Go Kozma!!!

In support of our argument, we will start by offering a definition of media and use it to examine the theoretical and research literature on learning from books, television, computers, digital devices and multimedia conventions.

A young child sits in front of what some call the “dumb box,” is that particular child engaged in learning? Some will say he is simply staring at mere moving objects with no significant value. On the flip side, we strongly argue that this young mind is acquiring the fundamental skills that soon will be used in reading comprehension. As the child analysis's engaging playful characters on the screen, he/she is starting to implement basic reading strategies, such as, inferring, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, making connections, and asking questions. The information embedded in story line of the child's favorite show is sometimes called "authentic situations," since it uses real world scenarios using a fictional plot. Through this powerful educational tool, this child is receiving appropriate conflict situations rather than those find elsewhere in the adult real world.

So what is the difference between a child who has the opportunity to see a situation on a television set rather than a teacher lecturing? The difference is that this young child is able to make a connection to his/her real world using the symbols on the screen. An important part of school learning is acquiring an understanding of the relationship between various symbol systems and the real world they represent. (Kozma, 1991)

In this debate we will be using the finds of the prominent instructional technology professor Dr. Robert B. Kozma whom argues strongly towards the use of media and its' influences of the learning process. Kozma states that “learning with media [is] a complementary process within which representations are constructed and procedures performed, sometimes by the learner and sometimes by the medium. The key question in this debate becomes Does media influence learning? The research that will be presented by my peers suggests that capabilities of a particular medium, in conjunction with methods that take advantage of these, interact with and influence the ways learners represent and process information, and may result in more or different learning when one medium is used compared to
another, for certain learners and tasks.

Kozma believes in the constructivist approach to learning, in this theoretical framework learning is viewed as an active, constructive process whereby the learner strategically manages the available cognitive resources (in this case various media) to create new knowledge by extracting information from the environment and integrating it with information already stored in memory.

Our debate will also use Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory as a supportive theory.
Gardner believed that intelligence, as it is traditionally defined, does not sufficiently encompass the wide variety of abilities humans display. The theory suggests that, rather than relying on a uniform curriculum, schools should offer individual-centered education, with curriculum tailored to the needs of each child. This includes working to help students develop the intelligences in which they are weaker.

We will also refer to Vygotsky’s idea of the “zone of proximal developmet” Vygotsky stated that a child follows an given example and gradually develops the ability to do certain tasks without help or assistance. Vygotsky's often-quoted definition of zone of proximal development presents it as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers. This guidance can come from a number of sources such as a peer, and adult, or the broad spectrum of media.