Message & Media Making Complex Information Understandable

Message & Media Objectives:

Distinguish between primary and mediated experiences.
Explain how media can promote experiences, including learning from others and content creation.
Provide examples of different forms of science media.

Our final module is a transition from learning about nature to teaching about what you have learned.

I’m standing at grape vines in the valley and this is the message I chose to communicate and the mode I used to relay that information. What would you have done differently?

One of the easiest ways to learn to teach something is to decide how you would modify what someone else is doing. This process can also make taking classes a lot more interesting: collecting ideas on effective teaching while learning course material.

Media communicates information, and can be used to both learn from others, and to teach about science experiences.

Media are forms of communication, the ways we store and deliver information. Media can range from writing an idea on the back of a napkin to writing a blog, or producing a video. In each case, there is a message communicated within a media form.

This video provides an overview of media, including the distinction between primary and mediated experiences.

note: correction at start of video, it should say two media pieces each week instead of three.

Living with Media

Portable technologies like smart phones, tablets, and laptops enable us to fluidly move between the two forms of media use: accessing information to learn from other people and creating media to communicate with other people.

Visual Media

This includes photos, paintings, sketches, video, animations, simulations, TV, movies, and more. Visual media has the advantage of attracting and holding attention, particularly if there is motion or novel elements. Disadvantages include the difficulty in making visual media and accessibility for individuals with limited vision.

Sound Media

This includes audio recordings, radio broadcasts, phone calls, and more. An advantage of sound media is authenticity, the brain perceives that sounds represent the real world. Effective sound experiences can be challenging to produce and relay a limited amount of information.

Print Media

This includes books, brochures, posters, advertisements, exams, quizzes, handouts, and more. Printed media has a tactile (touch) component that indicates substance and ownership. Limitations include cost, resource use, and information limited by the size and quality of the printed material.

Digital Media

This includes websites, video games, emails, texts, and more. Digital media is becoming much easier to create with portable technologies, and can encompass multiple forms of media. Digital media can be easily lost when technologies upgrade, so there is a perception of impermanence and inauthenticity.

Some of the most challenging science topics to communicate are related to conservation biology. The next three sections introduce sustainability, resource management, and personal impact.

Check your knowledge. Can you:

Distinguish between primary and mediated experiences?
Explain how media can promote experiences, including learning from others and content creation?
Provide examples of different forms of science media?