Instructional Television
The fast growing development in technology especially in Television has set a new ways for people to interact with their television, back at the old days people used television as a one way communication channels, they are only be able to hear and see what programs that their local television served without able to interact with the program. The same things happens with Instructional Television, the educational program which are delivered through television is also a one way communication channels, the students who watch the television were unable to interact with the programs. The disability of the program to motivate and to evaluate the learner was likely to continue. With the coming of digital wave invading our technology, it has made a great deal of changes in broadcasting technology including in instructional television. Broadcasting television soon adopting the new technology to their systems which causing many new feature to their program, the era for satellite and digitalized television has just begun. The use of satellite and digitalized program has made new opportunities for the educational TV programmer to create an exciting and interactive program which can be integrated into the curriculum at three basic levels: Single lesson - Programs address one specific topic or concept, providing a lesson introduction, overview, or summary. Selected unit - A series of programs providing the content foundation for a learning unit in the course curriculum. Full course - Programs from one or more INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION series may be integrated into a full semester course typically in conjunction with instructional print materials. Instructional Television may be either passive or interactive. Passive Instructional Television typically involves pre-produced programs which are distributed by video cassette or by video-based technologies such as broadcast, cable, or satellite. In contrast, interactive Instructional Television provides opportunities for viewer interaction, either with a live instructor or a participating student site. For example, two-way television with two-way audio allows all students to view and interact with the teacher. At the same time,
cameras at remote sites allow the teacher to view all participating students. It is also possible to configure the system so that all student sites may view one another.
How People Learn Through TV
According to Bandura theory in behaviorism, behavior performs on television is being observed and imitated by the viewers. Three major mechanisms for the behavioral effects of television appear to have been identified: imitation, arousal, and disinhibition, but they should be considered as complementary rather than competing explanations. Another research has indicated that there are a variety of ways in which television can influences cognitive skills, for example television appears to have an effect on viewers’ spatial abilities, imagination, and task perseverance. It has been demonstrated that watching slow zooms into the detail of a large picture teaches children visual analytic skills1. Similarly, watching changes in camera perspectives can enhance children’s’ spatial perspective taking. Research has also demonstrated a relationship between the pacing of television programming and task persistence. Whereas fast-paced programming can make children more impulsive, whereas slower paced programs have been shown to increase their persistence in everyday school activity2. Advantages of Instructional Television
Since most people have watched television, the medium is familiar. Motion and visuals can be combined in a single format so that complex or abstract concepts can be illustrated through visual simulation. The old cliche "a picture is worth a thousand words" rings true.
Instructional television is an effective way to take students to new environments (the moon, a foreign country, or through the lens of a microscope).
1
Salomon, G. (1979). Interaction of media, cognition, and learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. 2 Friedrich, L. K., & Stein, A. H. (1973). Aggressive and prosocial television programs and the natural behavior of preschool children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 38 (Serial No. 151).
Time and space can be collapsed, so that events can be captured and relayed as they happen.
It is very effective for introducing, summarizing, and reviewing concepts. It can be used effectively as a motivational tool.
Interactivity and Learning
Drawing upon a number source of research, interactivity could be separated into the following levels of what could be described as operational interactivity has been identified:
Object interactivity - refers to an application in which objects (buttons, people, things) are activated by using pointing device. When a user "clicks" on the object, there will be some form of audio-visual response. The functionality of such objects can be varied according to consequential factors such as previous objects encountered, previous encounters with the current object or previous instructional performance/activity.
Linear interactivity - refers to applications in which the user is able to move (forwards or backwards) through a predetermined linear sequence of instructional material. Often termed “electronic page turning”, this class of interaction does not provide response-specific feedback to learner actions, but simply provides access to the next (or previous) display in a sequence.
Support Interactivity – ability for user to receive performance support that may range from simple help messages to complex tutorial systems.
Update Interactivity - relates to individual application components or events in which a dialogue is initiated between the learner and computer-generated content. For this concept, the application presents or generates problems (either from a database or as a function of individual performance levels) to which the learner must respond; the analysis of the response results in computer-generated update or feedback. Update interactivity can range from the simple question and answer
format to complex conditional responses that may incorporate artificial intelligence components.
Construct Interactivity - an extension to update interactivity, and requires the creation of an instructional environment in which the learner is required to manipulate component objects to achieve specific goals. Unless the construction is completed in the correct sequence, the task could not be completed. Construct interactions require significantly more design and strategic effort, as many parameters affect the successful completion of an operation.
Reflective Interactivity - allows the current user to compare their response to that of other users as well as recognised "experts". In this way, learners can reflect on their response and make their own judgement as to its accuracy or correctness.
Simulation Interactivity - extends the role of the learner to that of controller or operator, where individual selections determine the training sequence. For example, setting a range of switches to certain values to enable the functioning of a production plant, with the settings selected determining the presentation or update sequence.
Hyperlinked Interactivity - With hyperlinked interactivity, the learner has access to a wealth of information and may "travel" at will through that knowledge base. The provision of linked information can provide a means to present problems that are solved by correctly navigating through the "maze" of information.
Non-Immersive Contextual Interactivity - This concept combines and extends the various interactive levels into a complete virtual training environment in which the learner is able to work in a meaningful, job-related context.
Immersive Virtual Interactivity - provide an interactive environment in which the learner is projected into a complete computer-generated world which responds to individual movement and actions.
Research Findings: KERA Educational Resource Center A Summary of Research and Findings Related to the Effectiveness of Educational Television on Student Learning A Six-Week Study of Student Performance related to Classroom ITV vs. NonClassroom ITV was conducted by Columbia University.1 A study was conducted by Teachers College at Columbia University and WNET Thirteen’s staff to examine the impact of Instructional Television (ITV) on student’s learning over a six-week period. Pretests scores confirmed there were no significant differences in the intelligences and achievement levels of the three test classes. >ITV students out performed (Non) ITV students on tests. Gains were 4 times as large as Non-ITV students. >ITV students scored higher on writing assignments. They surpassed their NonITV counterparts considerably. >ITV students used more figurative language than Non-ITV students. >ITV students applied more varied and creative approaches to problem solving. >ITV students were more active in classroom discussions. >ITV students learned better when more ITV is used. The study supports the extent to which ITV is used in the classroom and ITV has a direct influence on student learning. A study commissioned by the National Science Foundation to determine how 4,510 children, ages ranging from 8-12 and 4-7 and their parents would respond to instructional television and Ready to Learn programming found: >61% of the children reported doing something related to science after watching science related programming. >65% of the children reported that they themselves made the decision to watch the series at home.
>In general, children perceived scientists as positive role models agreeing that they work hard and do interesting things. Another study conducted by Children’s Television Workshop using the SQUARE ONE TV series concluded: >“In general, the show appeals to both sexes. When differences do occur, girls find the show more appealing than do boys. This is particularly important because girls usually lag behind boys in mathematics.”6 >“Children understood and remembered the mathematical information on SQUARE ONE TV, and in most cases, were able to apply it to new problems.”7 A survey by Kentucky Educational Television (KET) on the effectiveness and impact of their GED on TV program was conducted from 1975-1989. The study concluded: >Nationally, of 2,100,000 students enrolled in the GED on TV program, 1,239,000 passed the exam after viewing the series of 43, 30-minute programs. >A 1990 KET follow-up survey with 779 graduates of the Kentucky GED on TV program found that earning a GED helped them do the following: o enroll in college, vocational training, or other educational programs 25.7% o obtain a job, keep a job, or receive a promotion: 46.4% o increase income by $1- $3,000/year 18.5% o increase income $3000 - $7,000/year 22.1% o increased income over $7,000/year 11.8% >The survey estimated the cumulative five-year economic impact nationally (from 1985-1989) of the GED on TV program at $12,266,100,000 in increased
income for participants. A paper by Hank Payne, Ph.D., sponsored and published by the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), sheds some light on the impact and usefulness of distance learning: >A study (1990-1992) of 3,398 students taking high school level Japanese "showed that the students in the interactive television based groups had significantly higher scores on both measures (listening and writing component test scores) than did the traditional groups."23 (Burning, Landis, Hoffman, and Grosskopf; 1993) >A study of 1,177 supervisors and managers in the US Postal Service revealed that students enrolled in "both satellite courses had significantly higher scores on the performance test than did its traditional counterpart."24 (Whetzek, Felker and Williams; 1996) >Payne concluded, "The weight of the evidence shows that students in the instructional television courses learn as much, or in some cases, more than, their counterparts in traditional, face-to-face courses."25 (p.xi, "A Review of the Literature: Interactive Video Tele-training in Distance Learning Courses)
The use of satellite and digitalized in broadcasting technologies so far being utilize for the learning activities by Broadcasting world rather than the educational world. Traditionally television has tended to be used as an informal mode of learning therefore enhancing learning opportunities through the use of interactive television can help achieving this aim.