Interactive Broadcast Television in Australia

Interactive television is being used increasingly as a delivery format for distance education and open learning courses. In most applications, the delivery is to a closed audience within the framework of formal programmes of study. This paper reports on programmes in Western Australia where interactive educational television is being used in broadcast modes. The paper discusses the impact of the ensuing interactivity on the quality of the broadcast programmes from an instructional perspective.     

Television and Language Development

Educational television is widely used in British primary schools to aid language development. In the light of current theories of language acquisition and development, this paper considers the characteristics of the medium which may militate against effective language learning. It is argued that further research is needed to ascertain whether language development is in fact promoted by television programmes and, if so, which programmes and what type of format are best suited for the purposes. Work already carried out in the USA and suggestions for future work in Britain are discussed.     

Critical Viewing of Television News: the impact of a Dutch schools television project

Using a quasi‐experimental pretest‐posttest control group design, the study investigated the educational effects of a six‐programme schools television series designed to teach children aged 10‐12 that television news broadcasts give a selective and thus subjective and incomplete impression of the news. Results indicated that the schools television series led to an increase in children's knowledge of the selection processes involved in the production of news programmes, and an increase in children's proficiency in recognizing the moments of selection in news items. However, the television series did not result in a decrease in the level of credibility children attribute to television news broadcasts. The reason for the latter finding probably is that the series showed that the makers of news programmes are conscious of the selection processes involved in making news programmes and do their utmost to make the choices in the most responsible way possible. As a result, the series may have unintentionally created the impression that the problem of selectivity can be satisfactorily solved.     

ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND THE NON‐BRITISH TELEVISION PROGRAMME

The paper deals with the potential use for research and for teaching of the non‐British (i.e. American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand) programmes and series currently being shown on British television screens. Potential projects are outlined in the areas of sociolinguistics and dialectology, and the potential of television as a tool for research into English language generally is discussed. Examples of the types of series that would lend themselves to linguistic research of this nature are noted, and the availability of programmes from the various nations is discussed. Recommendations are made about the future of the English language and the use of television in English language research in the future.     

The use of videotaped broadcasts in interactive teaching

In 1986/87 and 1987/88 Dutch educational television broadcast a long series on mental arithmetic for the upper grades of the primary school. This study compares off-air videotape use under two conditions: (1) active use with video stops for interactive teaching, and (2) passive, uninterrupted viewing. Learning results in the active condition were better than in the passive condition. However, in a follow-up study those positive results were not confirmed, due to changing teaching styles in the active condition, and due to certain design faults in the programmes. Outcomes of both studies are interpreted as (1) providing evidence for the potential effects of interactive use of educational videotapes at classroom level, and as (2) underlining the necessity of well-considered didactic design of educational programmes for such new instructional purposes.     

TELEVISION AND THE DEAF

Few television programmes are designed for the deaf viewer, partly because the potential audience is small, partly because production problems are manifest. In this paper, first delivered at the 1979 Conference of the Association, two speakers describe the development of series of television programmes tailor‐made for the profoundly deaf, and their usage in a school for such children. The first part of the paper is by Tony Wise, the last part by Ray Hill.     

Dimensions of effective interactive learning with telematics for distance education

Increasingly, telematics is being used for distance education in Australia. Two forms of telematics, audiographics and live interactive television, are described. Audiographics involves two telecommunications links, one which connects computers via modems and a second link which provides an audioconferencing medium through a normal telephone connection. Live interactive television involves the combination of a one-way television signal with a toll-free callback telephone enabling students to communicate directly with the teacher during program transmission. Research and evaluation studies indicate that the interactivity currently implemented via telematics is minimal and that it does not support higher-order cognition among students. In light of our investigations and contemporary cognitive learning theory, a number of dimensions of effective interactive learning with telematics are suggested: (a) collaboration, (b) generative learning, (c) contextual engagement, (d) personal autonomy, and (e) motivation. His research interests include instructional technologies and developing effective learning environments for open learning and distance education. His specialist areas include evaluating technology-rich learning environments, electronic user performance support systems and interactive learning systems.     

Mediating the message: television programme design and students' understanding

The research reported represents a non-standard approach to basic research on educational television, in that it uses qualitative methods to describe learning and to illuminate which programme features are important. It was based on observation, interview and test data from five groups of 20–30 Open University students, each watching a social science television programme as part of their course. A qualitative analysis of students' summaries of the programmes showed that only half achieved the intended learning outcomes. A further analysis of the students' responses to key extracts showed that this is more likely to be because of programme structure than because of presentational quality. The research design and results are related to similar studies on students learning from text, and contrasted with the methodology adopted in other studies of the effects of educational television.     

Pre‐operational Children and Educational Television

Statements made about educational television and learning are usually general, but they should refer to specific developmental stages of thought and mental development. Evaluation of the medium's efficacy in pre‐operational children's learning has received scant attention. Some suggestions are made whereby production and teachers’ use of programmes can align to Piaget's theory, but this is insufficient. Scope remains for ample research, but the immediate needs are for producers to embark on more ambitious and enterprising programmes and for teachers to examine whether they are providing adequately for pre‐operational children's learning from existing practices with educational television.     

Work-based Learning,Action Learning and the Virtual Paradigm

Action learning is a central part of many work-based learning programmes, and, to be effective, requires the learner to engage in reflective learning. This article looks at how the reflective learning cycle can be integrated with action learning processes to create the dynamic of enhanced business effectiveness and individual understanding. Through a case study of a university‐corporate partnership, the article explores how a virtual learning environment (web-based materials and interactive forum) can be integrated effectively into the action learning-reflection cycle. It is suggested that the combination of action learning and virtual technology has the potential for enhancing learning, providing data for interactive discussions, and a means of disseminating new knowledge and management best practice within organisations.     

An in-depth study of a teacher engaged in an innovative primary science trial professional development project

The implementation of effective science programmes in primary schools is of continuing interest and concern for professional developers. As part of the Australian Academy of science's approach to creating an awareness ofPrimary Investigations, a project team trialed a series of satellite television broadcasts of lessons related to two units of the curriculum for Year 3 and 4 children in 48 participating schools. The professional development project entitledSimply Science, included a focused component for the respective classroom teachers, which was also conducted by satellite. This paper reports the involvement of a Year 4 teacher in the project and describes her professional growth. Already an experienced and confident teacher, no quantitative changes in science teaching self efficacy were detected. However, her pedagogical content knowledge and confidence to teach science in the concept areas of matter and energy were enhanced. Changes in the teacher's views about the co-operative learning strategies espoused byPrimary Investigations were also evident. Implications for the design of professional development programmes for primary science teachers are discussed.     

Teaching Children to Evaluate Television Violence Critically: the impact of a Dutch schools television project

Using a quasi‐experimental pretest‐posttest control group design, the study investigated the educational effects of a six‐programme schools television series designed to encourage children aged 10‐12 to become more discriminating consumers of violent television crime series. Results indicated that the schools television project led to an increase in factual knowledge of differences between violence as depicted in crime series and real‐life violence, and a decrease in the perceived realism of violent television programmes. Children reacted very positively to the schools broadcasts and found them instructive and useful. Teachers reacted positively to the broadcasts and the related materials (student workbook and teacher's manual) that accompanied the programmes.     

History on Television: the Open University series, ‘Britain and America‐‐some visual evidence‘

Conventionally, television history programmes are made by first settling on a story line, then looking around for visual material to illustrate it, without any attempt to analyse what is being seen on the screen. Visual evidence is in itself of great value in historical study; television programmes should concentrate on those areas where there is a richness of visual source material and should be built up, outwards as it were, from that source material. This is the principle underlying the series of eight Open University programmes entitled Britain and America: some visual evidence, which is an integral part of the new history course Comparative Themes in British and American History. Some of the programmes concentrate strongly on the problems and techniques involved in the critical analysis of different types of visual source; others concentrate almost exclusively on bringing out the value of particular visual sources in making a special contribution to an important historical problem. The programmes invite critical responses from students who require material in the programmes to deal with assignments set elsewhere in the course, and direct analysis is provided by an academic seen clearly in vision. While it would never be possible to deal comprehensively with any historical topic through television alone, nonetheless history could be presented on general television in a more authentic way if the conventions and cliches of traditional television production were jettisoned in favour of a recognition of the potency of visual sources properly and critically handled.     

数字化学习资源的网众互动生成机制解析

如何将网络信息资源合理加工、转化并应用到数字化学习中,是我们必须思考的一个命题。网众互动生成是数字化学习资源建设的一种新视角和途径。该文对数字化学习资源网众互动生成机制的相关概念、资源表现形式、理论模型、主要生成模式进行了解析,以期抛砖引玉,促进网众互动生成机制在数字化学习资源建设领域的应用和推广。     

Children's Memory and Comprehension of Two Science Programmes

A total of 111 children, 55 aged 8 to 9 years and 56 aged 14 to 15 years of age, watched one of two single‐topic prime‐time science programmes. Recall and comprehension scores following the viewing of the programmes were assessed. In addition, a number of demographic factors including age, sex, linguistic fluency, prior television viewing and reading habits were investigated as possible predictors of learning from television. It was found that age was a significant factor in both recall and comprehension, but even more important was general knowledge. Sex and linguistic fluency was neither systematically nor frequently associated with good performance. Prior viewing habits concerning science programmes on television and reading behaviour were found to have particular effects but were not major predictors of performance. Knowledge growth (defined as differences in performance between pre‐ and post‐test performance on key, repeated, items specifically addressed by the viewed programme) was consistently observed. This major finding indicated clearly that children can learn prime‐time television science information.     

Roles and characteristics of television and some implications for distance learning

The Open University has a unique partnership with the BBC. The BBC produces television, radio and audio‐cassette material in conjunction with Open University academic and other course design staff. Producers are full members of course teams. The Government, through its grant to the University, pays the full cost of the BBC's services to the University. The BBC has set up a department (BBC/OUP) specifically to provide services to the Open University. In Autumn, 1981, a brand‐new, £5½ million purpose‐built studio complex became operational on the University campus, and is managed by the BBC on the University's behalf. Currently, over 1,500 Open University television programmes are transmitted each year on the BBC's national television networks.

The University funds a small research group to investigate the use of audio‐visual media in the University. The research group carries out studies of programme utilisation across the 140 different courses, to assist with the planning and allocation of production and transmission resources. It also carries out more detailed research into individual programmes and course strategies for using television. More recently, the research group has been paying particular actention to how students learn from television. This paper explores some recent theory, and research developments on the role and character of television, and its impact on learning in distance education.     

Construction of a digital learning environment based on cloud computing

Constructing the digital learning environment for ubiquitous learning and asynchronous distributed learning has opened up immense amounts of concrete research. However, current digital learning environments do not fully fulfill the expectations on supporting interactive group learning, shared understanding and social construction of knowledge. This paper introduces cloud computing to the construction of the digital learning environment for its on‐demand services with high reliability, scalability and availability in the distributed environment. Then a digital learning environment based on cloud computing (DLECC) is proposed, including the architecture, co‐construction and sharing model, and incentive mechanism of DLECC. Finally, an Educational Technology Space (ETS) platform under the concept of DLECC is constructed and applied to the educational technology training for 110 teachers from primary and secondary schools. The experimental results demonstrate that the co‐construction and sharing model and incentive mechanism of DLECC may provide meaningful learning support and interactive communities and promote the co‐construction of befitting educational resources.     

Investigating science learning for rural elementary school teachers in a professional‐development project through three distance‐education strategies

Distance education is a significant topic of discussion within institutions at all levels of education. It is not only significant in terms of finances and student enrollment but also in terms of meaningful learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness of three distance‐education strategies for enhancing the science learning of 94 Midwestern elementary‐school teachers participating in a 5‐year professional‐development project. The three distance‐education strategies studied were interactive television with all presenters live in real time (live), interactive television with live discussions wrapped around videotaped presentations (video), and asynchronous, Web‐based sessions with streamed videotaped presentations supported by interaction through discussion boards (Web). A repeated measures design was used to analyze the science learning and attitudes of the study participants. Analysis of variance of participants' postsession science scores yielded differences (p < 0.05) on multiple‐choice and constructed‐response science subscales. Participants in the live mode outperformed participants in the Web and video modes on all three assessment types (multiple choice, constructed response, and vignettes). Participants in the Web mode outperformed participants in the video mode on multiple choice and constructed response. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 1019–1039, 2006     

Recovering reading using computer mastery programmes

Mastery learning has been shown to be an effective method of raising the level of performance of pupils on a wide range of tasks. This method has been applied to the teaching of reading and spelling with primary school children with learning difficulties, in the form of a series of computer programmes using the high quality digital sound which is available in the current generation of low-cost portable computers.
Unlike many programmes designed to teach or encourage reading skills, the programmes developed for this project provide instantaneous feedback, and identify and reward correct responses, with high criterion levels set for progression from one task to the next. They also provide complete records of pupil performance, allowing teachers to select teaching sequences appropriate for each individual pupil. Case studies of pupils are presented, showing the performance gains obtained with short but regular use of the programmes, over a 12 week period.