The Media Debate

The debate on whether or not media has an effect on students' learning has been going on for quite a while. The debate, which is between Richard Clark and Robert Kozma, stems from statements that were made by Marshall McLuhan way back in 1964. McLuhan stated that "media is the message" and "media are extension of man".

I had never read this debate before, but I was very interested in what both sides had to say. I believe it's easy to sum up this debate as Clark having old-school feelings about technology, and Kozma embracing the 21st century way of teaching. Being a student in the 90s and now an educator in the 21st century, I side more with Kozma. Teaching in a low-income school, I have had to teach with limited technology at times. As I grew in my teaching, I realized the positive impact technology had on my students, but I also realized that it is not the only aspect that effects a student's learning. I agree with Kozma when he said "certain media possess particular characteristics that make them both more and less suitable for the accomplishment of certain kinds of learning tasks." Research has also shown that "students absorb information to a greater extent in less time when they are actively engaged by participating in computer based instruction". It has also been proven that "students liked their courses more and had a better attitude in the classrooms where technology was used." I have experienced both of these with my students and I believe that media does effect student learning and attitudes, and that it is a very important aspect of teaching today.

The Media Debate. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2016, from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate

 

Savage, A. J., & Brown, D. S. (2014). Examining Past Studies of the Effects of Classroom Technology Implementation in Terms of Student Attitude and Academic Achievement. Global Education Journal, 2014(4), 20-27. Retrieved July 19, 2016.

 

Instagram, Vine, and Screencasts

The two screencasts programs that I found to be easier for me to use were Screencast-o-matic and Jing. I tried Adobe Spark as well, but it seemed to have too much information and not enough step-by-step instructions like the other two. I liked Screencast-o-matic the best out of all of the programs. It was way easier to use and get started. It also gives you more time to do your screen cast, as opposed to Jing, which only gives you five minutes. With Jing I felt rushed to finish what I was trying to show my students. Also with Jing, the audio did not sound very clear to me when I did the playback. Here are my screencasts from both programs:


Screencast-o-matic

Jing
http://www.screencast.com/users/KrisJones14/folders/Default/media/a622312e-8b25-4b02-9ce5-5384d9379807
 For some reason I had trouble trying to upload the video from Jing on to my blog, so hopefully the link will work for you.


Instagram and Vine
I have had an Instagram account for a few years now, and it is one of my favorite social media apps. I could see using Instagram in the classroom by setting up a class page that all of the students have access to. They could post different images that deal with the subject or topic that we are studying at that moment. I could also use Instagram at the beginning of a lesson as an anchor or attention getter for the lesson. It would be a great way to grab and hold the students' attention. Here is a post from my Instagram:

I just signed up for a Vine account, and am still getting used to all of the logistics. I have browsed around and can definitely see the pros of using this app in the classroom. Videos are always a great way to interest a student in the day's lesson. Vine could also be used in the same ways I suggested using Instagram in the classroom.