Instructional Media and Technologies for Learning: Nonprojected Media (c)1997



SUBJECT:    Assignment #1, Response Paper #4
COURSE:     MCTE 625 - Survey of Courseware
Textbook:   Instructional Media and
            Technologies for Learning
            Heinich, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino (1996)
Chapter 4:  Nonprojected Media
Professor:  Dr. George Fornshell
Student:    Leanne C. Boyd
Usercode:   boydl
Due date:   October 19, 1997

            Response to Chapter 4, Nonprojected Media

     Several years ago in Denver, Mother Nature provided 

the ultimate in "The Perfect Field Trip." Twin baby polar 

bears were born severely prematurely at the Denver Zoo, and 

it took the concerted efforts of biologists, researchers, 

medical teams, and a loving public to nurse them to health, 

adulthood, and eventually a new home. Klondike and Snow 

captivated not just the hearts of children on field trips 

to the Zoo, but also the imagination and spirit of the 

adult community. Attendance at the Zoo soared to 

unprecedented heights after the babies reached a point 

where they could meet "their public." This was in the form 

of school field trips and special trips by legions of 

individuals, interested in both the cuddly duo and also the 

amazing medical techniques. Klondike and Snow were the most 

popular "field trip" across the country -- sometimes by 

means of videotape and print media.

     Chapter 4 explores the world of nonprojected media in 

education. Along with the valuable tools of real objects, 

models, and multimedia kits, the reader is introduced to 

such things as printed materials and free materials like 

posters, newsletters, and other educational devices used by 

organizations and institutions. I began to think about the 

use of field trips, wandering down a lane of memories, 

through the museums, wildlife harbors, and private 

companies that I was introduced to in my youth. These were 

valuable learning experiences.

     As Media Specialist in the Denver Public Schools, I 

was often called upon to help develop the agenda for a 

field trip. Many times, I was invited on the trip to 

videotape the happenings. Always, I was asked to archive 

the results to use in future classes. These methods were 

often in the line of preserving articles collected on the 

trip or creating a display. Several times, a multimedia 

showing was created, which included a database of printable 

information, a separate pictorial database of pictures and 

art, or scans and a videotape. Several field trips also 

resulted in the archiving of works written by students. The 

idea of the hands-on experience as one of the most 

effective means for learning was a large part of the 

success of my department. Many special projects remain as a 

permanent part of educational tools for every department at 

North High.

     Certainly, this is no new line of thought. If we 

consider the works of John Dewey (creator of the Dewey 

Decimal System), it becomes obvious that this observation 

has been with us for a long time: children learn quickly 

and with more memory retention when they are allowed to 

experience by touching. Dewey, in his book, _Democracy and 

Education_, was careful to point out the extreme advantages 

of exposing children to more playful aspects of learning. 

These included introducing them to the workday world of 

adults, and the sound education to be found in all aspects 

of "regular work." Field trips into the everyday edifices 

and outdoor business locations were not only intriguing 

because they were FUN, but they provided excellent 

instruction in what otherwise was seen as academics:

     "Gardening, for example...affords an avenue of 

     approach to knowledge of the place farming and 

     horticulture have had in the history of the race and 

     which they occupy in present social organization. 

     Carried on in an environment educationally controlled, 

     they are means for making a study of the facts of 

     growth, the chemistry of soil, the role of light, air, 

     and moisture, injurious and helpful animal life...

     Instead of the subject matter belonging to a peculiar 

     study called botany, it will then belong to life, and 

     will find, moreover, its natural correlations with the 

     facts of soil, animal life, and human relations. As 

     students grow mature, they will perceive problems of 

     interest which may be pursued for the sake of 

     discovery...thus making a transition to deliberate 

     intellectual investigations." (Dewey, 1916)


     Dewey went on to compare traditional academics with 

the learning gained by visiting the sciences while they 

were in action. In our history as humans, the sciences grew 

out of useful occupations. Our use of tools and machines 

led to the science of physics. Mathematics, now a deep and 

abstract science, grew out of the sometimes life-

threatening necessity for keeping track of numbers. All of 

these were among the first of humankind's great 

intellectual discoveries. They came about while seeking the 

means of achieving utilitarian ends. It is my opinion that 

John Dewey was somewhat of a prophet for his time. His line 

of thinking seems utterly in keeping with educational modes 

and goals of our present time. He saw the need for 

instilling the thrill of discovery in children, with the 

result that the child will continue, and make further, 

DELIBERATE discoveries in order to achieve his personal 

"ends." The field trip into the garden can still give the 

modern child a spark for independent study!

     In an online adventure in researching the topic of 

field trips, there were dramatic educational sites from 

"sea to shining sea."  At the Robot Zoo at The Tech Museum 

of Innovation in San Jose, California, you won't find bars 

or cages. The creatures are made of "metal and plastic and 

video cables and minicomputers." There are eight much-

larger-than-life critters which provide many hands-on 

computer activities that alarmingly mimic the actions of 

the real animals. The discovery factor in the Zoo includes 

most of the sciences, and everything to do with fun! 

(Sweeney, 1997)

     On the other side of the country, in Washington, D.C., 

a common site for discovery field trips is the Capital 

Children's Museum, "designed exclusively for children. It 

integrates art, science, humanities, and technology in 

dramatic learning situations. It is for every child, and 

fascinates the child in everyone. The motto is 'To know 

something is to use it.'" (CCM, 1997)

     As more educational systems adopt new ways of thinking 

concerning the delivery of education, there are a few 

outstanding "old methods" that will remain. The field trip 

still stands as one of the best ways for a child to 

determine how the world works. That child will also begin 

to think deeply about where in the world he belongs.


---

References:

     Capital Children's Museum (CCM). Where learning is an 

adventure. (1997). The Capital Children's Museum, 

800 3rd. Street NE, Washington, D.C. [On-line]. Available: 

http://www.ccm.org/information1029/information.htm.


     Dewey, John. _Democracy and education_. (1916).

The Macmillan Company: New York, NY. (Copyright renewed 

1944, John Dewey. HTML markup copyright 1994, ILT Digital 

Classics, Institute for Learning Technologies, Columbia 

University: New York, NY.)

         Chapter Fifteen: Play and work in the curriculum. 

     [Online.] Available: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/ 

     academic/texts/dewey/d_e/chapter15.html


     Sweeney, Frank. Robot Zoo exhibit brings nature, 

technology to life. (1997). Mercury Center: San Jose, 

California. [On-line.] Available: 

http://www-europe.sgi.com/robotzoo/index.html.