Blog 1 - Technology vs. Media

Explain the difference between technology and media. What is the role of each K-12 eLearning environments?

Technology is a word that broadly describes the use and knowledge of the tools (the hardware) and crafts (the systematic way of solving problems). Instructional technology is used specifically for educational purposes – the tools and crafts that are used in education. This is what the educator needs to be able to develop and deliver the education to the student using the appropriate media.

Media, on the other hand, are the objects that carry the information between the source and the receiver, often the educator and the learner. Media should facilitate the communication and the learning. There are six basic categories of media: (1) text, (2) audio, (3) visuals, (4) video, (5) manipulatives, and (6) people. Text is any alphanumeric character that is displayed in any format, such as in a book, computer screen, or poster. Audio is any medium you can hear, a person’s voice, music, sounds. The audio can be live or recorded. Visuals can include posters, images, drawings; anything used on a regular basis that helps promote the learning process. Video is any medium that shows motion, such as a DVD, movie, computer animation, and videotape. Manipulates are three-dimensional objects or models. Subject-matter experts, educators, and learners are examples of the last category – people. Learners learn not just from their teacher but from other students and other adults.

An educator should keep in mind all the media options when developing and delivering a learning object. This is because learners have different learning styles. A linguistic learner will be more apt to read the materials instead of a kinesthetic learner who might need to use physically touch a manipulative, such as a cube to understand the concept of a three-dimensional object.  The educator needs also to remember Dale’s Cone of Experience. Students are involved and active when they participate in the learning experience, such as in the use of simulations and role-plays. Students are less active, but still learning when they are observing the learning object such as when demonstrations, exhibits, videos, and visuals are utilized. The less abstract experience is audio and text as student hearing and reading; passive learning is occurring.

In the K-12 eLearning environment technology is the tool that delivers the message. If there were no technology, then eLearning environment would not occur. Without the use computers, Internet, and other technological hardware and software eLearning would be solely an asynchronous environment and return to the original distance learning model -- correspondence courses – or even the use of home DVD viewing. Technology gives the educator and the learner an option of asynchronous and synchronous learning. Learning can be very focused on a given topic or concept; students may not need to read an entire book to learn about a topic but can be focused on a particular area of study. Students of all learning styles can benefit from an eLearning environment, provided the educator utilizes the correct media for the learning object and keeps in mind Dale’s Cone of Experience.

The educator and learner are still key players in the K-12 eLearning environment; for eLearning the student must be central. When instruction is student-centered, the students are the users of technology and media. On the flipside, when instruction is teacher-centered, the use of technology and media is there to support the presentation of instruction.