Mass Media in Education

John Dewey stated that education could not be limited within teacher and taught without social environment. So mass media is one such potent force in the social environment of education. Through modern electronic techniques and technologies, mass media prove that education is, really comprehensive not confined within four walls of the classroom.
Really, mass media are the educational medium for the mass and mass education. Irrespective of caste, color, geographical, sociological, economical diversities mass media prove as an important means for the education to all. Mankind gets a great deal of information from the widespread mass media i.e. newspaper, TV, radio, magazines, journals, films, etc. It is estimated that mass media may substitute the real classroom teaching in future.
The Main Function are Listed Below:
Functions of Mass Media:
(1) Providing various information:
These media help in disseminating various information for the mass. People acquire different knowledge very quickly.
(2) Providing vocational information:
Media help in providing vocational and professional information to a larger group of the community.
(3) Spreading awareness and civic responsibility:
People can be aware of different problems of the society and their role in changing society through mass media. People know their rights and duties for the nation clearly.
(4) Educational programmes
Mass Media help in forming suitable habit for different programmes and they utilize their leisure time in a productive way. It also influences the behavior of the people through different programmes.
(5) Role as a non-formal agency
Now in an advanced society mass media are not treated as informal agencies of education. They are called non-formal agencies due to its wide coverage of educational items in a systematic way. It is viewed that these media can substitute the classroom teaching in future.
Therefore, mass media are the main means of educating the society. These are the cheapest and quickest means of the education for the people. The impact and motivation is very quick through mass media. The teacher must use the educational media and methods effectively in the classroom.

Need of Mass Media in Education

Without good access to national and community media all public education programmes may be disadvantaged. It is possible to consider programmes that rely entirely on face-to-face education, but even these can be hindered if there is not a supplementary programme of advertising for events and news coverage to increase motivation as well as printed material to "leave behind." As such, assessment of available media options should be conducted.
Media Directories
In some countries, media registration may have resulted in a publicly-available directory. In others, NGOs and government media agencies may have collected such information. Or advertising agencies may keep books that give details on media outlets, including their market share and target audiences.
Early on, educators may want to develop a "brainstorm" list and subsequently their own directory, that analyzes available media outlets in terms appropriate to voter education programming. Criteria they may want to use include: • Is the media owned or controlled by the government? • If controlled by the government, is it obligated under election law to provide free space or airtime for voter education messages? • If privately owned, is the management ammenable to running public service announcements, such as voter education messages either free of charge or at a discounted rate? • What are the published advertizing rates of the outlet? • Is the media national or community-based? • Is the particular medium capable of preparing its own copy or producing its own spots? • What is the policy and the protocol of the particular medium for taking spots or copy prepared by the education programme? • In what format must spots or copy prepared by the education programme be presented to the media outlet in question? • What is the outlet's market share, ie. what is the size of its viewing or listening audience or readership?