Educational Research and Technology

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Educational Research and Technology

• A look into learning with media.

Trish Wilson TBTE 415 11/12/2007
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If I Had a Million Dollars?!

• Suppose Im the superintendent of a school
  district and I have 1,000,000 (or some arbitrary
  amount) of money to spend on technology
• What should I spend it on???

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What do I know?

• I have a good sense of the tools that are out
  there and what schools in the area are doing,
  approaches they are taking, and how theyre set
  up.
• I know the problems these schools are running
  into, especially not using technology properly.
• I know that I need to do some research because I
  dont want to follow the same paths as the other
  schools. (..ZZZ)

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Early Research (/- 1930)

• There is a lot of early research on film usage.
• As early as 1912.
• Serves as the basis of future research and
  research analysis.

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John Hopkins University

• First large-scale research experiment
• Conducted by Karl S. Lashley and John B. Watson.
• Sought to find out the informational and
  educational effect on the public using motion
  pictures in various campaigns to fight venereal
  disease.
• Notables
• Effective with information about VD.
• One film cannot change attitudes of general
  public.
• Anticipated that learning varies according to
  audience characteristics and film variable
  treatment.

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University of Chicago

• Systematic study of instructional film
  possibilities to determine its potential.
• Covered 8 school systems with 5,000 students for
  3 years.
• Notables
• No support that pictures can be substituted for
  language.
• Films have definite function determined by
  purpose of instruction.
• Experience depends on nature of instruction and
  students knowledge of objects therein.
• Single-concept primary motion/action primary
  subject

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Yale University Study

• Chronicles of American Photoplay
• Designed to show amount of time saved by using
  films, amount of factual info gained by student,
  and student attitudes towards subject.
• Notables
• Rare insight
• Increased learning by 19, participation by 10
  (dependent on teachers interest and emphasis).
• Average children learned as much as bright
  children.
• Best when accompanied by good teaching.
• Economizes teachers time and effort.

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Payne Fund Study

• Effect theatrical motion pictures had on
  children.
• Answer questions in 5 categories information,
  attitudes, emotion, health, conduct.
• Notables
• Distinctive techniques
• Potent children as young as 8 see ½ the facts
  and remember them for a long time.
• Single exposure could change attitude.
• Drama stirs emotion.
• Cant measure influence on ideals (church, home).

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Ace Project

• Motion Picture of American Council on Education,
  led by George Zooke and Lorraine Noble, proposing
  the creation of an educational film institute.
• A great idea in theory, but miserable in
  implementation. (Politics, funding, nature of
  people in general, etc.)
• Notables
• Tried to create institution for creating,
  evaluating, and recommending educational
  films/motion pictures.
• Unique training ground for future ed. Tech.
  teachers.

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Navy/PSU Research Program

• Led by R.C Carpenter and was the most extensive
  instructional film study conducted.
• Used special versions of films for different
  groups of learners and user response system.
• Notables
• Both learner and film creation conclusions.
• Never implemented by the armed forces because of
  separations/differences of research and film
  departments.

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Navy/PSU Research Program

• Highlighted Learner Conclusions
• Well-produced film(s) can be used solely to teach
  certain skills/data.
• Post-viewing tests will increase learning when
  students are told what to look for.
• Students will learn more given study guides.
• Successive showings can increase learning.
• Looping a film is beneficial in practice/drill
  situations.
• Effectiveness should be evaluated by tests.
• Discuss main points to assure no misconceptions.
• Encourage follow-up activities.

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Navy/PSU Research Program

• Highlighted Film Conclusions
• Angle Show it the way a learner would do it.
• Rate of development Make sure its slow enough
  for learner to grasp material/concept.
• Introduction Present relevant info in and intro.
• Summary Summarize important points.
• Concentration of ideas Rate of ideas should be
  according to audience.
• Commentary Dont pack it full of talk.

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Other Notables

• Eastman Experiment
• Carnegie Foundation Study
• Early Radio Research
• Nebraska Film Research Program
• Motion Picture Association of America Studies

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Fast-forward gtgt Richard Clark

• Media do not influence learning under any
  conditionsMedia 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
• Only the content of the vehicle can influence
  achievement.
• Gains in achievement and/or time can be accounted
  for by uncontrolled effects of instructional
  method and novelty.
• Should be studying media beliefs and attributes
  about media and necessary characteristics of
  instructional methods.

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Effects of Instructional Method Novelty

• Instructional Method/Content Effects
• Positive effect of media disappears when the same
  instructor produces/teaches the treatments.
• Content and instruction method need to be
  identical. Need better control of variables.
• Proof is in meta-analytic evidence not available
  years ago. (Standard deviation, etc.)

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Effects of Instructional Method Novelty

• Novelty
• Newer media effect disappears over time.
• Each new medium attracts new advocates.
• We hold technology, especially new technology, in
  high regard and want it to work.
• Technology industries are billion dollar
  businesses and we question teacher effectiveness.
• A project lt 4 weeks has a standard deviation of
  .56 in favor of technology. Increase it to 8 or
  more weeks, and it decreases to .2.

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Time Saving

• 30 50 reduction in time to complete lessons
  using computer groups.
• Rival hypothesis is that greater effort was put
  into the instructional design and development of
  the material, which is what accounts for the
  gain.
• Media is only the vehicle that delivers the
  content.

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Media Attributes

• Researchers started studying the attributes of
  media, thinking that they influence the way
  information is processed in learning.
• Sought to prove
• Connection between instructional use of media and
  learning.
• Cultivation of cognitive skills. (Only proved.)
• Unique, independent variables for instructional
  theories that indicated causal relationships
  between attribute modeling and learning.
• Same issues as media comparison.

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Robert B. Kozma

• Has something to say about that! Refutes Richard
  Clark.
• Capabilities of a particular medium in
  conjunction with methods that take advantage of
  these capabilities, interact with and influence
  the ways learners represent and process
  information and may result in more or different
  learning when one medium is compared to another
  for certain learner tasks
• Student works with medium to construct knowledge,
  not result of being delivered.

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Media

• Media is defined by its technology, symbol
  systems and processing capabilities.
• Symbol systems and processing account for
  cognitive effects.
• Media can be differentiated by their ability to
  use certain symbol systems and processing (i.e
  zooming, search ability, etc.)
• Symbol systems should be used to analyze media
  because its relevant to the way learners
  represent and process information.
• Studies illustrate how symbol systems can connect
  mental images to real world in ways that learners
  without having prior knowledge have trouble
  doing. (ZPD)

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Difference In Learning

• Distributive Cognition
• Each learner is different.
• A medium only makes a difference in learning
  based on how it corresponds to a specific
  learning situation (tasks/learners) and the way
  its used BY the instructional design.
• Use technology not just for the sake of using it!
  It should provide for something that the
  learners cannot do. (ZPD).

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If I Had A Million Dollars?!

• Outfit my school with Sketchboards, media
  software, teacher laptops, student laptops
  (available for additional sign-out), microphones
  and headsets.
• I would hire content area technology consultants,
  or technology guidance counselors if you will.
• Create a school repository for technology
  artifacts, tools, etc. created (and a person to
  organize and maintain it).
• Evaluation program.

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If I Had A Million Dollars?!

• Technology Guidance Counselors
• Trained in educational technology and one or more
  content areas.
• Ability to learn, research, apply new
  technologies as necessary.
• Classroom teaching experience or similar
  knowledge.
• Create content for use by teachers and students.
• Ability to work with teachers to create an apply
  content.

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Resources

• The Evolution of American Educational Technology
  by Paul Saettler
• Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media by
  Richard E. Clark
• Learning with Media by Robert Kozma