Lesson XII

THE POWER OF FILM, VIDEO AND TV IN THE CLASSROOM

              The film, the video and the tv are indeed very powerful.  Dale (1969) says, they can:
§  Transmit a wide range of  audio – visual materials, including still pictures, films, objects, specimens and dramas.
§  Bring model of excellence to the viewer – we can see and hear the excellent scientist like John Glenn, the excellent speakers and Master teacher s who lecture and demonstrate a teaching method for professional development of teachers.


§  Bring the world of reality to the home and through the classroom through  a “live” broadcast or as mediated through film or videotape. – Not all of us have the opportunity to see   life underneath the sea. But with tv, we are able to see life at the bottom of the sea right there in our sala or bedroom through  discovery Channel, for example.


§  Make us see and hear for ourselves world events as they happen. With a sense of helplessness, we witnessed the fire that engulfed homes in San Diego, California in October 2007 as it happened through tv. When the strong earthquake shook Baguio,  Agoo, Dagupan and Nueva Ecija, Philippines on July 16, 1990, the aftermath of the earthquake was shown live in tv.


§  Be the most believable news source


§  Make some programs understandable  and appealing to a wide variety of age and educational levels. Literate and illiterate, young and old – all benefit from the common experiences  that the tv transmits.


§  Become a greater  equalizer of educational opportunity because programs can be presented over national and regional networks.


§  Provide us with sounds and sights not easily available even to the viewer of a real event through long shots, close ups, zooms shots, magnification and spilt screen made possible by the t camera – afraid of the mammoth crowd every time Baguio celebrates the panagbenga (Flower festival), I prefer to stay home and watch it in tv. With the versatile camera, I can have more close up  view than those watching it from session  Road.


§  Can give opportunity to teachers to view themselves while they teach for purposes of self – improvement  - teachers can’t view  themselves while they teach but with video cam and  tv they can view themselves while they teach after.


§  Can be both instructive and enjoyable – with sights and sounds and motion, tv is much more enjoyable.
While the film, video and tv can do so much, they have their own limitation, too.
§  Television and film are one way communication device. Consequently, they encourage passivity. Today, however we talk about and work on interactive classrooms for effective learning. We are convinced that learning is an active process and so the learner must be actively engaged.


§  The small screen  size puts television at a disadvantage when compared with the possible size of projected motion picture, for example. With new technology, how is this remedied?


§  Excessive tv viewing works against the development of the child’s ability to visualize and to be creative and imaginative, skills that are needed in problem solving. (http://www. Publicschoolreview.com/articles/21)


§  There is much violence in tv . this is the irrefutable conclusion. “viewing violence increases violence”. (American Psychological Association Youth Commission)

Basic Procedures in the Use of TV as a Supplementary EnrichmentFor enrichment of the lesson with the use of tv, we have to do the following:§  Prepare the classroom. ( If your school has a permanent viewing room, the classroom preparatory work will be less for you)
-          Darken the room. Remember that complete darkness is not advisable for tv viewing. Your students may need to take down notes while viewing.
-          The students should not be seated too near nor too far from the tv. No student should be farther from the seat than the number of feet that the picture represents in inches. A 24 – inch set means no student farther than 24 feet from the set. (Dale, 1969).


§  Pre – viewing activities
-          Set goals and expectations. Why are you viewing the tv? What is expected of you students? State clearly.
-          Link the tv lesson with past lesson and / or with your students’ experiences for integration and relevance.
-          Set the rules while viewing. Will you allow them to take down notes? Or are you providing them with notes afterwards?
-          Put the film in context. Give a brief background, if necessary.
-          Point out the key points they need to focus on. it helps if you give them guide questions which become the foci or post – viewing discussions. Omit this, if you are using an interactive video and the resource speaker himself/herself gives the questions for interactive discussion in the process of viewing.


§  Viewing
-          Don’t interrupt viewing by inserting cautions and announcements you forgot  to give during the previewing stage. It disrupts and dampens interest.
-          Just make sure sights and sounds are clear. You were suppose to have checked on these when you did your pre – viewing.


§  Post – viewing
-          To make them feel  at ease begin by asking the following questions:
1. What  do you like best in the film?
2. What part of the film makes you wonder? doubt?
3. Does the film remind you of something or someone?
4. What questions are you asking about the film? (Write them down. You have not to end the class without answering them to make   your students feel that everyone and everything matter. Nothing or nobody is taken for granted.)


§  Go to the questions you raised at the pre – viewing stage. Engage the students  in the discussion of answers. Check for understanding.


§  Tackle questions raised by students at the initial stage of the post – viewing discussion. Involve the rest of the class. If questions cannot be answered, not even you can answer them, motivate the class to do further reading on the topic and share their answers the next meeting. You will not be exempted from the assignment.


§  Ask what the students learned. Find out how they can apply what they learned. Several techniques can be used for this purpose. A simple yet effective technique is the completion of unfinished sentence. E. g. From this film I learned_________________. I can apply the lesson I learned in/by _____.
§  Summarize what was learned. You may include whatever transpired in the class discussions in the summary but don’t forget to base your summary on your lesson objectives.