Penn State Learning Design Community Hub

The Best Choice .... according to the experts

García-Barbosa & Mascazine, 2002 – "The use of media is determined by an instructor's objectives. Researchers have found that the use of media can motivate students to learn."

Jasinski, 1998 – The value of any technology for education is proportional to the need for that technology to realize educational objectives."

Rationale

1. Technology does not cause learning
2. Technology will not guarantee effective learning.
3. Technology can facilitate the development of all kinds of skills:
   from basic skills to high-order critical thinking skills.
4. Technology provides us with more possibilities and flexibility in the teaching/learning process.

Basic Information

What is technology?

Broadly speaking, technology can refer to any physical devices, knowledge, activities or process. On this Web site, technology refers to any instructional media from text, transparencies, PowerPoint, pictures, graphics, audio, video, to simulations and multimedia.

Some questions to consider

1. Do you need technology in order to achieve the goals and objectives?
2. How can technology enhance the lesson in ways what would not be possible without it?
3. Can technology help students do things that are otherwise too dangerous (e.g. chemical experiments), costly (e.g., visit ancient Greece), time-consuming (e.g., gene research), etc.?
4. Do your students have access to the technology that you expect them to use?

Matching the usage of technology with objectives

When selecting from among many different technologies, make your selection based on which technology will help most to achieve course learning objectives. Below are some examples of selecting appropriate technologies to support the goals/objectives for the course:

Hancock (1992) suggested a "LOCATE" model to help educators match media materials with instructional outcomes.

References

Additional Links

• Adobe Deisgn Center Value of Multimedia in Learning