CPB Article and Television in Schools

Not long ago Jared posted on his blog a survey about how television should be used in schools. One of my frustrations was that there was no "multiple selection" option with that poll. After all, as the CPB article points out, television (and video media) have a wide range of possibilities and potential in our classrooms. Yes, it can be used (like the "ideal" poll choice) to underline and emphasize content. And it still remains true that it is often a "Friday free time" activity that is used to keep students calm while we grade tests or plan other activities. It's also used as a reward for good behavior, to replace traditional lecture, and to show students how PG-13 "Romeo and Juliet" really is.

So are these tools wrong? And whi isn't video more prevalent in classrooms? I think the problem is how such videos HAVE been used, and not how they COULD be used. For example, I don't think schools need more "Friday free time." We do not need more teachers turning on PBS's free American History series to lull students to sleep for an hour. We don't need more Romeo and Juliet. What we need is video to be used more effectively, and if not, than perhaps less. After all, if not used to its potential, why have it at all. Surely there are more worthwhile activities? Like a teacher using a computer merely to show students images from picsearch, a television being used for only the above could be better used in another room, class, faculty lounge, or school.

What we need is more video that is used while "teaching" in the form outlined in the article. Teachers who give background information and context. Teachers who make clear expectations and outlines with videos. Teachers who set length and preview the content, using curriculum standards or lesson plans to justify use. And finally we need more videos that are shown by teachers who connect footage to the real world. Helping students piece together glimpses of their world, so that they may make judgements and analysis on what they have seen is the "higher level thinking" we are aiming for.

As was examined in class, when students can connect sound, image, text, and information all together, they are more likely to retain, understand, and utilize information. Thus the First Amendment, as taught by School House Rock, may be more effective in helping students remember its Five Basic Rights better than the characters on the Simpsons.