This post was edited by Sarah Nakamoto on Sep, 2020
In recalling your experience with the "Voyage of the Mimi" project, and the mixed reception that it received, you once again ask us to confront the decades long question about the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. From the days of our youth when television was touted as a potentially important educational medium (in the '50's; how far we've strayed!) to in-class media we variously watched as filmstrips, 35mm films, laserdiscs and CD roms (because image files were too large to reliably be delivered over the nascent internet), videotapes, to our current universal access to websites with animations, visualizations, live streaming, podcasts, virtual reality, etc. (all with teacher guides of some kind) the tension between instruction and entertainment has always been with us.
I think that the answer lies in a clear articulation of the learning goals that are addressed by the production of the instructional resources. If the goals are strictly limited to the conveyance of knowledge, then most of the multi-media outlets may be limited in their utility--do we really need high-cost production to relay information that can otherwise be found in a book (or now, a static website that acts as an archive of information)? But, if the goal is also to inspire curiosity, represent the joys of discovery (i.e. affective components of learning), or to open the world of possibilities to students who might not otherwise consider a career in science then these multi-media productions may provide a real service.
I recall that Bill Kurtis (former CBS news anchor, host of The New Explorers shown on PBS 1991-1997, and late of ATT Internet services commercials) was the keynote speaker at the NSF convocation on Shaping the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education. An excerpt from his presentation (NSF 98-73, page 51; www.scribd.com/doc/1002239/National-Science-Foundation-nsf9873) describes how he "sold" his story to audiences about the science topic of the week for The New Explorers: "The New Explorers shows typically have a "mysterious opening", then a quick explanation that tells you what the mystery is, and thus the point of the program. Sometimes it attempts to pique your interest with adventure, then moves on to esablish the mystery...We don't expect that a class or teacher will immediately absorb all the science in a particular topic with the first video showing of a story. The beauty of video is that a trained teacher can use it like a blackboard or slide presentation...it can also be used to make related points, for example, the existence of female scientists functioning as equals with male scientists. In fact, half of the New Explorers are minorities who can potentially become role models, justifying the eries in and of itself...We offer students reality--a real scientist working in the real world, brought into the classroom." Bill Kurtis is a very effective storyteller (the entertainment component), and in working his craft, he (and by extension, Voyage of the Mimi) provides an important service by imparting lessons that go beyond simple content. Entertainment is not necessarily a bad thing, nor does it necessarily detract from or dilute the underlying scientific content. It does have the ability to make the Science "come alive" to student audiences that might otherwise be disaffected.
I find it interesting that one critic viewed teachers who use instructional media as being lazy. Can this be said of any instructional media that detracts from e.g. rote recitation of the multiplication tables? As with any tool, the key is to use it appropriately. Plug-n-play is probably not the best use of instructional media, particularly if it is used only to take up time, pacify unruly students, or as a substitue for truly engaging the subject. But in the hands of a skilled teacher, instructional media can be an amazing portal to discovery--about Science itself and about personal opportunities to participate in Science.
In recalling your experience with the "Voyage of the Mimi" project, and the mixed reception that it received, you once again ask us to confront the decades long question about the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. From the days of our youth when television was touted as a potentially important educational medium (in the '50's; how far we've strayed!) to in-class media we variously watched as filmstrips, 35mm films, laserdiscs and CD roms (because image files were too large to reliably be delivered over the nascent internet), videotapes, to our current universal access to websites with animations, visualizations, live streaming, podcasts, virtual reality, etc. (all with teacher guides of some kind) the tension between instruction and entertainment has always been with us.
I think that the answer lies in a clear articulation of the learning goals that are addressed by the production of the instructional resources. If the goals are strictly limited to the conveyance of knowledge, then most of the multi-media outlets may be limited in their utility--do we really need high-cost production to relay information that can otherwise be found in a book (or now, a static website that acts as an archive of information)? But, if the goal is also to inspire curiosity, represent the joys of discovery (i.e. affective components of learning), or to open the world of possibilities to students who might not otherwise consider a career in science then these multi-media productions may provide a real service.
I recall that Bill Kurtis (former CBS news anchor, host of The New Explorers shown on PBS 1991-1997, and late of ATT Internet services commercials) was the keynote speaker at the NSF convocation on Shaping the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education. An excerpt from his presentation (NSF 98-73, page 51; www.scribd.com/doc/1002239/National-Science-Foundation-nsf9873) describes how he "sold" his story to audiences about the science topic of the week for The New Explorers: "The New Explorers shows typically have a "mysterious opening", then a quick explanation that tells you what the mystery is, and thus the point of the program. Sometimes it attempts to pique your interest with adventure, then moves on to esablish the mystery...We don't expect that a class or teacher will immediately absorb all the science in a particular topic with the first video showing of a story. The beauty of video is that a trained teacher can use it like a blackboard or slide presentation...it can also be used to make related points, for example, the existence of female scientists functioning as equals with male scientists. In fact, half of the New Explorers are minorities who can potentially become role models, justifying the eries in and of itself...We offer students reality--a real scientist working in the real world, brought into the classroom." Bill Kurtis is a very effective storyteller (the entertainment component), and in working his craft, he (and by extension, Voyage of the Mimi) provides an important service by imparting lessons that go beyond simple content. Entertainment is not necessarily a bad thing, nor does it necessarily detract from or dilute the underlying scientific content. It does have the ability to make the Science "come alive" to student audiences that might otherwise be disaffected.
I find it interesting that one critic viewed teachers who use instructional media as being lazy. Can this be said of any instructional media that detracts from e.g. rote recitation of the multiplication tables? As with any tool, the key is to use it appropriately. Plug-n-play is probably not the best use of instructional media, particularly if it is used only to take up time, pacify unruly students, or as a substitue for truly engaging the subject. But in the hands of a skilled teacher, instructional media can be an amazing portal to discovery--about Science itself and about personal opportunities to participate in Science.
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