Introduction

The Internet Resources

Research

• Interest in Films as Measured by Subjective & Behavioral Ratings and Topographic EEG - The author, David Alan Kaiser, includes this interesting quote: 'Despite evidence to the contrary (Walker, 1980; Krugman, 1971), cinematic media has been essentially stigmatized in terms of cognitive and attentional requirements (Greenfield & Roos, 1988).'

• Video in Education - This particular article provides a good pedagogical overview of the advantages of using video in an instructional setting as validated by the research. Its scope is broad and deals with the full spectrum of video usage within the classroom. Briefly, it makes reference to cue-summation (Severin, 1967) and dual-code theory (Paivio, 1971, 1991) as they apply to video and film in educational settings.

• When frames collide: adapting cognitive frame analysis to a child's comprehension of narrative video - Author Janet Blatter evaluates the cognitive tasks utilized when a child views video and is then questioned to examine recall. Makes reference to movies/video being a 'pervasive part of K-12 culture' and seeks to understand how video/movie input is processed in order to evaluate how to prepare more effective educational multimedia products for children.

• From 'Learning-by-viewing' to 'learning-by-doing': a video annotation educational technology tool - The researchers question the passive use of video technologies in education and whether a more active use of video would result in a greater contribution to the learning process. Passive video usage is characterized as dynamic but vicarious. The authors argue for a more active method for viewing educational films in which the computer system presenting the film material allows for the viewer to annotate and summarize those sections of the film deemed of importance by the viewer; this annotation automatically stops the playing of the video. The article is a proposal for a presented research model but is not research itself.

Resources

• New Brunswick Education site: Learning Through Technology/e-Learning - Canadian Middle-school module for student lessons on digital video capture and editing. An entire lesson plan containing MSTE curriculum outcomes, suggested teaching strategies, reading materials.

• Using digital video to enhance learning - BBC-News article on a pilot study in the UK involving 50 schools; conclusion is that the use of digital video in the classroom can (1) increase student enthusiasm for the subject being studied; (2) motivate a wider range of students than traditional teaching methods; and (3) stimulates the development of problem-solving skills, including negotiating, thinking, reasoning and risk-taking. It was conceded that the observation period was too short to assess the impact on test results.

• Research: Teaching & Learning - Another UK site; this one containing research findings related to video and education. One study estimated that, every year, an estimated 17,000 individuals between five and 25 years of age are engaged in the production of digital video. An excerpt: 'The findings ... suggest that the informal sector is indeed providing a rich variety of creative opportunities using moving image media for young people. Clearly, the methods used by facilitators in informal teaching and learning, especially where the students are in some way marginalised or disaffected, are radically different from the kinds of practice that predominate in schools or other centres of formal learning'.

• City Voices, City Visions: Buffalo Education Partnership for Digital Arts and Communication Technologies - Homepage for the 'City Voices/City Visions!' Buffalo Education Partnership for Digital Arts and Communication Technologies, a three-year pilot program involving 30 teachers from ten Buffalo-area schools serving grades six through 12. This program provided teachers and students with access to digital video creation tools (hardware and software) to integrate student digital video production into the classroom. The goals of this project were to use the technology to foster higher levels of visual thinking, literacy strategies, and cognitive skills, particularly as applied to social-studies curriculum. The page contains links to actual student productions. This site is of interest because it deals with the learning problems faced by students in urban-area schools which typically have a higher level of minority students, a population less likely to have access to higher technology learning tools. A news article summarizing the program can be found here: http://www.buffalo.edu/reporter/vol32/vol32n3/n8.html

• Learning in the cutting room - Sherborne outlines a presentation on the use of student video production in the science classroom. Student participants conducted interviews on the subject of 'homeopathy: does it work?' with a doctor, a scientist and a homeopath. Their job was to produce a two-minute video on some sub-subject (the placebo effect, for example). Sherborne argues that the short time constraint forces the students to critically examine the not only the footage they have obtained but also the content of it, leading to a greater integration of knowledge than traditional methods which he argues leads to fragmented knowledge acquisition.

Case Studies

• INTERNET SITES FOR USE OF VIDEO IN EDUCATION - Website of links regarding video in education; scroll down to find a number of links to other websites specializing in the production of digital video, specifically the areas of lighting, sound, editing, camcorder info, online video magazines, etc.

• Video Learning Month - Apple Learning Interchange website for teachers using video technologies in the classroom. Includes a resource guides in the areas of language arts, social studies, middle-school curriculum, math and science. The site also includes a guide on the basics of video production, using digital cameras and QuickTime basics.