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Introduction to Distance Education 

Distance education is defined as "A formal learning activity which occurs when students and instructor are separated by geographic distance or by time, often supported by communications technology such as television, videotape, computers, email, mail, or interactive videoconferencing." (Northeast Texas Consortium,2002) Distance learning programs, although considerably more intensive abroad, have been vital to fulfilling the American ETV goal. Nontraditional education by "telecourse" is an alternative educational experience for adults who otherwise would not be able to attend college or who simply choose not to go to college.

Questions

1. Do all learners benefit from educational television? Why?

2. How has educational television changed since inception?

3. How could the misuse of educational television have been avoided?

4. Is the use of television as a delivery tool for educational programs to blame for our children's obesity? or do gaming companies get the dubious credit for that disaster?

5. How do teachers set the stage for students to tune in to the program in such a way that the students will learn something of value?

Description of Educational Television (ETV)

Television can be used to enhance learning, share new ideas and traditions that learners would not otherwise have the chance to experience, as it can bring learning to life. Educational Television (ETV) in the United States refers to television programs that emphasize formal and informal instruction for children and adults (Zechowski, 2006). Television enhances, rather than replaces, teacher instruction through different styles of television delivery. Cable and new media challenge and enhance the traditional definition of ETV in the United States. With the help of cable and satellite, ETV can now be seen in even the remotest of regions. At the push of a button, ETV gives access to instructional content such as literacy, mathematics, science, geography, foreign language and high school equivalency preparation(Zechowski, 2006). The most successful ETV initiatives in the United States are public television's children's programs. Staples such as Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, and Between the Lions teach children academic fundamentals as well as social skills (Zechowski, 2006).

The Role of the Teacher

There are several crucial functions that must be handled by the teacher using ETV. 1. explain the learning goals of the television programming; 2. instruct students regarding what to look for prior to viewing; 3. help the students create connections from their life experiences to what is being viewed; 4. discuss what was learned; 5. use follow up activities that increase knowledge and understanding of the topic. (Educational Development Center, 1994)

ETV programming is designed for a large audience by television producers, state departments of education, and sometimes the federal government. They help decide what is to be taught and how it is to be taught. Teachers need to meet the needs of a variety of learners, being sure that the pace is neither too slow nor too fast.

The Role of the Learner

Students must be interested viewers in order to benefit from ETV. They must be able and willing to successfully participate in discussions and post-activities. Ever watch a classroom full of middle schoolers who were required to watch the dynamic program "Channel One?" Unless a student is receptive, not much will be learned from ETV. The learner can demonstrate knowledge in all curricular areas by imitating the type of programming being seen on ETV. Students can produce a localized version of ETV and present it to their grade/school on a topic being studied by their classes.

Historical and /or current practices

According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications (2006), the evolution of broadcasting resulted from a commercial existence within the United States. However, the interest in ETV was articulated early on as an instructional broadcasting tool but did not survive the audiences' need for commercials. Before making a formal debut, the idea of television began to fuse between broadcast radio channels in London and New York City by the late 1920’s. After that, the attempt to move forward with ETV was headed by the Harfield-Wagner amendment which proposed to set aside one fourth of the broadcasting system for educational stations. Conversely, the Communications Act of 1934 became a law without further insight, even though the FCC assured that there would be further inquiry of ETV. Yet as the next 30 years would pass by, educational broadcasting became a non-existent entity. Commercial broadcasters continued to lobby against the provisions of education channels. Thereafter, the Joint Committee on Educational Television, now known as the Joint Council, was formed in the year 1950 as well. Then in the 1950s, ETV made a name for itself by becoming affiliated with KUHT. This would finally become the first educational television station in the United States. Following shortly after in 1953, WKAR-TV in Michigan became the second educational television station. With commercialism still playing a major role in the premier of broadcasting, KUHT held steady as the first non-commercial educational station in the nation. Even though the ETV concept was being utilized as a programming tool, the financial issues kept ETV under water due to the lack of commercialized support and funding. Remarkably in coming years, the Ford Foundation provided key financial support and inventiveness for ETV that would not only be for children but for everyone, as the Fund for Adult Education (FAE) and the Fund for the Advancement of Education wanted to accomplish. Most people who were affiliated with ETV and its initiatives felt that there was potential to establish other forms of broadcasting than what commercial television was providing at the time. The private funding provided by the Ford Foundation would not be able to help ETV keep going forever as it continued to grow every year (Hines & Levin, 2003). Later in 1952 during the post World War II era, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reserved 242 frequencies for educational purposes that were noncommercialized. Also in 1952, the FAE created the Educational Television and Radio Center which is also known as the National Educational Television Center (NET) in order to increase educational stations' access to programs and facilitating exchange between stations. ETV also landed a hand in programming for adult audiences that may need some type of training in hygiene, literacy, child care, and/or farming. With this increased need for more individualized lessons, ETV started to become the program of choice. By 1954, The Educational Television and Record Center began to distribute service to stations that would allow for educational institutions to have non-broadcast viewing for programs. So now, there were sixteen schools that were televising courses nationally and then by 1955, thirty-three schools. As the number of schools that develop televising courses increase, experimental design continues to play a role on teaching innovations and new instructional media. By 1958, there were 101 schools that were nationally televising courses. According to the National Defense Education Act of 1958, significant federal funding will be provided to research educational television. During that time period there was a general public dissatisfaction with American schools. This act was fueled by fears of Russian educational and technological superiority. It was the first large-scale federal push into reforming American schooling. During the next several years, there were many proposals and attempts to help save ETV, from the Educational Television Facilities Act in 1962 to the Carnegie Commission in 1965. Both were crucial to helping ETV survive for many more years from the funding and research that would help the future of education and television (Zechowski, 2006).

Positive Uses of Educational Television

“I’m a believer…” After examining the generous ETV schedule for Oklahoma, this self-proclaimed TV hater started thinking favorably about the delicious menu served daily on this Public TV station. Why look at OK? Having taught out on the prairie in Oklahoma gives one a clearer picture of the outstanding benefit of being able to address the issue of geographic separation between educators and learners. You almost need virtual football out there because it’s sometimes almost a 2 hour drive just to play a Friday night high school game with one of your local competitors. ETV bridges the transportation gap caused by a sparser population. Imagine the benefits of ETV in the mountains in Montana where there are only 15 students in a school that’s grades K – 8 or in the wilderness of Alaska where there aren’t even roads connecting villages.

An aggressively debated issue surrounding ETV is the measure of its actual academic worth. There can be volumes read about different sides of the debate but speaking on the positive side, we can look at the research done by Dr. Aletha C. Huston and associates who studied about 200 children aged 2 – 7 years old, over a 3-year period. Younger children, especially the 2 and 3 year olds, who watched a few hours a week of ETV, had higher academic results 3 years later than children who didn’t watch the programs. The same study revealed that younger children who spent many hours watching entertainment programs had lower test scores than those who watched less hours of entertainment TV.

Abuses of Educational Television

The Channel One Network, is a community that brings together young people from around the globe to learn about and discuss everything that's on their minds-- from issues in the news to what happens in school. Having received many awards, including the Peabody award, this program demonstrates how educational television can be abused. While it offers current news stories in twelve-minute segments, it also displays many forms of advertising and games. Channel One is involved in the donation of equipment to schools with the expectation that a designated percentage of the students will watch the program at the same time every day without interruption.

Well known educational television program PBS is now being referred to as Problematic Broadcasting System. Arguments from both sides point to situations that could ultimately be the demise of PBS as we know it today. The use of TV as a means of educating our children is now being attributed to various problems: overweight, ADD, physical activity, musculoskeletal and visual symptoms and socio-economic, adolescent smoking, poor educational achievement, and sleep problems during adolescence and early adulthood. (Grossman, 2002) The common forms of communication; television, radio and newspapers offer one-way communication with the pace and sequence determined by the creator. This does not necessarily meet the needs of the learner. It does not provide the opportunity to develop and utilize thinking skills as does the newer interactive technologies. Federal funding of ETV created the potential for programming biases. (Zechowski, 2006)

Summary

ETV was the stepping stone in the advancement towards virtual classrooms. Given the hardware and software technology available when ETV began, it was considered a new and innovative means of providing information in an entertaining format. As computer technology advanced rapidly, other means of providing information became readily available. Frequently these methods were affordable, making them attractive for many different audiences. It is these advances in technology that have us, as a society, look at virtual classrooms as an answer to the many concerns surrounding the school systems. There is sure to be another major technological step after virtual classrooms. While ETV in the United States may be floundering, it still remains as the catalyst for advancements in education today.

Sources

Allington, R. L. (1994). What's special about special programs for children who find learning to read difficult? Journal of Reading Behavior, Volume 26

Educational Development Center(1994). Retrieved May 9, 2006, from http://www2.edc.org

Grossman, Lawrence (2002) Review of Ouellette, Laurie ( ). PBS: Problematic Broadcasting System: Viewers Like You? How Public TV Failed The People and Smith, Roger P. The Other Face of Public Television. Columbia University Press. Retrieved May 10, 2006 from www.freerepublic.com

Hines, L. M. & Levin, R. A. (2003). Educational Television, Fred Rogers, and the History of Education. History of Education Quarterly. Vol 43. No. 2: 30 pars. Retrieved May 7, 2006, from http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/heq/43.2/levin.html.

New Media and New Media Literacy, Neil Andersen Congress of the U.S., Senate Committee on Labor and Human resources (BBB17813) (1991). Retrieved May 10, 2006 from http://channelone.com

Shorr, M. (2002-2003) Center for Media Literacy retrieved May 11, 2006, from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article119.html

The Oklahoma Network (2006)retrieved May 11, 2006, from http://www.oeta.onenet.net/schedules/index.html?display_date=2006-05-15&display_format=fullweek&feeds=407&station=KETA&zipcode=73113&transport=&provider=&supersite=stations

The Northeast Texas Consortium (2002). Retrieved May 9, 2006, from http://www.netnet.org/students/student%20glossary.html.

Zechowski, S. (2006). The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved May 7, 2006, from http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/E/htmlE/educationalt/educationalt.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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