In the early nineties, Richard Clark and Robert Kozma began the great "media debate" in which they argue that either media is just "a vehicle that delivers instruction" (Clark) or that "learning with media is a complimentary process." (Kozma). "Media" refers to books, television, computers, and multimedia.
Although there are parts of Clark's argument that I can understand, I have to side with Kozma. In reading more about Kozma's thoughts on media's influence on learning, I agree with much of what he says. From my own experiences as a learner and from my experiences as a teacher witnessing learning, I do agree that media is complimentary of learning. I very much agree that the learner and the medium interact to create new learning. That interaction is critical, if learning is to take place. And if the learner is disinterested in whichever media form is being used, little learning will be accomplished. What I find myself most disagreeing with, when reading Clark's argument, is that he states media does not influence student achievement. I wholeheartedly disagree. For instance, this class has required us to use various forms of media other than print- we've used video and audio. I can tell you right now, that personally, I learn much better when I can SEE demonstrations and hear explanations, rather than just reading a book about whatever the subject matter may be. Today, in education, there is a huge push for differentiation for students, which goes to show in itself that not all media is created equal and thus, student achievement will be influenced. Clark is right that there are many different media attributes that will accomplish the same learning goal, but where he is wrong is that we know what works for one learner, may not work for another, so the "delivery" method is actually pretty important.
In the end, I couldn't agree more with Kozma when he states, "Understanding how learners interact with and use the unique capabilities of each medium's format is essential to understanding the effect of media on learning."
References:
The media debate. (2012, August 30). Retrieved April 15, 2016, from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate
Kozma, Robert B. (1994). The influence of media on learning: the debate continues. School Library Media Research. Volume 22, Number 4. Summer 1994.
I'm finding myself siding with Clark, as an elementary teacher. I find that learning/ concept should first take place or the media is useless. Kozma's theory can play an active role once the learner knows what he or she is learning. Great Post.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Whitney especially the point about the fact that we all learn in different ways so yes the delivery method is extremely important and its also important that we as teachers are able to use many different means and media for reaching all of our students. Great post!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget, though, that you are going to be dealing with adults who do not perhaps know that much about technology, and although they may want to use it do not feel confident in their abilities~
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