Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tweeting about the Holocaust


Eighth International Conference on Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem did not sound like anything I would want to go to. What the name lacks in creativity is, well, everything. Yet, I found myself awake at 7:30 am, on my way to Israel’s most well known Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Despite the less than engaging title the topics being discussed had some real value.

The lectures and speeches were less than thrilling, but what was interesting was the constant debate about what should be taught. As one of the youngest people in the room it seemed that the focus was good but the methods of communicating their ideas were lacking. The speeches were burdened by their obvious distance from the target group they were trying to reach. While this was an academic conference, and they were speaking to educators, I felt a general sense that they were out of touch with young people these days.

Speakers referenced “twits on tweeter” and teens preoccupation with ipods and imacs. These attempts at addressing modern technology were good, and should be encouraged, but why not run these speeches by their children first?

I do not assume to understand what everyone in their teens and 20’s are interested in, but technology has a proven appeal. In Yad Vashem there was a poster with a photo of a family from the early 1930’s. The families’ faces were replaced by QR codes, inviting anyone with a smart phone to snap a picture and learn more. Why are there not more technologically interactive approaches in Holocaust education? Thirteen year olds now have smart phones, ipads, laptops and gaming systems. Let’s tap into that. It is difficult to get youth engaged in books, and few are able to do what Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, and Stephenie Meyer accomplished. Instead of fighting to get Middle School students reading hardcopies of textbooks, let’s turn them digital and make them interactive.

These three authors inspired millions of young readers, while I was anything but inspired by the six middle aged white men who were trying to explain how memory and preservation should play a vital role in Holocaust education. It is difficult to strip away our biases around the sophistication, or lack of, in youth. Who cares if they are sophisticated? Let’s first work on educating them and then get to the task of their social refinement.

No comments:

Post a Comment