Instructional television seems to have been the most
influential form of technology during this particular time period. The entire clip seemed to revolve around its
evolution, usage and benefits. This
leads me to question as an English teacher, what place would this have in my classroom
today? From what I could gather in the
video, the instructional television was the center of learning. If learning came from this media, what role
did books play when all learning centered on watching television? This reduces the importance of reading and
analyzing in an English classroom because televisions are made the most
important teaching tool. Since the
nation wanted to stress science and math instead of English, was diverting
attention from literature to television the government’s method to accomplish
this task. Technology does not always
have to be beneficial in the classroom, especially if the instructor does not
know how to properly make use of the material to connect with their subject
area.
Television/film has had a great impact in
teaching English because of it’s difficulty in usage. Many teachers of the past used television
incorrectly. They would just use “TV
programs as a time-filler or show a movie as a reward for good behavior rather
than use it as a text for critical analysis” (Domine 46). Even when television took an educational turn
with Channel One news, the teachers
had “no control over the programming, and couldn’t really use it as part of the
classroom curriculum” (46). Historic films
can be made objective; however, when it comes to transferring literature to the
big screen, accuracy is sacrificed, as classic canon is traded for Hollywood
action shots that will generate revenue.
Students have to make
a decision because television entices them to watch more exciting films rather
than the accurately depicted ones. For those of you that have seen Easy A, Emma
Stone’s character explains how one movie version of the Scarlet Letter is
accurate, while the other one just has Demi Moore talk “in a fake British
Accent and [take] a lot of baths.” She continues
to say that saying that this version “was freely adapted would be a bit of an
understatement.” Grace’s mother said that “the more the students liked a
film, the less they learned from it” (44).
When we show our students books turned films, are we showing them what
the author intended to see, or what consumerism forced the book to become? Its
not whether the book is better than the movie, but how accurate does the movie
portray the book?
Even when educational programming
was attempted, the interview states that it was very limited; sometimes
broadcasts would be of music recitals, how to pronounce words in French, or how
to correctly brush teeth (45). But how
does that show themes in a book, characterization, or how to analyze plot? Television can be applied for many different
materials; however, English teachers are very limited in the way they can utilize
this technology. Oftentimes, as stated above,
television is used incorrectly.
(I complied the images together to make this image and added the quote as well)
WORKS CITED
Domine, Vanessa.
"A Social History of Media, Technology and Schooling." The National
Association for Media Literacy Education’s Journal of Media Literacy Education
1 (2009): 42-52. JMLE. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. .
Easy A. Dir. Will Gluck. Perf. Emma Stone. Screen Gems, 2010. DVD
IMAGES FOUND USING GOOGLE:
I really like your image as well as your caption! I think it really encompasses one of the struggles we face as English teachers, especially when most students will admit to seeing a movie to avoid reading the books. I recently got into a debate about this with my eleven year old cousin, who informed me that reading Harry Potter is more time consuming, and therefore boring, than watching the movies.
ReplyDeleteCan you think of any ways to express the importance of reading the texts to students? I think you did a great job of pointing out that watching movies or TV shows negate the process of characterization, plot development, and discovering themes within the text, but is there a way to drive this point home to students without making it sound like a lecture?
Arturo, the image you created is fantastic. I feel that students are definitely more inclined to view a film adaptation rather than actually put the effort forth to read the text. However, I feel that, as a supplement to literature, films can provide students with a visual depiction of what they might have difficulty imagining. Still, students should be educated as to the pitfalls and inaccuracies of films based on books, and how literary genius can be perverted through the ineffective adaptation.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the quote stating “the more the students liked a film, the less they learned from it” struck a chord with me. This is definitely the case for a film such as Oliver Stone's JFK, which is fantastic and promotes a number of historical inaccuracies. Do you feel that there are any examples of a film that is both entertaining for students and educationally sound?
Arturo, I think you've captured a very important issue we face in today's society, especially as future English teachers who will be striving to express the importance of literature, the foundation upon which most movies are created. Just as Lizz pointed out, I often find myself arguing with people who don't understand certain aspects of the Harry Potter movies. When I ask them if they read the books and they tell me that they haven't, I tell them that's why they don't understand characters' motivations and things of that nature that the movie simply does not include or at least try to imply. As English teachers, I think it is important for us to explain to our students that while books and films are both unique and creative in their own ways, a movie cannot be a complete substitute for a piece of literature. Do you think that there are ways in which we can express this information to them and actually motivate their interest in reading rather than letting them to continue just skipping the book and going straight for the movie?
ReplyDeleteArturo,
DeleteYour picture and quote address an issue that many English teachers have in their classrooms. Students often think it's easier to just watch the movie rather than read the book. If a student isn't interested in the book that's being read in class it would be hard to steer them away from the temptation of watching the film. I am not completely against the notion of incorporating a video with the book. It think it can be quite beneficial when reading certain texts like Shakespeare. Also, rather then showing a movie, when including a video into our instruction, it can benefit students to watch the play version. I feel that this can help them learn to read dramas and envision the action while they read the text.