Media (is) the Message?

          The evolution of technology and communication mediums have been astronomical over the course of the last couple of generations.  Dave Moffet says at one time in history the ball point pen was considered high tech (2013).  Back in 1983, when Richard Clark stated that "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 our nutrition," the first laptop had just been produced, few people had home computers and even fewer had access to the internet.  Furthermore, "mobile" phones were clunky and required mobile operators and land line links, Windows had not yet been released, and home video game consoles were in their infancy (Becker, 2010).  While Clark's statement may have been credible back in the early 80's, I just don't believe that this stance holds merit or is even relevant in today's digital world.
          Eleven years later in 1994, Robert Kozma presented the argument that "certain media possess particular characteristics that make them both more and less suitable for the accomplishment of certain kinds of learning tasks."  He said rather than trying to determine if media causes learning, we should be trying to determine how different forms of media affect learning.  This just makes so much more sense to me in a world where students have grown up with a smart phone or IPad in their hands from their earliest years and spend a majority of their time interacting on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (Moffat, 2013).  Students today have grown up in a world that is vastly different from the world in which their parents and teachers have grown up in.  Rather than being limited to the knowledge of the adults around them, or information found in a book, students today can hop online and in a matter of seconds with a push of a few buttons can have access to a wealth of knowledge from people worldwide.
          All that being said, I believe it would be a mistake for educators to not take advantage of all the types of medium that are available in our world.  Clark says that if a particular medium seems advantageous, you should ask yourself if another set of attributes would lead to the same learning results.  Well sure, I could stand in front of the class and lecture and hand them a worksheet and they may learn something.  But by utilizing a variety of media, we are reaching out to the students in a way that they can better relate, they will be more receptive, engaged in and excited about the learning.  I also believe that their chance of retaining the information, and perhaps even sharing their learning with others will be greater.  There's a huge emphasis in differentiated instruction in today's schools, and we are constantly trying to find ways to connect with all students.  There is not a one size fits all approach to teaching.  We need to be armed with a variety of teaching methods and types of media to find what will work best for the students we are serving at a given time.

References

Becker, K. (2010). The Clark-Kozma Debate in the 21st Century.  Retrieved November 19,
          2016 from
          http://www.academia.edu/462857/The_Clark-Kozma_Debate_in_the_21st_Century

EduTech Wiki. (2012). The Media Debate.  Retrieved November 19, 2016    
          from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/The_media_debate

Moffat, D. (2013). Clark and Kozma Debate is it Still Relevant?  Retrieved November 19,
          2016 from
          https://dcmoffat71.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/clark-and-kozma-debate-is-it-still-relevant/