Film Biographies

Dore Schary, Heyday (Boston: Little Brown, 1979 -- $14.95)

Rosiland Delmar, Joris Ivens: 50 Years of Film-Making (London: British Film Institute, 1979---£2.45)

Allen Estrin, The Hollywood Professionals, Volume 6: Capra, Cukor, Brown (South Brunswick: A.S. Barnes, 1980 -- $12.00 hardcover)

Stan Brakhage, Film Biographies (Berkeley, California: Netzahualcoyotl Historical Society, 1979 -- $7.95 in paper -- write c/o 2845 Buena Vista Way, Berkeley 94708)

Stuart Kaminsky, Coop: The Life and Legend of Gary Cooper (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1980 -- $10.95)     

The internet as a celestial TiVo: What can we learn from cable television adoption?

It appears that the Internet is soon going to fulfill its potential to become a giant on-demand repository of television shows (and movies) available asynchronously, greatly increasing the variety of shows available at a moment in time. As companies such as Netflix and Hulu increase their activities in this sphere, there are many unanswered questions about the impacts of this transition. In this paper, we attempt to foretell the impact of Internet-induced increased variety on the amount of time individuals devote to viewing television. We use cable and satellite television’s impact on viewing as a proxy for the likely impact that future Internet transmission of programs will have. Using country-based panel data going back to the mid-1990s, we find that the increased variety brought about by cable and satellite has had virtually no impact on the amount of time devoted to television viewing. We discuss the import of this finding for Internet business models of television transmission.     

The Solihull Adventure: an attempt to reintroduce selective schooling

In September 1983 it was announced that Solihull Metropolitan Borough was considering reintroducing selective education in its secondary school system. This article documents the concerted opposition to the proposals that developed amongst parents, teachers, politicians and others which led to the idea being soundly voted out in 1984. The nature of this opposition is discussed, and it is argued that, while on the surface the defeat might be seen as a victory for the ideals of comprehensive education, a deeper analysis shows that support of those ideals was not at the forefront of the opposition.     

Balancing acts in the half‐way houses: the role of resourced provisions in mainstream schools

This article by Gordon Stan White, who is SENCo and Head of the Foundation Stage Resourced Provision at Lowerhouses CE School in Huddersfield, considers the role of resourced provisions or ‘units’ within the present school system. Issues discussed include transition, the impact of children being transported out of their local communities, the social and academic benefits and tensions for the children, implications for mainstream teachers and support assistants, and the impact on school standards. The article also discusses the role of resourced provisions in the wider debate over inclusion, analysing whether they are an integral part of genuinely inclusive educational provision or simply make up deficiencies within a fundamentally flawed system. The author concludes that, in the absence of the political will and funding to create a truly inclusive system, although resourced provisions have significant limitations, the access to a mainstream environment with mainstream peer role‐models coupled with specialist support provides the best opportunity within the present system for children with special educational needs to make academic, social and emotional progress.     

Increasing international and domestic student interaction through group work: a case study from the humanities

This article explores the use of group work strategies to increase student interaction and learning. Despite the growing linguistic and cultural diversity in tertiary institutions, there is strong evidence of minimal interaction between ‘domestic’ and ‘international’ students in classrooms and in wider university contexts. This study investigates the implementation of teaching and learning strategies in an undergraduate class comprising domestic and international students from Education and Arts. The strategies relate to in-class group work, tutorial groups and assessment design. The findings indicate greater class interaction, higher satisfaction ratings and better learning outcomes as a result of the strategies. The article argues for three key features underpinning the pedagogy: where international students can work from a position of power equality in class, where both groups of students can enact the role of ‘experts’ and where support in language and learning how to learn is embedded in assessment and outcomes.     

Recontextualizing the role of the facilitator in group interaction in the outdoor classroom

The traditional role of the facilitator in outdoor education is frequently seen as outside the group of participants, either in a position of power over the participants or detached and passive. Following an ethnographic study at a residential outdoor centre, an in-depth analysis of the facilitation process was carried out, which revealed that the facilitator is always part of the group, and that the type of influence that the facilitators have on the outdoor learning process depends on the way that they approach their role within the group. For the purpose of this paper, the term ‘facilitator’ is used to refer to both centre staff as well as visiting teachers accompanying the school groups. This paper addresses critical questions regarding the effectiveness of the outdoor learning process when a position of power is adopted. The paper will also show the impact that recognizing the facilitator as a member of the group has on the learning experience in the outdoor classroom.     

General Media

David Manning White, ed. The Great Contemporary Issues: Popular Culture (New York: Arno Press, 1975—$35.00)

Stan Lee's Son of Origins of Marvel Comics (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975—$10.95/6.95)

Les Daniels' Living in Fear: A History of Horror in the Mass Media (New York: Scribners', 1975—$12.95)     

Changing Technologies

SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS: THE FIRST QUARTERCENTURY OF SERVICE by David W.E. Rees (New York: John Wiley, 1990—$44.95, ISBN 0-471-62243-5, 329 pp.)

THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES by Michael Mirabito and Barbara Morgenstern (Stoneham, MA: Focal Press, 1990—$24.95, paper, ISBN 0-240-80012-5, 244 pp.)

COMMUNICATION TOMORROW: NEW AUDIENCES, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, NEW MEDIA by E. W. Brody (New York: Praeger, 1990—$45.00/15.95, ISBN 0-275-93280-X hard, 0-275-93281-8 soft, 295 pp.)

HDTV: HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION by Stan Prentiss (Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1990—$16.95, paper, ISBN 0-8306-3272-7, 232 pp.)

FIBER OPTICS AND CATV BUSINESS STRATEGY by Robert K. Yates, Nolwen Mahe, and Jerome Masson (Norwood, MA: Artech House, 1990—price not given, ISBN 0-89006-413-X, 159 pp.)

GLOBAL IMPACT: THE NEW TELECOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES by Loy A. Singleton (New York: Harper & Row, 1989—$26.95, ISBN 0-88730-259-9, 270 pp.)

COMMUNICATION WHEN IT'S NEEDED MOST: HOW NEW TECHNOLOGY COULD HELP IN SUDDENDISASTERS, Report of the International Disaster Communications Project (Annenberg Washington Program, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington 20004—free on request, paper, no ISBN given, 129 pp.)

THE FUTURE OF TELEVISION (National Cable Television Association, 1724 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036—free, paper, no ISBN given, 42 pp.)

COMPUTER A PPUCA TIONS IN FILM & VIDEO: A NE WSLETTER FOR EDUCATORS AND PROFESSIONALS (David Katz, ed.. Communications Development Center, Univ. of Wisconsin Extension, Radio Hall, Madison, WI—53706 price information not given, ISSN not provided)

SATELLITES & BROADCASTING 1990 by Marcia DeSonne (National Association of Broadcasters, 1771 N St. NW, Washington, DC 20036—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-89324-075-3, 42 pp.)

GENERAL MOBILE RADIO SERVICE NATIONAL REPEATER GUIDE (Personal Radio Steering Group, P.O. Box 2851, Ann Arbor, MI 48106—$10.00, paper, no ISBN given, 80 pp.)