For many years I explained that the reason I lectured about the psychic and social effects of media was that I put the subject matter together differently than anyone else. I could not find a text or a collection of writings that explained the subject in a manner that I found satisfactory. Marshall McLuhan came the closest, but even he seemed a bit obscure from time to time. I found myself saying ” if McLuhan didn’t mean it this way, he should have.” It may sound pretentious now, but I really meant it as a compliment. He inspired much of my thinking over my entire career.
I believe that media and communication subject matter should be assembled and organized from tested theoretical thinking and consistent research findings. And all of this should be confirmed through practical professional application. Therefore, I was always rethinking past ideas in light of new information, and never taught a class the same way twice.
What is most exciting about teaching in the digital media world is that it’s now possible to ask students to find basic information on their own before the class ever meets. This can be accomplished simply by searching this vastly expanded “big data” world via the Internet. Class sessions can then focus primarily on clarifying and expanding on what students have already discovered. Teaching, then, is mostly facilitation and providing the most relevant lessons you learned from a lifetime of study and experience.
Teaching today is mostly inspiring others to search for answers to questions and solutions to problems. A love of learning therefore has actually become a love of the Internet search!
Larry D. Lauer 