ETEC 562 - Applying Instructional Media & Technology Discussion The Clark/Kozma debate is a foundation of the field of educational technology. The central argument is the relationship between the message being presented and the media used to present it. The following articles are a distillation of this long running debate. Clark, R. (1983). Reconsidering the research on learning from media Review of Educational Research, 53(4), pp. 445-459. Kozma, R. (1991). Learning with media. Review of Educational Research, 61(2), pp. 179-212. Kozma, R. (1994). Will media influence learning?: Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research & Development, 42(2), pp. 7-19. Clark, R. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research & Development, 42(2), pp. 21-29. Now that you have read the papers of this long-standing argument, what are your thoughts? Do you think Clark is right? Do you think Kozma is right? Do you think neither is right? Why?

ETEC 562 - Applying Instructional Media & Technology

Discussion

The Clark/Kozma debate is a foundation of the field of educational technology. The central argument is the relationship between the message being presented and the media used to present it. The following articles are a distillation of this long running debate. 

• Clark, R. (1983). Reconsidering the research on learning from media Review of Educational Research, 53(4), pp. 445-459.
• Kozma, R. (1991). Learning with media. Review of Educational Research, 61(2), pp. 179-212.
• Kozma, R. (1994). Will media influence learning?: Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research & Development, 42(2), pp. 7-19.
• Clark, R. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research & Development, 42(2), pp. 21-29.

Now that you have read the papers of this long-standing argument, what are your thoughts? Do you think Clark is right? Do you think Kozma is right? Do you think neither is right? Why?

Response:

Media and its influence on learning

I saw valid points on each side of the argument. When you boil it all down to me it seems like a difference in how the authors define media. To Clark a medium is just a medium, it is just the device through which the message is sent. Can a device influence the message? Can the exact same message be sent through different devices or mediums? I believe the answer to both of these answers is yes. I think both Kozma and Clark are correct. 

The pedagogical stance and instructional design are at the heart of a lesson's success. A good lesson could be used across different media. With that, I agree with Clark, but I also see how the medium can push the instructional design to new directions and offer new perspectives on things which align with Kozma's thinking.

It is interesting to me that all of this research was 20 plus years ago. Technology is very different today. What used to be transient information viewed on a tv is now at the user's fingertips and can be viewed as many times as needed, which makes it less transient. The information moves more in a circular manner than in and out. Clark's arguments are based on research that dates back 100 years. What research has taken place in the last 20 years? It seems to me that more than an agreement or disagreement there is more of a shift of thought. Before the lesson dictated the kind media and it seems like now the media dictates the kind of lesson. 

As educators, I think we should plan lessons with both philosophies in mind. We need to design instruction that has value without the technology or despite the medium. Likewise, we should incorporate different media for their abilities to provide different learning opportunities. 

My thoughts on this topic are not set in stone. I'm excited to learn more about these school's of thought and ponder their value and validity in the current educational environment.