Ricker says that the course concentrates on the effects of five mainstream media television, video games, movies, music, and the Internet on children, and what teachers must realistically expect when teaching children who have been immersed in these media. Ricker points to such factors as the increased pace of television shows and the emphasis on sex and violence as two factors that have changed how children react to traditional teaching methods. The Media Applications course, which is taught entirely through the Internet and e-mail, consists of 15 lessons. There is a foundation of six mandatory lessons, after which students may choose different options or even suggest their own topics. I ve been told the assignments are fun, Ricker says.
Every lesson has a scaffold to the next lesson.
The only paperwork involved in the course, Ricker says, is what she decides to print out for her own re cord-keeping. Coursework and communication with the professor are handled by e-mail. A TV and VCR are important for completing projects. She received her B.A. in Romance languages in 1955, an M.A. in library science in 1956, then spent the following years raising a large family and serving as a citizen leader in several areas, particularly community education. The data lay the ground for a theory of community education and will be both practically and theoretically useful in the field.