Literacy in the media is facing a decline influenced by several factors. Some of the concerning media problems include dealing with AI. While some have negative thoughts on AI, others may not.

   “I love AI. It’s not going away, and while there are a number of concerns about it, by being careful in how we’re using it, we can maintain our academic and professional integrity while using AI as a ‘personal assistant’ to help shorten the time spent in some areas of our work that do not require critical thinking. For example, if I’m wanting to conduct specific research, I can ask AI to help identify ‘a female journalist from Missouri of Irish descent who had a significant impact on women’s rights,’” English Teacher Kimberly Brownlee said.

   Technology has helped students develop new skills in school, such as deeper research and a more advanced understanding. 

   “I think students have a wealth of knowledge because of the amount of content that they come across on an average day. Their interaction with the world is much more diverse than the world I encountered as an adolescent. However, I do think their social skills and mental health are suffering as a result. It is difficult for people to decipher what content is real vs. fiction, and that can lead to warped world views and self-image. Over the years, handwriting has become illegible. This is not due to tech advances, it’s due to educators and parents putting electronics in the hands of students too soon,’’ English Teacher Tim Chambers said.

   While phones may help students research for projects, they can be a distraction in the classroom, according to some teachers. 

   “Thankfully, having no phones in classes across the board I haven’t allowed them in my class for years, but having the whole state on board is helpful because students, again, are turning back to interpersonal communication, which is helping with the issue of attention spans,’’ Brownlee said.

   Many still can’t put the phone down and often are not getting all of the information because they can’t focus on the work.

   “While social media is designed for small bites of information and stimulus, we also need to be able to focus for longer periods of time. I can 100% tell when a student is addicted to their phones – they can hardly hold a thought sometimes. And the solution to that is, in a way, starting over again. Learning to focus again; learning to read again. In my classroom, compassion when we read stories that support that,” Brownlee said. 

   Technology has affected different areas, one being handwriting and making the effort to try in classes.

   “Certainly things like keyboarding have replaced handwriting.  Students no longer write in cursive either, making it difficult for them to create and use a signature without making a conscious effort to learn their name in cursive and practice it.  Some of the best skills that have resulted from increased technology is any sort of tech troubleshooting,” English Teacher Carola Eastvold said.