"Tell me and I will forget"
"Show me and I will remember"
"Involve me and I will understand"

Confucius

“Showing” and “involving” are two of the biggest assets of today’s electronic technology that we as librarians/teachers are fortunate enough to provide to our patrons and students in creating new atmospheres for learning. Using technology, students “develop skills for problem solving, creativity, collaboration, and lifelong learning.”[1] Electronic materials create interest and motivate students to learn. They allow students to be able to see what they have been learning about – a virtual museum tour can expose them to the wonders of some of the finest museums in the world (e.g., The Field Museum in Chicago found at http://www.fmnh.org). Not only are students able to see many items in the museum, but the website provides additional information which creates further discussion in the classroom. A virtual field trip provides a trip that might not have otherwise been taken and an experience that might otherwise have been lost (e.g., http://www.ven.org/utahlink/tours). Other virtual experiences can “promote multiculturalism by helping teachers and students explore the stories of peoples from other racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds that may not have been otherwise represented in textbooks”[2] (e.g., http://search.eb.com/blackhistory/).

Electronic materials blend with traditional materials by enhancing each other – the book that has often been read becomes much more exciting when the characters come

to life in a movie production. Additionally, DVD movies often have supplementary features that provide interviews with the director, discuss how the book was adapted into a movie, include a documentary about a particular aspect of the movie, give background into the country in which the movie was made, etc. This material allows the imagination to expand and entices the viewer to be more creative in designing an art project or preparing a paper for a creative writing class (e.g., Tim Haines’ book Walking with Dinosaurs: Natural History and the DVD The Complete Walking With Collection).

Students are becoming explorers through the unique, positive elements of electronic formats which build self-esteem by allowing the student to be in control. Interactive software takes students “out” of the classroom and exposes them to new dimensions, allowing them to instantly create something which can be printed for all to see or perhaps take a quiz and receive immediate feedback, thereby reinforcing correct responses and helping a student to remember and learn (i.e., see I Dig Dinosaurs CD-Rom to experience excavating and reassembling dinosaur bones). Having access to CD-Rom encyclopedias provides students with the latest information not found in the encyclopedias located in their library and, combining that with information from the Internet, gives access to research that is often only hours old, allowing a student to truly give an up-to-date report (see http://www.britannica.com). Student communication skills are also enhanced with usage of electronic materials as various projects encourage brainstorming, constructive criticism, and collaboration in determining the most advantageous methods in which to complete an assignment.

Electronic materials not only challenge students but they can also encourage the challenged, the student with disabilities. Students with poor vision can enlarge print on a screen, blind students can have text spoken to them, and physically handicapped students can use voice recognition software to “type” on a computer. These electronic “tools” are “effectively reducing barriers to learning, thereby reducing the costs associated with expensive and time-consuming adaptations or pull-out programs.” [3]

“Because we know from research that the brain learns best when it takes in information through multiple senses, the most powerful, promising education combines excellent content with tools that are interactive and audio-visual.”[4] Computers, the Internet, interactive software, databases, virtual museums and field trips are all forms of electronic media that can and should be used with the traditional classroom tools of books, microscopes, crayons and pencils to enhance teaching and promote the learning process. In summary, these electronic resources provide:

•“Access to resources and expertise brought together from different parts of the globe to teach learners anytime, anywhere.

•Multisensory experiences in which learners can read, hear, interact, and create their own variations.

•Rich content, including digitized versions of a variety of rare materials, which visitors can be guided through by scholars and other knowledgeable experts.

•Self-directed opportunities that allow learners to make their own choices about which direction or sequence they wish to go and at what pace.”[5]

Electronic media are, therefore, essential in the classroom to:

"to show what it is we are talking about,"
"to involve and thereby increase understanding,"
"to assist in remembering, thus to impart knowledge."

Created by Karen Millis, 6/20/2003

[1] Muir, Mike and JoLynne Crout. “The Technology Rich Classroom Project: Where Learning Soars.” Found at http://www.webcom.com/journal/muir/html

[2] Jackson, Zoevera Ann. “Using Virtual Learning Spaces to Promote Multiculturalism.” TechLearning, June 1, 2003. Found at http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/zjackson.html

[3] Behrmann, June. “Electronic Materials Can be Important for Students with Disabilities.” Teaching Exceptional Children (Nov/Dec 2001), 87.

[4] O’Brien, Peggy, PhD. Cable in the Classroom – Press Release, April 1, 2003. Found at http://www.ciconline.org

[5] Cable in the Classroom – Press Release, April 1, 2003. Found at http://www.ciconline.org