“ Next to the home and school, I believe television to have a
more profound influence on the human race than any other medium of
communication.” – Edgar Dale
The film, video and TV are powerful instructional tools.
When they re used appropriately and moderately, they can make the
teaching-learning process more concrete, lively, colorful and interactive. It
contributes to a more lasting learning because of its visual, audio and motion
effects. These effects make learning fun. However, misuse and abuse of their
use in the classroom and even at home has far reaching damaging effects in the
development of children’s imaginative and thinking powers and sensitivity to
human life. The most significantly cited weakness of the tv is the effect of tv
violence on peoples’ aggressive behavior.
With the coming of the VCR, viewing need or not to be passive
anymore. We can have interactive viewing with VCR.
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, film, objects, specimens
and drama.
- Bring model of
excellence to the viewer
- Bring the world of
reality to the home and to the classroom through a “live” broadcast or as
mediated through film or videotape.
- Make us see and hear
for ourselves world events as they happen.
- Be the most believable
news source
- Make some programs
understandable and appealing to a wide variety of age educational levels.
- Become a great
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, zoom shots, magnification and split screen made possible by
the TV camera.
- Can give opportunity
to teachers to view themselves while they teach for purposes of self –
improvement.
- Can be both
instructive and enjoyable.
While the film, video
and tv can do so much, they have their own limitations too:
- Television and films
are one – way communication device consequently, they encourage passivity.
- The small screen size
puts television at a disadvantage when compared with the possible size of
projected motion pictures.
- 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.
- There is much violence
in tv. This is the irrefutable conclusion, “viewing violence increases violence”.
Basic Procedures in
the use of TV as a Supplementary Enrichment.
Darken the room but not completely so the students can
take down notes.
Ø Set goals and
expectations.
Viewing
Ø Don’t interrupt
viewing by inserting cautions and announcements you forgot to give during the
pre-viewing stage. It disrupts and dampens interest.
Post-viewing
To make them feel at ease begin by asking the following
questions:
1. What do you like best in the film?
Go to the questions you raised at the pre-viewing stage.
The film, video and TV are powerful instructional tools. When they re used appropriately and moderately, they can make the teaching-learning process more concrete, lively, colorful and interactive. It contributes to a more lasting learning because of its visual, audio and motion effects. These effects make learning fun. However, misuse and abuse of their use in the classroom and even at home has far reaching damaging effects in the development of children’s imaginative and thinking powers and sensitivity to human life. The most significantly cited weakness of the tv is the effect of tv violence on peoples’ aggressive behavior.
