Interactivity #2: The History of Technology in Schools
Instructional films changed the way classrooms functioned and indoctrinated a whole generation of students into accepting societal norms, values, and beliefs.
This is truly one of the most significant tools used by educators as a means of assimilating a large influx of immigrants during a volatile period in American History and beyond. As most of us probably recall from our Education History class, many of our nation’s lawmakers were concerned with the massive number of new immigrants and their non-Democratic way of life. This concern helped spawn the Progressive Era in education where schools were used to teach children to become citizens in a democracy. These instructional films influenced many generations of Americans and their beliefs, and their contribution to our present culture cannot be ignored.
I think that the image here is pretty interesting in relationship to the caption. It reads, “What were they really learning?” to which you respond accepting societal norms, values and beliefs. I think the strongest function of film is to see a world that a viewer may not access to see under normal circumstances. For the English classroom, this allows a brand new world of interaction. A portion of fiction functions through the ability to empathize vicariously through the viewpoint of another, and film allows a reader to better their ability to do this. Instructional videos in particular allow students to become active with concepts that may be foreign to them. It is difficult to fully understand the landscape of a place you have never seen before, let alone understand a series of events that happens in a this unacquainted terrain. Overall, it makes learning more accessible by taking out the added pressure of having to know an abundance of detail about any given entity, which reduces some distracting elements that take the focus away from learning.
The film titles surrounding the classroom in the picture are the most interesting part of the image to me because of the content of schools at that time. Education consisted of what one’s values and views should be rather than the encouragement of free thinking. Your “What were they really learning” comment says a great deal about the material in the films. Not only were the chosen films attempting to change the ways students thought, but they were disconnecting the teacher from the students. I can’t imagine what it would be like to watch films as a substitute to actual conversations about topics that matter to the class. Chapter 2 and the article (A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools) definitely brought some images to mind and your picture is a great presentation of that. I’m not sure if all the students in the class are women (I’m thinking they probably are) and if so then the gender roles of the time are reinforced with the messages, especially “control your emotions” and “mind your manners.” It really is fascinating to learn the history of technology in schools and to see that education has come a long way.
I also believe that films have become very important in the classroom especially if it is an English classroom. I like the picture you used and how it says what were they really learning because it was debate able that they weren't really learning anything. In the article where Grace speaks about her great grandmother and grandmother, she says that her grandmother was not for it and didn't feel that her students were learning anything with the films. She would have rather them critically analyze them then just use them as a reference. I believe that films are a great visual aid for the students especially if they are reading Shakespeare or a complex novel. It just depends on how the teacher utilizes the films.
This is truly one of the most significant tools used by educators as a means of assimilating a large influx of immigrants during a volatile period in American History and beyond. As most of us probably recall from our Education History class, many of our nation’s lawmakers were concerned with the massive number of new immigrants and their non-Democratic way of life. This concern helped spawn the Progressive Era in education where schools were used to teach children to become citizens in a democracy. These instructional films influenced many generations of Americans and their beliefs, and their contribution to our present culture cannot be ignored.
ReplyDeleteI think that the image here is pretty interesting in relationship to the caption. It reads, “What were they really learning?” to which you respond accepting societal norms, values and beliefs. I think the strongest function of film is to see a world that a viewer may not access to see under normal circumstances. For the English classroom, this allows a brand new world of interaction. A portion of fiction functions through the ability to empathize vicariously through the viewpoint of another, and film allows a reader to better their ability to do this. Instructional videos in particular allow students to become active with concepts that may be foreign to them. It is difficult to fully understand the landscape of a place you have never seen before, let alone understand a series of events that happens in a this unacquainted terrain. Overall, it makes learning more accessible by taking out the added pressure of having to know an abundance of detail about any given entity, which reduces some distracting elements that take the focus away from learning.
ReplyDeleteThe film titles surrounding the classroom in the picture are the most interesting part of the image to me because of the content of schools at that time. Education consisted of what one’s values and views should be rather than the encouragement of free thinking. Your “What were they really learning” comment says a great deal about the material in the films. Not only were the chosen films attempting to change the ways students thought, but they were disconnecting the teacher from the students. I can’t imagine what it would be like to watch films as a substitute to actual conversations about topics that matter to the class. Chapter 2 and the article (A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools) definitely brought some images to mind and your picture is a great presentation of that. I’m not sure if all the students in the class are women (I’m thinking they probably are) and if so then the gender roles of the time are reinforced with the messages, especially “control your emotions” and “mind your manners.” It really is fascinating to learn the history of technology in schools and to see that education has come a long way.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that films have become very important in the classroom especially if it is an English classroom. I like the picture you used and how it says what were they really learning because it was debate able that they weren't really learning anything. In the article where Grace speaks about her great grandmother and grandmother, she says that her grandmother was not for it and didn't feel that her students were learning anything with the films. She would have rather them critically analyze them then just use them as a reference. I believe that films are a great visual aid for the students especially if they are reading Shakespeare or a complex novel. It just depends on how the teacher utilizes the films.
ReplyDelete