Film Strips / Educational Films
1) When was your technology/media tool invented?
The filmstrip projector was invented in 1925. The projector uses 35mm film where each individual frame contains a still image. Prior to the invention of more advanced machines, the filmstrip projector was regarded as “a happy medium between still and motion formats” (Rampino, 1976, p. 4). There are various types of filmstrip projectors; with and without sound, colour or black and white, manual and automatic.
The filmstrip projector was not the first machine used to project images, since the Magic Lantern was already invented in the late 1800s, and it was not the last. There have been many advancements in technology since both the magic lantern and the filmstrip projector were created that have replaced these projectors with newer models.
2) When was it first used in education (and how)?
Beginning in the 1930s, the filmstrip was used for various purposes including entertainment, advertising, to provide information/instructional videos and in education. In the field of education, filmstrip projectors were considered desirable because they were light weight, inexpensive, and easy to operate. They were used to create an audio-visual learning experience in the classroom. The projector added a visual component/aid that related to the subject being studied. Teachers could use the filmstrip projector to show images and whether the filmstrip was manual or automatic, the teacher had the opportunity to pause on an image to engage students in discussion. Lottick (1952) explained that teachers also had the flexibility to add “commentary which can be as long or as short as the needs of his group require, and which can be adapted completely to the level of the listening group” (p. 325). Therefore, one of the benefits of the filmstrip projector was that it was considered to be a flexible and adaptable tool for the classroom.
The filmstrip projector was also used as a means to assist teachers in teaching certain topics by providing them with teaching guides. Shaffer (1972) highlighted that most of the filmstrip collections were accompanied by lesson plans to assist teachers in their teaching. He stated, “The guides often provide details for follow-up discussion, questions for review suggested activities, printed scripts, bibliographies, and other class tested features” (Shaffer, 1972, p. 66). Therefore, teachers could incorporate their own ideas as well as the ones provided with the filmstrip to enhance students learning experience.
3) How did the technology/media tool (re)reshape educational practice and teaching/learning – or transform literacy learning and/or social-institutional-classroom organization? (Changing roles in classrooms, changing positions of authority, power relations, modes of exclusion or inclusion, ideology and modes of social action or creativity? If possible, try to connect your analysis to the literacy paradigms (de Castell & Luke, or Multiliteracies).
The film strip projector was created during the shift of the progressive literacy paradigm to the Technocratic era. It wasn’t until the 1930s where the film strip became particularly adopted as indicated above. The projection of films display one of the prime characteristics of the technocratic era which was a one size fits all educational model (de Castell & Luke, 1968). Film strip projection became a new interactive medium that provided a differential instructional strategy for educators, and served as a promising potential learning tool. The projectors provided educators with an adaptable learning tool that could be easily integrated into the classroom. It could simply be used to show visuals to accompany lessons and teacher led discussions, or could be used as an audio-visual tool with the use of the accompanying audio recordings. Film, provided a new realm of obtaining information, educators were no longer the end all of knowledge as the responsibility for informational instruction moved to the film strip. Furthermore, the interactive aspect of films increased the entertainment aspect of literacy and learning within education. It was further used as an incentive for good behaviour since the projection could easily be turned off to return to “normal classroom work” (Casey, Dunn, & Casey, 1960, p. 692). Although the filmstrip projector had the ability to increase the entertainment dynamic in the classroom, it was argued that in order to use the tool to promote learning, “The teacher himself should be convinced that the filmstrip is going to help him to teach better than...not just to amuse the class” (Casey, Dunn, & Casey, 1960, p. 690).
Using film and moving imagery although extremely revolutionary at the time assumed certain levels of ability for students. At this time, educational projectors used a 35mm film strip which meant that the resolution of the imagery was not extremely clear. Therefore, presumed abilities in vision and hearing would have made it extremely difficult for students with visual and hearing impairments to learn. Language and cultural barriers such as the assumption that individuals could understand the images and messages presented could also create a barrier to learning. Furthermore, research on the benefits of interactive videos for education have indicated films were shown in a strictly medium-controlled fashion, without giving the viewers any possibility of changing pace or sequence of the presentation (Merkt, Weigand, Heier & Schwan, 2011). Therefore influencing the overall flow and interpretation of information, because the flow of information is transient in nature, working memory is triggered in the brain (Merkt, Weigand, Heier & Schwan, 2011). This can cause cognitive overload, if there is a mis-match between processing and cognitive capacity, which overall leads to deficiencies in learning outcomes (Merkt, Weigand, Heier & Schwan, 2011).
References
Akanegbu, A. (2013, February 28). Vision of Learning: A History of Classroom Projectors. EdTech. Retrieved January 23, 2020, from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/02/vision-learning-history-classroom-projectors
Casey, E., Dunn, J., & Casey, É. (1960). The Filmstrip in the Classroom. The Furrow, 11(10), 690-693.
De Castell, S., & Luke, A. (1986). Defining literacy in North American schools: Social and historical conditions and consequences. In S.C. de Castell, A. Luke, & K. Egan (Eds.), Literacy, society and schooling (pp. 87-109). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.*
Lottick, K. V. (1952). The Filmstrip: A Guide to A-V’s Work Horse. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 26(6), 325-327.
Merkt, M., Weigand, S., Heier, A., & Schwan, S. (2011). Learning with videos vs. learning with print: The role of interactive features. Learning and Instruction, 21(6), 687-704.
Shaffer, D. E. (1972). The Filmstrip Collection: Complete Instructions on How to Process and Organize. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 075 054).
Simpson, M. (2018, November 14). Remembering School Projectors and Filmstrips. Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 23, 2020, from https://maas.museum/inside-the-collection/2018/11/14/remembering-school-projectors-and-filmstrips/
Rampino, T. (1976). Operation and Maintenance of the 35mm Filmstrip Projector. Texas State Library. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 134 165).
