Janet Hardesty, age 16, of Casper, Wyo., for her question:
WHEN DID WE START USING AUDIOVISUAL EDUCATION?
Audiovisual education is the planning, preparation and use of devices and materials that involve sight, sound ar both for educational purposes. Audiovisual education emerged as a discipline in the 1920s. when film technology was developing rapidly.
Among the devices used in audiovisual education today are still and motion pictures, filmstrips, television, transparencies, audiotapes, records teaching machines, computers and videodiscs. The growth of audiovisual education has reflected developments in both technology and learning theory.
Educators in the late 1920s views audiovisuals only as aids to teachers It wasn't until World War II, when the armed services used audiovisual materials to train large numbers of persons in short periods of time, did the potential of these devices as primary sources of instruction become apparent.
In the 1950s and 1960s developments in communications theory and systems concepts led to studies of the educational process, its elements and their interrelationships. Among these elements are the teacher, the teaching methods, the information conveyed, the materials used, the student and the student's responses.
As a result of these studies, the field of audiovisuals shifted its emphasis from devices and materials to the examination of the teaching learning process. The field was now known as audiovisual communications and educational technology, and audiovisual materials were viewed as an integral part of the educational system.
The United States and other countries have begun to take advantage of the ability of audiovisual devices to transcend geographical barriers. Audiovisual devices can expose students to experiences beyond the classroom and they can disseminate instruction across large areas, making education accessible to more people.
In the United States, communication satellites distribute educational programming to all public television stations; some programs are broadcast and others may be viewed on closed circuit systems.
As the technology improves, educational capabilities of audiovisuals will increase correspondingly. The emergence of the videodisc as a viable medium and the declining cost of computers have given instructional technologists better tools with which to work. In the past they had to choose among various media, weighing their advantages and disadvantages.
Videodiscs, when interfaced with computers combine the advantages of still pictures, motion pictures, television and computer aided instruction. This versatility is a major improvement in audiovisual education.