Does Media Influence Learning?

Media influence in learning is the effects on the learning experience through the use of media. Some may argue that the influence of media is determined whether the influence is effective through a method of teaching or a medium of teaching. The main difference here is that a method of teaching uses media on a more consistent basis in the classroom whereas a medium is using media every now and then for lesson planning. Another way to think about it is when an instructor uses media in their lesson plans, is it something that they consistently use all the time and students expect to use the media as part of their classroom experience? Or, is the media being used by an instructor something that is used sometimes in the classroom for specific instances of learning? Some great examples of whether media is used consistently or occasionally are Pear Deck and the Assassin's Creed video game series.

Pear Deck is an instructional tool that allows the instructor to give a lecture in a digital format, like a PowerPoint, and also it allows students to connect to the lecture materials with an electronic device where students can provide the instructor feedback on their understandings. An instructor for math class could go over a concept and then provide students with an example problem where if students are linked up to the presentation, the instructor will get feedback in real-time to how students are processing concepts. Pear Deck would be an example where an instructor could use media on a consistent basis in their classroom.

The Assassin's Creed series is a video game series that relies a lot on history to drive its video game narrative. Not only do gamers get to experience different events in history, but gamers also get to walk around cities of the past as well. This is an effective media for the classroom on an every now and then basis because the game series could be used as a way for students to experience different historical events and explore what cities like Rome during the French Revolution or Boston during the American Revolution. The only issue would be that students would probably need to get permission slips to experience something like Assassin's Creed due to some of the content in the game, but it is still a GREAT tool to provide a visual of how the world used to be.

Two educational researchers that have very differing opinions on the use of media in education are Richard Clark and Robert Kozma. Clark's opinion on media influence in education is that media never influences learning and Kozma believes that media does influence learning. Clark's famous example of why he believes that media does not influence learning is the "grocery vehicle" example. This example is that food is food no matter how it is delivered to a grocery store. So, with this logic, Clark believes that learning is learning no matter the "vehicle," or medium, that the material is taught. Kozma does believe that there is a big difference in learning depending on how the instruction is provided to students.

My thoughts on media influence in the classroom is that media does have an impact on learning. I feel that Clark is a bit narrow minded when it comes to describing how media influences learning to the point where it seems that absolutely nothing could impact learning because everything is just a different "vehicle" that the learning is transported in. I think Kozma is more open to the idea that media, if used properly, could impact learning in a huge way. I agree with Kozma because the way students are learning in today's world is much different than the past and as technology is evolving, students are becoming more and more interested in technology. I believe that media does influence learning and that it can make a big difference when teaching in the classroom.

Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18pJoFvfAuq9WpyR9M630uT3BspJriiNW/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105013148914817131382&rtpof=true&sd=true