Of the reasons to use media for teaching and learning, three of the most apparent in my opinion, are:
- to support diverse learners and meet their learning needs
- to provide students with multiple formats of input
- to present concepts/information that are made more clear by multimedia
From my professional experience I have seen how beneficial technology and media can be to enhance students' learning and increase engagement. The consistent integration of technology into classroom instruction is somewhat novel, and I have found that students still get excited when learning software, applications, and tools are used. This can increase their participation interest in the content. Resources such as news articles, documentaries, and social media can be used to present diverse viewpoints allowing students to analyze different sides of a subject and form a deeper understanding of an issue.
As a learner, I often seek out multimedia resources-- such as TEDtalks, professional panel discussions, presentations, and virtual simulations-- to support assigned readings, build background to increase my understanding of material, and acquire knowledge that would not be possible with text alone.