Week 3

Rose and Meyer claim that digital media is superior to traditional media because it is more flexible and can circumnavigate the barriers to learning that occur when the brain's networks fail to act in a fully functional manner. While I agree that digital media offers many benefits when working with diverse learners, I think Rose and Meyer overestimate it's power when they state, "In the years ahead, however, it is clear that text only instuction will give way to a more deliberate application of multimedia. (Rose and Meyer.)" In the first place, very little instruction takes place today as text only media in any classroom. Readings are discussed; visuals are presented; classrooms are rich with suppemental learning activities.

I question how digital media differs greatly when my own assignment consists of reading ten+ pages of text on a computer screen. The presentation of the material for this assignment did not differ much from any traditional media presentations. There were some aspects of the presentation that were helpful, i.e. having links to definitions for terms only a click away. However, as far as the brain's function, it seems that the same recognition, strategic and affective networks were employed. If I were a student who had difficulty with word recognition in a book, I would have had that same difficulty with an onscreen presentation of text. Learning activities are going to need to look very different if they are going to replace traditional media. And, as far as literature...I just can't see taking a good computer down to the beach to read on a summer day.