KVCC Faculty Orientation Manual Online
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A Brief Essay on Media in the Classroom
by Mark Kavanaugh

Green’s First Law of Classroom Technology “Other things being equal, a low-tech solution is preferable to a high-tech solution because the high-tech solution has an indeterminately high number of ways to fail”

As a Psychologist and a Teacher I am very interested in the effectiveness of teaching methodology and none intrigue me more than the use of media in the classroom. I find it intriguing because the use of video, PowerPoint (or related presentation programs), and interactive supplements to course materials and textbooks is on the rise and, in some cases, represent an expressed goal of instruction (to integrate technology).

As with all teaching methods the selection of media to include in the classroom is a deliberate one. Simply having a PowerPoint slide show or showing a movie does not necessarily guarantee that learning will be enhanced...in fact, there is gathering evidence that the use of media in the classroom may hinder learning...particularly the use of PowerPoint.

Keeping in mind that the goal of instruction is student learning, instructors must select media elements that not only attract the attention of the learner but are also connected to learning objectives.

Here are some examples:

Video (and audio):
The use of video in the classroom (movies, film clips, interviews, etc.) are best utilized when they are directly connected to class concepts. One way of ensuring this is to provide students with a handout or worksheet that asks them to pay attention to specific concepts that will arise in the film...sort of a "viewing guide" to the video. This way the student engage the video as a learning opportunity rather than an entertainment opportunity. Students are surrounded by media and are experts at "tuning them out". Provide them with guidance as to what you want them to get out of it.

Internet:
There is probably no richer source of information, images, sounds, and other media than the internet. With the advent of online learning teachers are harnessing the capacities of this great "encyclopedia" to enhance course material and bring students into closer contact with the cutting edge happenings in academic and applied fields. However, it is important to note that the internet is not subject to editorial screening (thankfully). This means that there is a lot of material on the internet that is worthless. The internet operates on a "buyer beware" mentality of consumerism. Both teachers and instructors need to become good and critical consumers of the information on the net. Evaluate the source of your websites and online information in your courses and teach your students to do the same thing.

PowerPoint
This particular technology is worthy of its own page...please visit my essay on the Use and Misuse of PowerPoint!

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Types of Media

With the widespread use of dynamic media in television and the Internet the use of media in instruction is one of the hottest topics around! However, the term "instructional technology" does not only refer to CDs and computers, it refers to the variety of "technologies" and skills we use to deliver instruction.

This includes group activities, quizzes, lectures, videos, computers, etc. Nearly everything we do as teachers is a type of Instructional Technology. A task of instructors is to select the best technology for the type of instruction (objectives).

Different objectives lend themselves to the use of different technologies. The following chart describes the different choices you have as an instructor when choosing which Instructional Technology to use.

Use of Media

KVCC has a very strong Internet based course delivery system based on courseware called BlackBoard. BlackBoard allows instructors to create online course content to either supplement their live classes or deliver classes totally online.

Other technologies that are available for instructors at KVCC include videos, DVDs, CDs, Interactive CD-ROM, and many other kinds of media.

Teaching Strategies

The point of any discussion on Instructional Technology has to do with Teaching Strategy. Remember when we were discussing Teaching Style…this is much the same thing. You as an instructor may want to explore a variety of ways of delivering content.

The grapic above identifies various components of instruction that are considered in the use of media and teaching strategies.

Important considerations when selecting a teaching strategy include the following dimensions:

• Learner control vs. Instructor control over pace of the material
• Teacher's Field of Experience vs. the Learner's Field of Experience
• Cold Media vs. Hot Media (experiences that are more interactive and "hot", while those that are more verbal and symbolic are "cold")

Each of these approaches is valid depending on the Objectives you have set for your learners. If you want them to remember specific factual information likes names and dates then you may design instruction differently than if your objective was for them to apply this information in a problem-solving situation.

Click on the graphic below to download a PDF copy of this analysis of the types of media and how they interact between students and teachers.