Media (is) the message?

Which is More Impactful:  The Teaching or the Tech?

The following blog post was constructed as an introspective reflection on the “Great Media Debate” originally waged by Richard E. Clark and Robert B. Kozma in the early 1990s which is still today being discussed by those who harbor strong opinions about the role media plays in the acquisition and processing of knowledge and information and its impact on learning/achievement.

Richard E. Clark, Professor of Educational Psychology and Technology and Director of the Center for Cognitive Development at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education took a strong stance on the role media plays on learning.  Most sources consulted to produce this reflection document or refer to his 1994 position statement that, “The media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in nutrition”.  Twenty-two years later, in a world inundated by media influences some might argue that this school of thought seems as archaic as writing on stone tablets, but it should not be entirely discounted without examining the undertones that exist within the assertion. 

It stands to reason that media is a powerful tool whose total impact has yet to be fully felt due to the ever-evolving nature of technological advancement, but far too often those “advancements” are nothing more than rebranding designed to create a technological feeding frenzy.   (Cellular telephone industry – anyone?  Just got the IPhone 6?  IPhone 7 is launching this year in the Fall. Get it; it’s better…)  It appears that his criticism is largely based on media mania being spread as an agent to drive the profitability of media makers, without significant evidence to support how that “new” media leads to the advancement of the vast majority of media consumers.  Simply put: Though the media might make the delivery of a lesson smoother, it does not and will not, however, replace good teachers and good teaching, now matter how flashy, fancy, or "cutting edge".  The methods cannot be valued more than the message.

I do not, however, support Clark’s all or nothing position that “media would never influence learning”.  On the contrary, for 21^st century learners, media is the bait that hooks and delivers them into arenas they would not have otherwise ventured where learning can take place.

On the opposing side of the debate is Robert B. Kozma, Independent Contractor and Emeritus Director of the Center for Technology in Learning at Stanford Research Institution International.  Kozma’s professional title affirms his belief in the power and impact technology has on acquiring knowledge.  Kozma believed that a careful use of media would enable learners to take advantage of its strengths to construct knowledge (Kozma, 1994).  His rebuttal to Clark’s argument about the use of media is simply framed by his passionate declaration: “If we move from "Do media influence learning?" to "In what ways can we use the capabilities of media to influence learning for particular students, tasks, and situations?" we will both advance the development of our field and contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning.” (Kozma 1994). 

My interpretation of Kozma’s position is:  It is important for educators to seek, utilize, and make available multiple technology tools to discover how they can be used to aide in the acquisition of knowledge for individual learners.  I don’t think he believes in the existence of a “be all, end all” tool, but advocates for the use of many resources to “put it out there to see what works” for which learners.  Just as educational is personal and there is no “one size fits all approach”, technology subscribes to the same school of thought.  Different learners will be drawn to different media.  If media can create the spark, the educational explosion won’t be far behind.  Without it (technology), the powder keg lays dormant and loses its fire power.

Though this difference of opinions was first illuminated in the early 1990s during the birth of mass technology dissemination, as we draw closer to the mystical year 2020, there is no denying the span, reach, and power of technology has on leading today’s learners down the path to enlightenment.  As an educator whose professional title has been revised from that of “Librarian” to “Information Literacy Specialist”, I would have to declare greater support for Kozma’s line of reasoning.

Source Citations

Clark, R. E. (1994). Media Will Never Influence Learning. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 42(2), 21.

The media debate. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2016, from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate

Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will Media Influence Learning? Reframing the Debate. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 42(2), 7.