Acquiring Knowledge

The goal for our students is to learn the county-selected curriculum. Kids today are accustomed to multimedia (transmissions that combine media like text, graphics, full-motion video, sound etc.) because it makes their toys, games and computer activities more engaging. Television launched a change in how students like to learn. Sesame Street created a generation of kids who liked color, songs, puppets, and lots of action. It also created kids who learn in fifteen-minute increments and then pause for commercial breaks.

The legacy of shows like Sesame Street and electronic games is that teachers need to enlist multimedia aids to hold students’ attention. Videotapes are great, but they come in set lengths with no easy way of knowing about or finding the specific information available on the tapes. Laserdiscs honed in on the idea that it may just take a video segment to convey an idea. The discs were split into chapters and the teacher could scan directly to a desired starting point. However, the discs were large, the information was cataloged in such a way that a lot of reading was required to find the desired segment of information, and the equipment was expensive. As a result, teachers did not have time or the money to invest to use the tool effectively. Laserdiscs went the way of the 8-track tape.

With the ability to digitize and compress video and send it over cable lines came the answer to how video can be used efficiently in our schools. Some very smart people acquired the rights to a lot of educational footage, which they digitized and indexed so that topics can be found WITHIN each video. Each video is segmented by topic and aligned with state standards. The content of the video database is searchable by grade, objective, and/or subject. Only the pertinent segment of video needs to be used to convey the information that will lead to student understanding. No excess information needs to be shown, so students can focus precisely on the lesson’s objectives.

My school system subscribes to Discovery Education Streaming, which claims to be used in more than half the schools in the United States. Discovery Education Streaming provides video on demand. Enhancing lessons with video has been shown to promote retention because information is being delivered to multiple senses. Students who are aural learners and students who need visuals will benefit from video use. The information delivery format used by the teachers, aids in varying instruction, zeroes in on the objectives for learning, and is popular with students. Video streaming allows for a confluence of solid educational practices to be implemented and promotes student understanding.