Media Influence on Learning.

With the assignment we were given this week of contributing to the debate of whether media influences learning, I thought back to the presentation given by last week's group. We were all broken into groups and supplied instructions on how to make a lotus flower. Some groups were given traditional forms of learning, others were given various forms of media. In regards to the debate we had, did the various forms of media influence the learning of that individual group? Though in the debate I argued for Clark, I can see Kozma's argument. Some groups came out with much nicer lotus flowers than the other groups. If this was not a result of the various forms of media and their influences, what was it a result of?

Age Old Questions

We have all had that teacher. The teacher who was so boring that his or her class still gives you nightmares. What went wrong in the classroom? They knew the material; they came prepared to class; and they even spent time on their lessons. None of this equaled a successful classroom experience for the learner. Why?!

Is this a question Instructional Design has an answer for? I mean, could Instructional Design help boring teachers become exciting? Is instruction enough, or does it really come down to some people lack of charisma? In that case, could we teach charisma? Are there skills we cannot teach teachers?

I for one believe there are skills we cannot teach; no matter how good our analysis. For instance, we cannot teach passion for teaching; we cannot teach patience for learners; nor can we teach a sincere caring for learners' success. We can fix overcrowded classrooms and how teachers format their lessons; but are these issues what really produce the most success? or are the most important issues also the most elusive issues for instructional designers?

Could anyone use an Instructional Design process to break down, package, and deliver charisma, passion, or caring?