ential and promise of the television medium for instructing at all levels was recognized by educators early in thetelevision age. (Zigerell 2) Excitement about the potential of television for education was further propelled by the passion of a newbreed of specialists called educational technologists who began to appear in numbers in schools and on college campuses in the late1950 s and 1960 s. (3) Statements like this excerpt from a 1962 study, "the advent of television...has given Americansunparalleled opportunities to advance in the ability to record and communicate ideas," displays the excited feelings television andthe communications media inspired in some teachers. (3)Planners at organizations like UNESCO were quick to realize the potential of television in attacking the urgent educationalproblems of the world s developing countries. (Zigerell 5) They believed television fulfilled several important needs, including: theneed to improve instruction in the classroom, the need to teach those who will themselves be educators of the young and old, theneed to disseminate literacy and the skills necessary for living in an urban technological society, the need to provide continuingeducation for adults, and the need to provide extensions of the school and college. (6) Most of these needs are of primary interestto anyone concerned with continuing education. In this regard, it is easy to see the potential benefits of media literacy. In the wordsof J. A. Anderson, "Media literacy is the skillful collection, interpretation, testing, and application of information--regardless of themedium of presentation--for some purposeful action." (3)It is generally agreed that people learn best if they take an active role in their own learning. (Adams and Hamm 10) Ultimately, thedecision as to what each person pays attention to or ignores is up to that person individually. TV networks obviously control whatpeople watch to a certain point, but beyond this, the...
