Television heavily captured the attention of children while in school in the mid 20th century by influencing their learning and allowing them to visualize the written word in a way that the radio never did.
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Images found via Google Images searches
TV film picture background: http://www.wa2ise.com/radios/tv.html
Radio picture: http://www.anythinggoes.fm/anythinggoes/?page_id=247
Girard,
ReplyDeleteYour image and statement were similar to mine in that I feel that the use of televisions can be beneficial in classrooms. As a future history teacher, I feel that documentaries would be very helpful in my class because it would feature images and people from the time periods that I would be teaching. I'm assuming that as a future English teacher you would favor film adaptations of novels to show in class, though I could be wrong. How do you feel about instructional films and their use in schools? Personally, I feel that they are basically taking away the role of teachers and do not effectively teach students. What do you think?
Rob, I do believe that instructional videos can be supplemental materials for education but cannot be the main focus within the classroom. As an English major, film adaptations will help hone the attention of students but cannot be their primary method of instruction and learning. It should only give them another viewpoint that the text already gives them. Films and TV programs that are adapted from books and narratives help to reinvigorate the text from different point of views but should not be the basis of understanding about something students have read already.
ReplyDeleteGirard, I feel that your image shows the technological progression in education very well. It is humorous, in that, the radio seems to literally be spinning/thrown out of the picture to make room for television. I would most certainly agree with this progression in education, as can be seen in the video we watched and the readers for this particular interactivity. You seem to be showing the positive aspects of technology - specifically television - with your caption. Yet, you've stated in your reply to Rob, that you feel television in English classes should not be the focus. How would you balance television and movie adaptations of literature with the actual readings you'll have to teach in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteLiz, I do think that television is/was a productive aid for education of students but it cannot be the only aid to rely on. When it was introduced into classrooms, teachers did not embrace it as much as people might think. Educators originally considered it difficult to pinpoint in purpose and had difficulty incorporating its "abilities" into their lessons. In my opinion, as much has television has helped advance technology in a classroom, it has also immensely distorted education for students by allowing them to heavily rely on newer or more recent adaptations of classics to be their main knowledge base. I feel that students would benefit from seeing an adaptation but it cannot be their basis for understanding within a text. It should compliment their thoughts after reading.
DeleteIn a balanced classroom, I would try to have students understand a text as best as possible before incorporating a film adaptation to help them. It would be beneficial for them to understand the differences between the different mediums as well as the importance or creative liberties when something is adapted. Hopefully by following this pedagogical approach, students will have a well-rounded understanding of a given text and can then compare and contrast it efficiently.
Hi Girard, You, Rob and Lizz have an interesting conversation going on here. I love the quote you chose to support your image. I believe you rather eloquently expressed an important difference between radio and television. The readings and video assigned with this project stated that radio was rarely used in the classroom. We know from research that many people do not learn in exclusively one manner. The radio would have been useful only to auditory learners, while the television appealed to and is useful to both auditory and visual learners. This progression is very useful to a language classroom, even more so because the word patterns of English tend to stray from their rules very often. Kids won't learn to spell from only hearing the English language, they must see it as well. It could be interesting to show a film version of a novel, turn the sound off, and turn on closed captioning to determine student comprehension based on their interpretation of only the film images and words. You could mix chapters with that approach, oral reading, role-play, silent reading and audio books for a pretty interactive unit that appeals to all types of learners.
ReplyDeleteLaura! HOLY MOLY! Your approach to a given text actually blew my mind just now. I had never thought to incorporate a film to a given text by making the students READ the dialogue between characters ON THE SCREEN. It is true that it would allow them to see differences between the text and the film in such a dynamic way that is truly different from the ways that I have been taught prior. I am still speechless. I think it would also help them easily navigate the differences between the textual base and how directors who choose to incorporate their own creative devices and liberty with a given adaptation, immensely change the impact of certain events. I like your ideas, and hope to one day incorporate them into my teaching.
DeleteI liked that you choice television and radio as your chosen technology because I feel too often it is shunned in the classroom. In my high school, we were restricted to only 20 minute intervals of film time. I'm glad that you made a note that television is a great way to reach students and deliver necessary information within schools. Like Robert Rivera brought up and you responded, I agree that film adaptations could serve as a great way to show students different interpretations of readings while also allowing students to enjoy a story through a visual engagement. It allows students to see if their imagination matched up with another while allowing them to think critically about how events are presented in a film.
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