knows of one please give me a shout!). Program topics generally related to social issues and the internet, such as bullying and gambling, worthwhile but not for my purpose. I finally came across two programs that were actually broadcast in the same week and during my search. One is the 4 Corners program, Fear in the fast lane, the other is Web Warriors, a CBC (US-based) program also broadcast on the ABC.
Both documentaries are about cybersecurity and are useful in teaching the Internet because they describe:
- how the internet works & what scale it works on,
- how the Internet has changed markets,
- business and governments’ reliance on a safe and secure Internet for consumer confidence,
- The risks of the Internet,
- and the rise of new markets, such as cybersecurity.
Discussion in my class room after showing parts of each of these documentaries was lively with students engaging in topics around online businesses reliance consumer confidence and the challenges of e-government and related privacy issues. I recommend them both to teachers/educators who are looking for TV resources about the Internet. If anyone knows of any others please share it here.
Comment
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Comment by EnhanceTV on November 17, 2009 at 1:59pm -
Thanks Beth, yes, it's surprising that TV programs don't really cover the history of the internet. Perhaps it's because our use of the net is changing so much that everyday it's becoming history?!
If anyone's interested in getting a copy of the 2 programs Beth mentioned, they're available through EnhanceTV:
Fear in the fast lane
Web Warriors
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