Evolution of Educational Media History
Evolution of Educational Media History
Module Detail
Principal Investigator
Dr. S. K. Bawa Central University of Punjab
(PI)
Subject Matter Expert Lovely Professional
Dr. Savita Gupta
(SME) University, Phagwara
1
Table of Contents
2.1. Educational Media................................................................................................................. 4
2
1.0 Introduction
The greatest potential is carried by Educational media to transform the
progression of teaching and learning. Educational media are defined as
modes of delivery systems or teaching and learning methods employed in an
educational process with the view of facilitating the attainment of the set
goals or objectives. According to Yoon and Hoon (2009), in order to have
effective service delivery in teaching and learning the use of educational
media is of paramount importance and has a dramatic impact on teaching
and learning, especially with the ready access to new technologies. We may
study the development of educational media in three different groups of
events as follows:
I. 14th Century. Instruction was restricted to mouth at the initial stage
and then to manuscript. It is not that the teachers of this period failed
to notice the importance of individual differences or motivation. But
they put more emphasis on manuscript. In the 15th century the art of
printing was developed. Books were printed. However, they were
mostly on topics of religion and grammar. In the 16th century, Peter
Ramus introduced text-books in higher education.
II. 17th Century. In the second group, we peep into the 17th century and
here we see John Comenius introducing text-books for children. He
produced an illustrated book in 1657—"Orbus Pictures." He wrote
about a hundred text-books. But the circulation was very much
limited. J. Rosseau, H. Spencer, Froebel, Pesstallozi etc. helped in
changing the concept of in-~ struction and pupils. The child was put
into the centre. Next came J. Dewey. He tried to introduce the
scientific method in education. E. Thorndike conducted experiments
and put forward the learning theories. Then came John Adam's
concrete-abstract continuum, i.e, define the object—show a model—
diagram and then come to the verbal description.
3
III. 20th Century, in this century, we, had other sciences like sound
recording, photography etc. being developed and these added to the
process of learning and teaching. Even electronic transmission was
advancing. And all these aided the development of educational
technology.
In this third group, we enter into the period of First and Second World Wars.
During the First World War, the testing movement started. Binet was the
forefather of this movement. During the Second World War, we could see the
application of behavioural sciences to teaching and learning. In between, by
1925 Sidney L. experimented with programmed instruction. During 1938
and 1940, the concept of visual aids helped the process of learning. It thus
paved the way for audio-visual education. In 1954 we got Edgar Dale's
"Cone of Experience." Also during the same period, Weiner studied human
engineering and also worked on the science of cybernetics. By 1950, the
world had also got Instructional Theories by Bruno, Glasser etc. In 1953,
Gordan Pask applied the principles of cybernetics to education. In 1970,
different developments took place and the concept of Educational
Technology took its shape more neatly. Pioneering work in CAI
(Computerised Applied Instruction) was carried out by Pask.
There are different ways to classify media. Print media, non-print media,
and electronic media.
(1) Print media: These include: books, journals, magazines, newspapers,
workbooks, and textbooks
(2) Non-print media: These include: projected and non-projected media.
(3) Electronic media: They include audio media, visual media and audio-
visual, projected media and non-projected media
(i)Projected media: These require light source for projection, for example,
film projector slides, and so on.
(ii)Non-projected media: These do not require light source. They include
3dimensional objects, 2dimensional objects, prints, charts, models and so
on.
(4) Audio media, Visual media & Audio-visual
Audio media: This form of media carry sounds alone, for example audio
tapes, record player,
(i)Visual media: These are the ones that can be seen. For example,
television, computer, white board
(ii)Audio-Visual: This term refers to those instructional materials which
provide learners with audio and visual experiences by appearing to the
hearing and seeing senses at the same time, for example television, video
tapes, and closed circuit television (CCTV).
(5) Hardware and Software
(i) Hardware: This is the classification of machines or equipment utilised in
the instructional process. It is upon these gadgets that the software is
transmitted, for example television set, tape recorder and so on.
(ii)Software: this classification consists of all materials used with the
machine. They are the real carrier of knowledge or information. They
include, films, tapes transparencies.
5
2.3. Print Media
It is one of the oldest and basic forms of mass communication. It includes
newspapers, weeklies, magazines, monthlies and other forms of printed
journals. The contribution of print media in providing information and
transfer of knowledge is remarkable. Even after the advent of electronic
media, the print media has not lost its charm or relevance. Print media has
the advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the reader, with
more in-depth reporting and analysis.
6
them within the classroom environment the situation becomes a bit
complicated. This is mainly due to the amount of time teachers need to
prepare and adapt articles taken from newspapers and magazines into their
classrooms.
2.3.1 Newspaper
Newspapers bring to our students real life situations and can be easily used
as authentic materials. Newspaper-based activities engage students in
interesting and enjoyable activities and they also encourage them to further
reading. They usually reflect the culture of a certain community through the
language they contain. Newspapers also `reflect the changes in the language
as well, and in doing so, help students and teachers keep up pace with such
changes. Most newspapers are linguistically up-to-date and provide valuable
linguistic data` (Tafani, 2004). styles, which are not always found in
textbooks. This is one of the most important features of newspaper-based
activities. This wide variety serves as an excellent tool in the hands of the
teacher while organizing exercises dealing with phonology, morphology,
lexicon, syntax or discourse.
Another great advantage of newspapers is that they can serve as a
motivating medium in encouraging and stimulating students to read further
and to engage themselves in the activities organized. They report real-life
events that are of actual importance and emotional value to the students,
and this arouses their curiosity. “People learn through reading, and reading
about interesting new things in one’s interest subject, undoubtedly helps
motivation” (Sanderson, 2002).
2.3.2 Magazines
As a parallel line can easily be drawn between newspapers and magazines,
the advantages and the kind of activities used with the newspapers can be
easily applied, adapted and used with magazines as well.In general, the
advantages of using magazines are:
They provide a valuable source of authentic materials which can be easily
adapted to classroom use. The wide range of topics they cover allows
7
teachers to use them in many different subjects and occasions. They
provide facts, data and stories which can serve as supplements to subject
content.
Magazines are child friendly as they are full of pictures and colors. Young
children especially are easily attracted by colourful magazines and this
may serve as a tool to motivate the students’ reading skills Magazines
offer to students a ‘real’ natural source of language comprised of words
characterized by several connotational components pertaining to a wide
variety of language styles, enriching this way the students’ passive and
active vocabulary.
Magazines (similarly to newspapers) are the first to present to our
students (and not only) the changes in which the language undergoes
and they can do this much faster than textbooks as they are published
daily, weekly or monthly.
Magazines can also be used basically for the culture they transmit. Since
they serve as a country’s mirror, students are able to be in contact with
the culture of the language they are studying through magazines in
particular and printed media in general.
2.3.3 Books
Books are crucial in modern life as well, a driving force in education,
business, law, science, medicine and entertainment (Tafani, 2004). Through
books the students gain the legacy of knowledge earned by those who came
before (Beckert, 1992). Without books (and textbooks are included here), no
education could have been possible. They are the primary source of
information used by all humanity. After the invention of the typewriter, the
printing of the textbooks and books in general reached high peaks and
expanded its readership.
Unfortunately, despite the worldwide known value of books, we hear
students grumble each day and more about books assigned to be read by
their instructors. This is a hotly debated topic in educational spheres.
“Books of proven literary worth should be the backbone of the curriculum”
8
(Beckert, 1992). As such, teachers should intentionally make books part of
their everyday teaching and learning experience and should always use
them in the classroom together with the students so as to nurture them
with the love for books. As the statistics showed, more than 68 % of the
interviewed people, stated that they read less than two books a year, while
61% of the students interviewed stated that they read only because they
were obliged to.
When textbooks are written in conversational style with activities, they serve
as a basis of self-study as well. They, therefore, assist learners to acquire
good reading skills and develop language comprehension. If textbooks are
well illustrated and written in interesting style, they act as interesting
individualized learning materials for the learners. Thus, the quality and
utility of textbook depends on the author.
2.3.5 Activity:
Analyze the textbook of your class with respect to following points: -
1) Is it relevant to prescribed curriculum?
2) Is language suitable for the grade?
3) How many illustrations are there?
4) Do you find any difficulties using it in class?
Various researches have conducted studies in regard to the advantages that
the use of print media in the classroom can bring to students and teachers.
The benefits are numerous, but above all they make teaching and learning
more exciting and fun. There is a concern in society that television has lured
some young people away from school – one tool of bringing them closer to
education and of motivating them is by using interesting elements such as
the print media.
In the early 1900s radio stations spread all over the world. From 1910
efforts were made to use this new medium within the classrooms. The
potential advantages were obvious: just like film, radio would bring the
world into the classroom, making available the finest teachers and the
inspiration of the greatest leaders (Cuban, 1986; Darrow, 1932). Again there
were high hopes: instructional radio was ascribed great innovative potential.
The first radio station was established in India in 1927 at Mumbai.
Nevertheless, its use in the classroom remained quite limited. First of all, a
main disadvantage of radio was that content was predefined and fixed for
large target groups of listeners without the opportunity to adapt it to specific
needs or local differences. Practical barriers were raised by the fixed
timeslots of the broadcasts that not necessarily matched the daily classroom
schedules and routines. But the main problem was associated with the
supposed infringements on the teachers’ status and autonomous role as the
leading professional and omniscient expert. Radio broadcasts were easily
perceived as unwanted intruders that overtook the teaching role, compelling
the real teacher to become a listener instead. As a consequence, the use of
radio broadcasts in classrooms remained quite limited. Alternatively,
instructional radio offered a new avenue for distance education which in
those days was largely based on written correspondence via postal services.
Radio broadcasts could provide real-time lectures at people’s homes. But
over the years instructional radio failed to attract large audiences.
The audio compact cassette has been one of the very few successful
educational media. In the late 1960s it became available as a portable
10
alternative for the vinyl gramophone record. Its educational use started in
distance education. The audio cassettes were mainly used as a lead-in
medium for providing guidance through the written course materials
(Laaser, 1986). It made a perfect match with the required flexibility because
individual students could use it anytime. It was used for teaching scientific
concepts, guiding experiments, analysis of source material, and counselling
of students. So-called audio books were known already from the 1930s as a
means of government communication for blind people, but the audiocassette
greatly extended this idea in distance education, where it also served the
motivation of distance learners by establishing a more personal and intense
emotional relationship between the teacher or speaker and the student
(Laaser, 1986).Because of its good sound quality and flexibility the audio
cassette persisted quite some time in car radio systems and cassette
walkmans, until in the 1990s it was gradually replaced by audio compact
disk and MP3 downloads.
11
The magic lantern was first introduced in 1646 and was also known as
the Magin Catacoprica which meant “magic lantern.” Although the device
was used in homes and theaters, magic lanterns were deployed in the
classroom to enhance learning and student engagement. The photographic
slides were inserted one at a time for viewing of specific images or subject
matter. Those who were proficient at using a magic lantern could rapidly
change the slides to make it appear as if the image was moving.
By 1925, the film projector was making its way into classroom
environments. The projector displayed still images from a film strip
accompanied by an audio recording. The images had to be manually
changed as you advanced through the film strip. This type of technology
remained in the classroom until the early 1980s and was used to study a
particular topic or timeline of events.
During the 1930s, the first overhead projector was introduced to the
classroom prior to being widely used by the military during World War II.
After its introduction, the overhead projector became widely used in the
classroom which provided teachers with a more convenient alternative to
12
the blackboard. An overhead projector used transparent sheets which
could be written on with an erasable marker. The teacher could write on the
reusable transparency while facing the class. The notes were reflected on a
screen during the classroom presentation.
2.5.4. The Data Projector
13
support instruction and learning (Reiser, 1987). Although quite some
investments were made to establish instructional television channels
offering high quality learning content, these had only very little impact on
formal education. Paradoxically, the wide and successful adoption of
television as a commodity conflicted with the instructional role it was
supposed to play in education, because more and more television was
associated with superficial entertainment. Also, technical and organisational
inconveniences hampered its wide adoption in the classroom. Regarding the
small screens at the time and the poor sound quality it wasn’t easy to
successfully arrange instructional television sessions in a classroom with 50
or more pupils.
So, once again teachers exerted their resistance to a new technology
entering their classrooms. But at a more principle level it was very difficult
to meet the various conditions for student learning while using a fixed
television format (Reiser, 1987). The very idea of broadcasting implied a one-
to-many, one-way communication model addressing a wide audience with
general purpose content. Hence, television was assumed to trigger receptive
viewer modes rather than active learning modes. In one of his studies Childs
(in: Almenda, 1988) found no positive contributions of using television in
classrooms.
14
learners). The main problem was technical in kind though. In contrast with
audio compact cassettes there was no agreement on a common technical
standard for video cassettes. The interest in classroom video was fading
already, while new media became available like the microcomputer,
multimedia CD-ROM, DVD-Video and streaming video. The video cassette
never redeemed its promise.
By the late 1990s, the blackboard was gradually getting replaced with an
interactive whiteboard. When first introduced, the whiteboard consisted of a
white screen, computer, and projector. It was not yet being widely used
since many were unfamiliar with how to use it for classroom learning. But
nevertheless, it was gradually starting to make its way into classrooms
around the world.
As recently as last year and into 2017, many educators have been
enhancing the classroom learning experience using virtual or augmented
reality. Modern devices such as Google Cardboard VR allow students to
study locations and objects in 3D in addition to exploring current events.
16
position of warp threads. Inspired by the loom technology, Babbage came to
the idea of providing a calculation program and data using a punched card.
Until the1950s, punched cards were the most popular media both for data
porting and information storage. Shortly after the electronic computer was
invented and became popular, punched cards were replaced with magnetic
tape for persistent information storage, whereas due to their easy
manageability and the legacy compatibility, punched cards still continued to
be widely used for porting data and programs to/from computer systems
until the mid-1980s.
Today, other media such as cheap magnetic disks and broadband networks
have become much more popular and punched cards are only used in
limited cases. Some of the storage devices used nowadays are:
CD-ROM: compact disc read-only memory: a CD that stores large amounts
of information for use by a computer
Disk: a flat circular object such as a hard disk, DVD etc. on which
information from a computer can be stored.
Floppy Disk: a small square plastic object used in the past for copying
information from a computer. A floppy disk was often simply called a floppy.
3.0. SUMMARY
In this Module we have studied about Educational Media i.e. communication
that carry messages with an instructional purpose. They are usually utilised
for the sole purpose of learning and teaching. Classification of Educational
Media There are different ways to classify media. Print media, non-print
media, and electronic media.
(1)Print media: These include: books, journals, magazines, newspapers,
workbooks, and textbooks
(2)Non-print media: These include: projected and non-projected media.
(3)Electronic media: They include audio media, visual media and audio-
visual, projected media and non-projected media
(i)Projected media: These require light source for projection, for example,
film projector slides, and so on.
17
(ii)Non-projected media: These do not require light source. They include
3dimensional objects, 2dimensional objects, prints, charts, models and so
on historical Prospective of storage devices was also explored.
References:
1. http://www.faena.com/aleph/articles/the-history-of-the-magic-
mirrors-of-china-and-japan/
18
2. http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/huyg003oeuv22_01/huyg003oeuv22_01_
0093.php
3. http://www.magiclantern.org.uk/history/history04.php
4. http://www.historiccamera.com/cgi-
bin/librarium/pm.cgi?action=display&login=projector_history
5. http://www.funfotos.com/charlesfrancisjenkins.html
6. https://www.ethos3.com/2014/03/a-brief-history-of-the-projector/
7. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/02/vision-learning-
history-classroom-projectors
8. https://www.eiki.com/about-us/
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFwWWsz_X9s
GLOSSARY:
1. Cybernetics- The science of communications and automatic control
systems in both machines and living things.
2. CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory): An optical disk
capable of storing large amounts of embedded electronic programs or
files that can only be read from the disk (i.e., data cannot be written to
the disk after it has been produced). Unlike diskettes, CD-ROMs can
be read by any type of computer with a CD-ROM disk drive. See also
CD-RW, Compact disk and Diskette.
3. Digital data-The subset of Data (as defined above) that is transmitted
by, maintained, or made available in electronic media.
4. Educational technology—the practice of using technology in
instructional settings in support of teaching, learning and academic
achievement. Information – Messages used as the basis for decision-
making.
5. Hardware: The computer equipment used to do the work (i.e.,
operate software programs). It consists of the items that can be
touched, such as the computer case and peripherals (e.g., monitor,
keyboard, and mouse) that are attached to the computer. Internet – A
network of computer networks that operates worldwide using a
19
common set of rules that govern the format of the information that is
exchanged between computers
6. Media – Vehicles that carry messages. Common media channels are
televisions, radios, telephones and newspapers.
7. Multimedia – A medium that uses different forms of content (eg., text,
audio, graphics, video) to relay information or to entertain.
8. Software: Programs that tell a computer what to do. See also
administrative software, Antivirus software, Application software,
Hardware, Instructional software, and Operating system.
9. Virtual – accessed, stored, or carried out by means of a computer,
especially over a network; not physically existing.
Quadrant-IV
(Self- Assessment/ Evaluation
A. All the materials in the classroom B. All the tools a teacher uses to
teach a lesson C. Supplies, like paper and pencils D. Textbooks only
Q3. Disc machines, telephone and walkie-talkie, are the examples of which
type of media.
20
Lecture method B. Audio Visual Method C. Textbook method D. All the
above
Q8. Radio is similar to tape recorder for its case in classroom in which of the
following ways?
(A). It can develop listening comprehension (B). In can help the pupils to
acquire correct pronunciation. (C) It can improve word power of pupils (D).
All of the above
Q9. Radio is similar to tape recorder for its case in classroom in which of
the following ways?
(A). It can develop listening comprehension (B). In can help the pupils to
acquire correct pronunciation (C). It can improve word power of pupils (D).
All of the above
(A). it is cheap, handy and portable (B). the image formed by OPH is very
clear (C). blackboard can be used as screen. (D) All of the above
(A). It heightens reality more than the physical presence due to close up
action replay (B) Large number of pupils representing wide range of area can
be covered here. (C) It widens the horizon of pupils experiences by giving
them live and up-to-date knowledge. (D) All of the above
(A) It does not require darkening of the room. (B) Action replay is possible for
clarifying a situation. (C) Its maintenance and running cost is almost
negligible. (D) All of the above
Q14. All of the following are the demerits of radio programmes except:
21
(A) Immediate feedback cannot be received due to one way communication.
(B) it is unisensory in nature. (C) Recorded radio programmes are generally
not available in the market. (D) All categories of pupils cannot be equally
benefited by such programmes.
(A) Gramophone (B) Public Address System (C) Linguaphone (D) Walkman
(A). Its quality of image is very poor (B). Poor range and need of high energy
(C). It requires total room darkness (D). All of the above
A). Virtual reality (B). Internet (C). Projection (D) Audio Visuals
(A). Floppy Disk (B). Optical Disk (C). RAM (D) Flash Drive
Answers: 1. A, 2.B, 3. A, 4.D, 5. D, 6.B, 7.C, 8.D, 9. D, 10.C, 11.D, 12.D, 13.
D, 14.C, 15. B, 16. C, 17. D, 18.A, 19. A, 20.C,
22