“The manipulation of multimedia materials offers a promising method of instruction. However, we still lack a theoretical framework for understanding when and how object manipulation facilitates learning. Engelkamp’s multimodal model provides a beginning of such a framework.” The author refer several studies already develop that provide some examples related to memory enhancement and critical thinking. Some of the most relevant cotes of this chapter for hands-on learning with digital media resources are:
“Triona and Klahr compared a group of children who trained on the instructional software with a group of children who trained with real springs and weights. Their result showed that children who trained with the virtual materials were as capable in correctly designing experiments as children who trained with the physical materials.”
“…manipulation helps young readers map the words to the objects they represent.”
“The enactment effect – the robust finding that acting out phrases result in better recall than reading phrases – forms the basis for the theory and for the inclusion of manipulatives in instruction.”
“…the acquisition of schematics structures requires reflecting on actions rather than simply recalling them.”
“Dynamic linking – Another potential advantage of multimedia learning environments is that actions on screen-based objects can be dynamically linked to more abstract information to establish a direct mapping between actions and mathematical structures.”
Stephen K. Ree
In Zheng, Rober Z. (2009) Cognitive Effects of Multimedia Learning, Information Science Reference
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/CRMSE/personal_pages/sreed/Manipulating_Materials.pdf
Digital Media in Education 
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