It’s common today to hear arguments from parents and students that because our society communicates with video and graphics, Christian teachers need to adapt and begin teaching with the same tools, but this is false. In fact, the opposite is true.
First of all, human communication is rooted in human nature. Men are creatures with rational souls that, with the help of the senses, are able to perceive, judge, reason and communicate with others. We share our ideas by representing them with spoken words. When necessary, we share our spoken words with written words. This is how human communication works–always has and always will.
In teaching, ideas move from the mind of the knower to the mind of the ignorant by means of language. It might seem that when men are together, they use spoken language, and when they are apart, they use written language, but communication is more complicated than this. There are times when men can communicate with spoken words but choose to communicate in writing because writing offers a number of advantages.
In light of human nature, which is sinful, written language is helpful because men lie and setting agreements in writing holds them accountable to the truth. In light of human occupations, writing allows for communication between men at their own convenience. In light of the complexity of some ideas, writing allows for exactness and memorization. Good and wise men choose to communicate in writing because it can be more effective than speaking.
Consequently, when we consider the development of communication technologies, digital publishing adds some benefits to written communication. The abilty to share written messages by email eliminates the need to carry letters. The ability to share electronic documents eliminates the costs of paper and delivery services. The avoidance of printing allows us to access massive libraries at little or no cost. These developments radically affect our ability to teach and study.
Likewise, technology also allows us to communicate through spoken language in new ways. We can speak by phone, before through landlines and now by wireless devices. We can share “face to face” messages by means of recorded video and by live video meetings.
These developments allow new options for spoken communication, but we need to remember that spoken communication is not always best. So, it’s not true to say that modern video capabilities improve learning and must, therefore, be implemented for teachers to “stay relevant”. If I was able to be physically present with students there are many tasks that I would prefer to have them study and complete in writing. The same is true with respect to video technology.
So, first of all, the fact that we can produce video lessons today does not prove that we should do so. That’s response number one.
