Leveraging Lessons from Youtubers, Influencers, and Podcasters

Have you ever stopped to ponder the practicality of what you learned in high school? How often do you find yourself using advanced math, physics, or chemistry in your day-to-day life? If you're like many, the answer is not often, if at all. Yet, these subjects remain a cornerstone of our education system, despite their limited real-world relevance for a significant portion of the population. This disconnect begs the question: why should students invest time and energy into learning material that holds little to no practical value for their lives?

When students fail to see the relevance of what they're learning, their motivation to engage and absorb the material diminishes. The perennial question of 'why should I learn this?' echoes through classrooms, impeding students' willingness to invest their time and attention. As a result, the impact of traditional educational materials has been limited. Despite years of pre-college education, the enduring outcomes are often confined to basic literacy skills—reading, writing, rudimentary math, and a superficial grasp of geography, history, and science. While these foundational skills are valuable, the depth of understanding in other subjects remains shallow, reflecting the broader challenge of maintaining student interest and retention in traditional educational settings.

As we reflect on the vast changes that have occurred over the past few decades, it becomes evident that our traditional education system has not kept pace with the evolving demands of the modern world. The advent of computers and the internet has fundamentally altered the fabric of our lives, introducing new challenges and opportunities. Threats like identity theft, which were once unimaginable, now pose significant risks in our digital age. Yet, topics such as digital security and financial planning remain glaringly absent from school curriculums. Consider also the transformation of news consumption. In the past, journalists served as gatekeepers, assessing the reliability of sources and crafting their articles accordingly. Today, with the proliferation of online content, the responsibility falls on individuals to discern between credible and misleading information—a skill set not adequately addressed in traditional education. Furthermore, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) presents both promise and peril. How prepared are students to navigate a future where AI influences work environments and shapes information dissemination? Understanding AI's capabilities and ethical implications is becoming increasingly crucial, yet our educational system has yet to prioritize this critical domain.

While pre-college educators often struggle to maintain student engagement and retention, youtubers, influencers and podcasters face no such challenge. With a vast army of followers who willingly and passionately consume their content, these digital creators have mastered the art of holding attention and fostering genuine interest. This stark contrast begs the question: what sets apart conventional education from the type of education provided by youtubers, influencers and podcasters? While there may be disagreement on the contents in regards to their importance or accuracy, one thing is clear: these modern teachers possess a unique ability to captivate and retain the attention of their audience. It's evident that traditional education has made strides in digitizing materials, with books now existing in PDF format and virtual classes becoming more prevalent. However, the underlying structure and format of these materials often remain unchanged, reflecting a resistance to true modernization. Despite being in a digital format, PDFs still mimic the layout and structure of physical books, complete with page numbers and traditional formatting. Similarly, rather than innovating new approaches to education, we've seen a trend of bringing more traditional tools and gadgets into the digital realm. For example, PDF browsers now include features like text highlighting and note-taking, replicating the actions one would take with a physical book. Additionally, the development of digital blackboards for virtual classes simply replaces the physical blackboard with a digital counterpart, complete with a digital pen for the teacher. These examples underscore the need for a more transformative approach to education, one that embraces the possibilities of the digital age while reimagining traditional methods to suit the needs of modern learners.

Moreover, in traditional education, particularly in science classrooms, there's often an obsession with employing comprehensive approaches to teaching. This approach is evident when we consider the way chemistry, for example, is taught. Concepts are meticulously presented, starting from foundational principles such as the structure of atoms, then progressing to more complex topics like molecular interactions and organic chemistry. Students are taken through numerous steps, each building upon the last, in an effort to provide a thorough understanding. However, while the intention behind this comprehensive approach is to deepen students' understanding, it may inadvertently lead to information overload and disengagement. Students may feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of technical details, which can hinder their interest and retention of the material. In contrast, influencers and content creators on the internet adopt a more streamlined approach. They recognize the importance of brevity and clarity in delivering their message to their audience. Rather than inundating their followers with a deluge of technical information, they focus on providing concise, relevant insights that are immediately applicable. For instance, a beauty influencer discussing skincare products may briefly touch on the importance of collagen in the skin and how different products address specific concerns. They may also mention technical terms for active ingredients, which their followers readily absorb and utilize when making purchasing decisions. Similarly, in the realm of computer science, youtubers effectively convey complex topics such as memory allocation, processor architectures, and hardware compatibility. By breaking down these concepts into digestible segments, they empower their audience to make informed decisions about technology and engineering. This targeted approach allows followers to grasp essential concepts quickly and apply them effectively, without getting bogged down by unnecessary details.

As education aims to foster analytical thinking, some question if modular education can effectively develop this skill. While subjects like advanced physics or calculus pose intellectual challenges, they alone may not nurture analytical thinking in young learners. However, I argue that analytical thinking can be integrated into modular education as well. As mentioned earlier, many youth make informed decisions on optimizing their gaming computers through this approach. Yet, valid criticisms exist regarding the capability of modular education to prepare students for higher education, especially for those pursuing advanced degrees. Concerns arise about its depth in providing a robust foundation for further studies. In the United States, an estimated 30-40% of individuals choose to pursue college upon completing high school. This statistic underscores the necessity of early differentiation between educational paths for those aiming for college and those not. However, irrespective of college aspirations, it's imperative for students to be exposed to topics relevant to modern life, such as AI, source reliability verification, and online safety. Integrating these subjects into the curriculum is essential, leaving no room for doubt about their importance. Fortunately, the dynamic nature of these modern topics suggests they may be more adaptable to modular education than traditional science courses. As a result, they could serve as excellent starting points for educational reform. Furthermore, drawing insights from social media influencers can enrich course design and bolster effectiveness. Their expertise in engaging audiences and delivering content could offer valuable lessons for educators striving to create engaging and impactful learning experiences. Afterall, modernizing education is imperative and complex, but it is a fact that youtubers and influencers have uncovered strategies that traditional education systems have sought for years.