Page 168 - Making Instruction Work

chap 14 3/14/97 5:16 PM Page 154

154 making instruction work

though they’re using big words when smaller ones will do, but
there is a reason. Media are message carriers: overhead pro-
jectors, chalkboards, computers, books, telephones, etc. They
are the things on which you “write” the information you want
to get to your students.
That’s fine, except that we use more than those media to
present instruction to our students.We often use people, either
to present information, to participate in practice requiring one
or more other people, or to assist in providing feedback. In
addition, we often use “job things,” such as machinery or
equipment, to assist with instruction and practice. We use real
automobiles for practicing auto mechanics and driving, real
heads when practicing barbering, and real rifles when practic-
ing marksmanship. Though these are critical requirements for
proper presentation of the instruction, they are not media in
the usual sense of that word. Hence the preference for “deliv-
ery system selection” rather than “media selection.”

Features vs. Benefits

You already know most of what you need to know to select
a suitable delivery system for the pieces of your course. You
know the features of most of the available media, and you
know what they are used for. That’s a big leg up. Before we
move on, though, it would be useful to think a moment about
delivery system benefits.
One feature of hydrochloric acid is that it will eat through
metal and cloth. Is that a benefit? Depends on what you’re try-
ing to accomplish. If you’re trying to etch metal, it might be an
advantage. If you’re trying quench your thirst, it is definitely a
disadvantage.
One feature of a lathe is that it can make round things. Is
that an advantage? Depends on what you’re trying to accom-
plish. If you’re trying to make a table leg, it’s an advantage. If
you’re trying to make a tin box, it’s a useless feature.