The Effect of Media and Technology on Learning

Some of us see technology as an everyday addition to teaching and learning. The question of “if” technology should be used is seldom asked in my work location. Adding media to instruction is also, without question, essential to student learning. Although we may question the appropriateness and type of media used, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how we teach and students learn, thus making technology and media essential components of today’s classrooms. However, this was not always the case.

Clark’s “Mere Vehicles” Argument

In the 1980’s Richard Clark made a bold statement about the new computer craze. He argued that media were mere vehicles, and how we used it contributed to learning. This highly controversial statement brought him much grief, partly because people are quick to jump the gun and not dive into the details of headlines shared. He was not stating that media did not enhance education but that the media alone was not leading to learning (Clark, 1983).

Hattie’s Visible Thinking

John Hattie analyzed how various factors affect learning in his pursuit to answer “What works best in education?” (Waack, 2018). When Looking at the list of these factors, I immediately looked for media and anything technology. I saw that technology in science was at the bottom, rated at 0.22, and technology in small groups was even lower at 0.21. Many of the components I saw at the top of the list were related to teacher’s preparation and competence, instructional design components, and student support. None of these surprise me because a student has to be physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to learn, and the teacher must have the skills to meet them at their current levels.

Clark vs. Hattie Comparison

If Clark read this list, he would feel his argument for media being “mere vehicles” supported. Although vocabulary programs are on the list (0.62), strategies like concept mapping rate higher. Technology is included, mainly at the bottom of the list, and student-focused skills such as transferability and prior ability rate higher than any media or technology we could use. If a student cannot use the tools or does not have previous experience with specific programs/tools, they will be unable to use them for learning. It will cause frustration and harm to their delicate confidence levels.

Implications for Instruction

When designing lessons, we should ensure we are competent in the content and ensure our students have the skills they need to work through the tools provided. This often takes time from the lesson, and teachers assume students can figure things out. In my case, I have always worked hard to get students to log into Canvas and Edpuzzle, as I have this year. I knew they did not have prior experience with Canvas, but I assumed they had experience creating accounts. After much frustration and failure, I broke down and walked them through the process. I almost felt like I was teaching elementary school; since they walked into class, I would begin by saying, “Good morning, get a laptop, close one drive, and log into Canvas.” For the ones who struggled to make an account, I helped them create one with just their student ID and ID with initials as passwords since they drove me crazy for weeks because they couldn’t remember. Instruction could not occur until students mastered the tools, and after they finally did (not all, but most), they were happy and confident. They now love Canvas, but it was seven weeks of struggle.

Implications for the Use of Media/Technology

The use of media/technology has to be infused with caution. We must not assume “Students should be” at a certain level and allow them to show us their skills by beginning at Zero. When I introduce a new tool into the class, I let them know ahead of time (a class of 2 ahead) so they can 1) explore, 2) complain, and 3) get mentally ready to master the tool. I now allow them to separate into groups by their expertise level. If you have never even heard of the tool, they sit together by me. If they have heard and maybe seen it at work, they sit in the next group, etc. This worked well when I explained to them how to use GIZMO. As students gained confidence in the tool, they could move to the back and work with someone, but they had to show me they knew what they were doing. By reversing my approach, I have discovered that students want to know they have mastered tools before plunging into the learning activities. We must allow them to start at zero and progress to becoming confident users.

References

Clark, R. E. (1983). Reconsidering learning from the media. Review of Educational Research, 53(4), 445-459.

Clark, R. E. (1985). Evidence for computer-based instruction studies: Analyzing the meta-analyses. Educational Communications and Technology, 33(4), 249-262.

Waack, S. (2018). Hattie ranking: 252 Influences and effect sizes related to student achievement. Visible Learning. Assessed from https://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement/Links to an external site.