Media (is) the message?
The question of whether media influences learning goes back to the early 1990's when Richard Clark and Robert Kozma first exerted their opinions sparking this continuous debate.Clark believed that "[...] media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition” (Clark 83: 445).
While Kozma believed that media “ possess particular characteristics that make them both more and less suitable for the accomplishment of certain kinds of learning tasks.” (Kozma, 1994).
When it comes to this age old question, I have to side with Kozma. Considering myself as a tech savvy teacher, I've seen the wonderful accomplishments that students make with the help of technology and have outlined them in three categories.
1. Presentation
With technology, there are a variety of ways that you can present information to learners. Those who are visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners are able to interact with resources that may help them understand information better. In one of my earlier blog posts, I wrote about how there is even a Revised Blooms Digital Taxonomy Pyramid. Most students use technology in their everyday lives. Using it as a means to teach sparks their interest more than a lecture. At one point my students were asking me to use the Chromebooks more for lessons, projects, and papers.2. A 24/7 teacher
Another great thing about technology is its ability to be a constantly present tool. When students have missed lessons, forget, or need help understanding something, the right type of media/technology may be there to guide them when teachers aren't able to. For students to be able to go back, review information, and use it in various ways is an achievement in itself. Screencasts, You Tube, and many other resources guide learners to show them to how to do something, and they love being able to pause and rewind for understanding.
3. Endless Possibilities
The possibilities with technology are endless. Learners can now take virtual field trips, seeing, learning, and experiencing things they might have never been able to experience. Even activities as simple as comics are accessible to students who thought they weren't capable of creating them because they weren't great illustrators.I understand how it might have been easy to see media as just a tool in the early 90s when technology wasn't as advanced, but in 2016, I believe that instructors who use technology efficiently can increase the achievement of students, and a motivated student will also explore and learn on their on with the help of technology.
