Media Tutorial Insights
My media tutorial was very interesting yesterday. It was very informative and I would like to share with you some of my insights and thoughts on a few matters.
First, to get into an Australian university, you take a test, sort of similar to the SAT, but your score is not a “raw” score like it is in the SAT. The score you get is your percentage in relation to how other people did. So if I got a 92% I would have scored higher than 91-2% of the students who took the test in my year. Now, while I see what you Americans reading this are thinking…”We have the same system, you get a percentile rating as well” but what I think is the main difference is that if you don’t score a certain level on this test you cannot get into university at all. Also, different programs require different scores to get in.
From my understanding, the SAT does not limit your college choices. Even if you have a really bad SAT and a bad GPA you can go to some form of higher education whether that means community college or a larger state school. By no means am I saying that only people with bad SATs and bad GPAs go to community college or states schools but that generally those tend to be the only options for people on the lower end of the numerical range. You can also apply to top ranked schools such as USC or Reed (notice the West Coast representation please) and have outstanding recommendations and a great interview and be accepted.
Now, this subject came up in our media class because we read the lectures that were given on ABC (Australian not American) by Rupert Murdoch in 2008 on the state of Australia in relation to the world and the coming changes. Murdoch stated that Australia needs to reform its education system to keep up with the changing times. I agree. If you are limiting the number of students who can enter into different programs based on numbers you are seriously denting the educated population. An educated society is a successful society and this is something I truly believe.
However, Australian education is basically free based on the current structure. I like the idea that if you are ‘smart’ enough to get into uni then you won’t have to pay. If more people were accepted into uni, I see how the price would have to go up and extra strain would be put on the government. But one wonders if everyone were given the best chance they could to succeed, whether or not that includes going to uni, wouldn’t we have a wealthier society in the long run who would pay more taxes? I have very limited knowledge on economics and government policy but it does make me wonder and want to learn more.
Now the subject comes up, not everyone can be educated or needs to be for their job. What about them? How would the benefit? What about government funded trade schools or a way to get housing or insurance help if you are apprenticing. While everyone may not want a higher education degree, surely everyone would not mind a little help along the way to improving whatever skills they may posses, no matter the shape or form.
The second wonderful piece of information that I learned yesterday in my media tute was that Australia just got Tivo.
(Dramatic pause.)
No joke. About ¾ of my class had heard of Tivo. I was the only one who had one. Granted, I had one, then Dad upgraded to something better, but still, you get the point. Most of them did not even know how it actually worked.
I was completely confused! For a country that appears to be so modern and forward thinking they are stuck constantly 10 years behind us. I had to explain how it worked in my limited computer/TV lingo, which was cause for concern and laughs. Anyways, it seems that Australia needs to modify both its technology and education systems otherwise the running joke will be no “What will they think of next?” but “What did they already think of in the US or UK?”
References:
Murdoch, Rupert. 2008. “Lecture 1: Aussie Rules: bring back the pioneer”, (Boyer Lectures series broadcast on Radio National, 2nd November, 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/boyerlectures accessed: 27th January 2009.