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Want to Keep Your Job? Get More Education

November 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Education and online learning

A version of this  article ran on PsychologyToday.com in my blog "Positively Media." A recent survey by the Career College Association reported that 9 out of 10 Americans think college is important for career opportunities and 67% believe that education is the key to competitiveness in the global economy. Turns out education can also be the key to keeping your job in an economic downturn. Recent employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that not only do people with more education earn more, but in tough times like these, education provides a buffer against unemployment. The unemployment rate for people with a bachelor's degree or higher as of October 2009 was 4.6%. However, compare that to the percent of people out of work with less than a high school diploma-- 14%. When it comes to unemployment, 10% is a lot. The desire for more employment options is also fueling a spike in enrollment of adults returning to school. The good news is that technology can … [Read more...]

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Pursuing a Career in Psychology, Education, and Interactive Media

October 25, 2009 By 2 Comments

I always enjoy getting questions from people interested in integrating media applications into their field of study or in pursuing a career in media psychology. The questions come from around the world and are always full of enthusiasm for learning, the potential of media technologies, and making a positive contribution to society. It is always a chance for me to remember not only how much I love the field of media psychology, but why I think it is so very important. Media psychology is a broad field. Recently I received a question from a new graduate in the Middle East about how to follow a path that integrates psychology and education using interactive technologies, particularly for special needs populations. I am posting my response since many people may have similar questions and this is a good way to get a conversation going. -- You can learn how to actually build the interactive programs by studying gaming and software development or how to implement them by studying … [Read more...]

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The Native Tongue of Teens: Social Media

June 5, 2009 By 1 Comment

(This was posted June 5, 2009 on my blog "Positively Media" at PsychologyToday.com) Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "No man should travel until he has learned the language of the country he visits. Otherwise he voluntarily makes himself a great baby - so helpless and so ridiculous." Think of the tech-saavy younger generation as another country with a different language. Their lives are inseparable from technology and they are connected to each other and to information flows in ways many of us will never understand. We can learn to speak their language or we can look ridiculous and irrelevant. No where is learning to speak the language of technology more important than when you're trying to educate young people. At a time when one in five American students drops out of high school, we parents and educators need to work on our language skills. This is why I love to see educational institutions embrace media technologies. At Azusa Pacific University (APU), my friend David Peck is … [Read more...]

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What Does a Media Psychologist Do?

April 5, 2009 By 18 Comments

I get a lot of questions about career paths in media psychology, particularly among those thinking of pursuing a degree in the field. I certainly empathize with that confusion--and the desire to make sure someone will give you a job if you do all that work. Media psychology, as a new field, doesn’t offer up any quick and easy answers. It's helpful to think about how to define media psychology broadly and then make it relevant to individual interests and goals. It the largest sense, media psychology is using psychological theory to understand how people use, consume, and produce media. It has applications to groups and individuals as well as nations. The word media is often assumed to be mass media, but media psychology looks at communication that is mediated by technology. Needless to say, the field paints with a pretty broad brush. Some people start with their current or hoped-for career and then target their approach to the degree in a way that supports their needs. … [Read more...]

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