Martha L Knox, BSBA M Ed Math, Standard K-12 Math ESL
What is the difference between Technology and Media? What is the role of each in K-12 learning environments?
The difference between technology and media is the difference between knowledge of how to use a tool in the former and the tool itself in the latter.
It's the difference between knowing how to make a quilt and buying the material and supplies to make it. A Quiltmaker brings their knowledge of design, color, geometry, and the art of a seamstress to make a quilt. That is the technology of quilt making. The media of a Quiltmakers art is the fabric, thread, batting, needles,scissors and the sewing machine. The result is a finished product that lasts many generations.
Likewise in the K-12 e-learning environment a teacher could use the expertise and knowledge of technology to teach a unit for example on the ocean. They could use their knowledge of presentation tools such as Power Point to enrich their lesson. Many students are at a cultural disadvantage. People on the west coast or east coast take for granted that oceans are a common thing. Everyone knows about oceans. Even the tiniest toddler living there had soaked their toes at the beach. Not so for many Arizona children. The largest body of water most of them have seen is maybe a pond at the park, or if they're lucky Big Surf.
I remember the first time I saw the ocean in San Diego. I had seen plenty of fresh water: Lake Michigan, the Mississippi, and the strip pits of Indiana, but I had no physical idea of an ocean pre-internet days. I was shocked at how salty it was! Like a half glass of water filled with salt ( which would be a great manipulative for group study in a classroom). I had read Moby Dick, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island and all the great sea stories. A friend of mine, and fellow teacher was Native American, she too went with me to San Diego. She related at how awed she was at seeing that much water. She had seen maps of the ocean, and she knew intellectually most of the planet was water. She related how almost frightening it was to actually grasp how big the ocean was. Nothing but water for as far as she could see to the horizon. I am sure students who have never seen the ocean (most of the central and western united states) would have similar culture shock experiences.
How can I , as a teacher, bring to these students a cultural awareness of all things oceanic? I have the technological knowledge of how to use the media tools. Now I just need to offer it to the students to experience. First by reading some of the favorite Ocean Stories, from Commotion in the Ocean (Pre-K) to Aku Aku , and Kon Tiki (12+). They could watch a video of "Nemo" or "Little Mermaid" (K-6), or tie it in to history with Titanic (10-12). Some of my math students (Pre-Calculus) studied videos of the tsunami and it brought to life how fast a tsunami travels. It's one thing to use a formula to calculate that a tsunami travels as fast as a jet plane, but another to watch how fast and how powerful the ocean can be in real life. We discussed the warning systems in place on the ocean. What would early warning do to the ramifications to life and property damage. Hurricane Katrina also tells the tale of how a logarithmic versus a geometric scale makes a big difference in real life whether you have a relatively mild storm or one which devastates land.
Using technology and media can bring real life problems to the classroom. How can students solve these problems? What would they do in this scenario? A web site like the Weather Channel has many really interesting problem solving activities. So a teacher could use many different kinds of media to help culturally enrich students lives, plus give them a taste of the real world. After this a math teacher would never hear "Nobody uses this stuff in real life.'
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