Chapter Report Unit 8 :: Video

 

Video Formats

    Video versions of the moving image are recorded on tape or disc, each packaged in forms that vary in size, shape, speed, recording method, and playback mechanism. 

• Videotape, the VHS 1/2 inch format is a preferred medium for commercial distribution of moving images. VHS is also the currently preferred format for amateur and nonstudio production of recorded moving images in education. 
• DVD (digital videodisc), is a medium offering digital storage and playback of full-motion video. Video images can be converted into a digital format. Digital video images can be manipulated, stored, duplicated, and replayed without loss of quality. 
• Videodisc, laserdisc images are sharper than those from videotape. Videodisc images have a horizontal resolution of 350 lines, compared with 240 lines for a videocassette. Also, the audio quality of videodisc is significantly better than that of videotape. Videodiscs images can be "stepped through" frame-by-frame, can be "scanned" or played at various speeds in both forward and reverse. In addition, videodiscs have two audio tracks, for either separate narrations or stereo audio. 
• Internet Video, Video also can be delivered via the internet, usually using streaming video. The same technique can also be used with sound alone. The video content is actually downloading to the user's computer in a series of small information packets that arrive shortly before the viewer sees (or hears) the material. 

Special Attributes of Video

• Manipulation of Time, Video permits us to increase or decrease the amount of time required to observe an event and we can take out pieces of time. 

1. Compression of time, video can compress the time it takes to observe an event. We have all seen moving images of the flower slowly opening before our eyes. This technique, known as time-lapse, has important instructional uses. 
2. Expansion of time, time can also be expanded in motion media through a technique called slow motion. 

• Manipulation of Space, motion media permit us to view phenomena in microcosm and macrocosm--that is, at extremely close range or from a vast distance. 
• Animation, time and space can also be manipulated by animation. This is a technique in which are the producer takes advantages of persistence of vision to give motion to otherwise inanimate objects. 
• Understanding Video Conventions, the devices and techniques used in the video to manipulate time and space employ what are for most of us readily accepted conventions. Video is not alone in its reliance on accepted conventions for interpretation and appreciation. 

Advantages

• Motion, moving images have an obvious advantage over still visuals in portraying concepts in which motion is essential to mastery.
• Process, 
• Risk-free observation, video allows learners to observe phenomena that might be dangerous to view directly.
• Dramatization, dramatic recreations can bring historical events and personalities to life.
• Skill learning, research indicates that mastery of physical skills requires repeated observation and practice. 
• Affective learning, 
• Problem-solving
• Cultural Understanding
• Establishing Commonality, by viewing video programs together. 

Limitations

• Fixed pace, although videos can be stopped for discussion, this is not usually done in group showings.
• Talking head, many videos, especially in the house production, consist mostly of close-ups of people talking.
• Still phenomena, although the video is advantageous for concepts that involve motion, it may be unsuitable for other topics where a detailed study of a single visual is involved.
• Misinterpretation, documentaries and dramatizations often present a complex a sophisticated treatment of an issue.
• Abstract, nonvisual instruction, video is poor at presenting abstract, nonvisual information. The preferred medium for words alone is text. 
• Logistics, in schools videos, tend to be stored in the media centre rather than in the classroom.

Integration

Educational Applications

1. Cognitive Skills, in the cognitive domain, learners can observe dramatically recreations of historical events and actual recordings of more recent events.
2. Demonstrations, demonstrations of motor skills can be more easily seen through media than in real life, if you are teaching a step-by-step process, you can show it in real-time, sped up to give an overview, or slowed down to show specific details. 
3. Virtual Field Trip, videos can take students to places they might not be able to go otherwise. 
4. Documentary, video is the primary medium for documenting actual events and bringing them into classroom. The documentary deals with fact, not fiction or fictionalized versions of fact.
5. Dramatization, video has the power to hold your students spellbound as a human drama unfolds before their eyes. 
6. Discussion Basis, by viewing a video program together, a diverse group of learners can build a common base of experience as a catalyst for discussion. They can practice their interpersonal skills before a camera, watch themselves, and receive feedback from peers and instructors. 
7. Attitude Development, most educational presentations target recipients cognitive or psychomotor domains of learning. Attitudes can be influenced by role models and dramatic messages on video. 
8. Reports and Portfolios, students can use excerpts from videos as a part of oral reports, turning the sound off and using their own narration. 
9. Training, video is the most frequently used training medium by a business. 
10. Classroom Access, school-owned video collections are increasing in size--more than doubling, on average, every few years. 

Selecting Video 

• Locating Materials, program guides and directories can help keep you abreast of available materials in your areas of interest and guide you toward the selection of materials best suited to your particular teaching needs. 
• Appraising Videos, after you have located some potentially useful videos, you will want to preview and appraise them. A good appraisal form will be brief enough not to be intimidating but complete enough to help individuals choose materials that may be useful for current and future applications. 
• Sponsored Videos, private companies, association, and government agencies sponsor videos for a variety of reasons. Many sponsored materials can be valuable additions to classroom instruction. Modern talking picture service is one of the major distributors of sponsored videos. 

Producing Video 

    In-house video refers to videos produced within one's own classroom or company. With in-house video production, students and instructors are not limited to off-the-shelf materials but can with reasonable ease prepare custom materials. Other applications that emphasize the local aspect of video production include the following:

• dramatization of student stories, songs, and poems
• student documentaries of school or neighbourhood issues
• preservation of local folklore
• demonstrations of science experiments and safety drills
• replays of field trips for in-class followup 
• career information on local business

1. Analog Video Production, video production requires a camera, a recorder, a microphone, and perhaps editing equipment. Most cameras are of the viewfinder type. A hand-held camera usually comes with a microphone built into the front of the camera. This microphone has automatic level control, a feature that automatically adjusts the volume to keep the sound at an audible level.
2. Digital Video Editing, refers to the means by which video can be taken apart and put back together nonlinearly using a computer and associated software.

Utilizing Video

• Preview the Materials, you should always preview video materials for appraisal and selection, and should also check them after they arrive in the classroom. 
• Preview the Materials,  you will need to schedule the video and the appropriate playback equipment. Set up and check the equipment for proper operation before the students arrive.
• Prepare the Environment, before students can learn from any media presentation, they first have to be able to see it and hear it.
• Prepare the Learners, research in educational psychology, as well as the practical experience of thousands of teachers in all sorts of settings, demonstrate that learning is greatly enhanced when learners are prepared for the coming activity. 
• Provide the Learning Experience, you should therefore refer to the manufacture's manual for information about the operating principles and procedures of the particular piece of equipment you are using. 

Require Learner Participation

    If active participation was not explicitly built into the video program, it is all the more important to stimulate response after the presentation. The possibilities for follow-up activities are virtually limitless. Common techniques include the following:

• discussion, question and answer sessions, buzz groups, panel discussions, debates
• dramatization, role-playing, skits, oral presentations
• project, experiments, reports, exhibits, models, etc.

Evaluate and Revise

    You can informally assess student learning by observing performance during follow-up activities. In many cases, though, more formal testing serves a valuable purpose. First, tests that are followed by feedback of correct answers can provide an efficient review and summary of the main point of the lesson. Second, objective tests can help pinpoint gaps that need to be followed up in the classroom and can identify individuals who need remedial help.