Last week in class, we worked on Multimedia learning theory: a great way to prepare us for Multi-Access learning this week.
We talked mostly about how tech can change our way of teaching and can improve or support our effort in the classroom. One example that always comes in mind with this is the dual-code theory. Often, we use technology to offer a visual support for what we say in class. By using Power Points and slides on a screen that replicate some definitions or keywords said by the teacher, we offer the possibility of a better retention for our students.
How tech change education
Obviously, tech has had a tremendous effect on education. We have to remember that even in language classes in the 60’s we used microphones and headphones for students to learn and practice their second language.
And there is the arrival of a bunch of tools that were inconceivable before. Collaborating simultaneously on a document while being away from each other is a totally new tasks. It was impossible to think of reviewing a document and seeing each other’s changes happening in real time. Technology made that happen for us.
The critique of usage of technology needs to be analyzed through both the modality and the teaching strategies – Dr. Valerie Irvine
What I loved about that course is that we looked through the implication of multimedia learning theory with a critical lens. We looked at Kozma and Clark’s theories and we discussed how it is not clear-cut. When Clark says that “media will never influence learning” it is true that we haven’t change a lot of what we do in the classroom if we look at the usage of technology in schools. Often, a task that was done on paper is done a computer and that is the end of the technology in our class time. This is why Kozma’s question is so relevant. He believes that we should reframe the question and ask “will media influence learning”?
This is where enter TPACK: Technological pedagogical content knowledge. This framework helps us understand what we understand and know in order to achieve an efficient use of the technology in the classroom. It is at the intersection of understanding our content and applying it so technology can enhance and support our students. Because that is one of the biggest benefit of technology in the classroom: it allows us to improve support for different learners through technology. It is, after all, a way to influence learning through media.
For more information on TPACK, here is a great explanation provided during class:
