Chapter 8: Pedagogical differences between media
Purpose of the chapter
1. To identify the main pedagogical characteristics of the following media:
- text;
- audio;
- video;
- computing.
(Chapter 9 explores the potential and limitations of new, emerging technologies.)
2. To provide a framework of analysis for determining appropriate pedagogical roles for different media.
3. To enable you to apply that analysis to any particular module of teaching
What is covered in this chapter
- 8.1 Thinking about the pedagogical differences of media
- 8.2 Text
- 8.3 Audio
- 8.4 Video
- 8.5 Computing
- 8.6 A framework for analysing the pedagogical characteristics of educational media
Also in this chapter you will find the following activities:
- Activity 8.1 Thinking about the pedagogical differences between media
- Activity 8.2 Identifying the unique pedagogical characteristics of text
- Activity 8.3 Identifying the unique pedagogical characteristics of audio
- Activity 8.4 Identifying the unique pedagogical characteristics of video
- Activity 8.5 Identifying the unique pedagogical characteristics of computing
- Activity 8.6 Choosing media for a teaching module
Key Takeaways
There is a very wide range of media available for teaching and learning. In particular:
- text, audio, video, computing and social media all have unique characteristics that make them useful for teaching and learning;
- the choice or combination of media will need to be determined by:
- the overall teaching philosophy behind the teaching;
- the presentational and structural requirements of the subject matter or content;
- the skills that need to be developed in learners;
- and not least by the imagination of the teacher or instructor (and increasingly learners themselves) in identifying possible roles for different media;
- learners now have powerful tools through social media for creating their own learning materials or for demonstrating their knowledge;
- courses can be structured around individual students’ interests, allowing them to seek appropriate content and resources to support the development of negotiated competencies or learning outcomes;.
- content is now increasingly open and freely available over the Internet; as a result learners can seek, use and apply information beyond the bounds of what a professor or teacher may dictate;
- students can create their own online personal learning environments;
- many students will still need a structured approach that guides their learning;
- teacher presence and guidance is likely to be necessary to ensure high quality learning via social media;
- teachers need to find the middle ground between complete learner freedom and over-direction to enable learners to develop the key skills needed in a digital age.
