Teachers' TV

Teachers’ TV was launched at BETT 2005 with the idea of providing video content and television programmes of interest to teachers and others involved, or interested in education matters. The channel is government funded through the DCSF, but is editorially independent. The broadcast TV channel is available via digital and satellite receivers. For satellite or cable viewers the channel is available all through the day, whereas the schedule for freeview viewers means that programmes are broadcast between midnight and 8am each day. However, virtually all (around 90%) of the broadcast programmes are also available through the Teachers’ TV website at Teachers' TV website This review will concentrate on resources available via the website and it will not consider the TV channel any further because the website resources are searchable and can be downloaded for later use.

Teachers’ TV provides a wealth of useful and useable video resources. The copyright licence is very permissive and provides plenty of scope for tutors to be innovative in the way they use the media available on the site.

This resource includes:

An introduction to Teachers’ TV
An overview of what the site offers
Access to the resources
Navigating and searching

How to download and edit the resources
Downloading
Editing

How to use the resources
Copyright

Video and pedagogy
Reasons for using video

Examples of use with trainees
Example 1
Example 2

References and Bibliography

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author

Introduction to Teachers' TV

An overview of what the site offers:

A searchable archive of nearly 3000 programmes and video clips (as at May 2009).
The facility to download video programmes from the site.
Coverage of all aspects of the school curriculum and whole-school issues, from the Foundation Stage to A Level and beyond into the FE sector and the 14-19 agenda.
Resources that are targeted at Teachers, Governors, Parents and the wider ‘educational’ community (including those involved in ITE).
The most accessible source of relevant video resources available to the teaching and wider educational community without subscription charge.
Additional editorial content and in some cases resources to support the use of the video in teaching contexts.
A permanent archive of all programmes broadcast since launch.
New titles independently commissioned by Teachers’ TV and also pre-existing titles that have been bought for hosting on the site.
Opportunity for users to comment on and rate programmes or the website, or just comment on matters of interest in the educational world.
The opportunity to suggest ideas for new programmes and even perhaps appearing in new programmes if you wish. In order to do this you must register as an Associate.

The programmes vary in length, but most commonly they are between 15 and 30 minutes long. This is particularly useful when it comes to downloading a clip as it doesn’t take too long on a reasonably current computer with a good connection to the internet.

The programmes are predominantly related to the school curriculum in the UK, although there is a growing range of programmes with a more international dimension.

Access to the resources:
Virtually all of the site content is available to casual browsers with the exception of an area designated for Teachers’ TV Associates which is only accessible to registered individuals. Associates are people who have registered a willingness to work with Teachers’ TV as reviewers of programme ideas and to act as so called ‘champions’ of the service. However, any user can become an Associate if they wish and this provides access to this restricted area of the site. There is no charge for access to any of the resources, and only if you wish to download any of the video clips will you need to register your email address. If you wish, once you are registered you can sign up to receive e-mail schedule alerts and other information, but there is no compulsion to do this.

Navigating and searching:
The site is well organised and video programmes are available both to watch on-line, or to download and store for later use. Each page on the site has the same navigation tabs at the top to allow the user to browse the resources in a variety of different ways.

Browsing can be achieved in many ways, including by National Curriculum subject, by Key Stage, by role and by whole school issue. Additionally, the site has a comprehensive keyword search which is very effective and can even find programmes from the archive by use of one word such as a name.

For most users, the subject or Key Stage pages are likely to provide the most obvious starting point to locate programmes of interest. Although, for the ITE community, there are lots of valuable programmes in the whole-school area, particularly in relation to issues such as behaviour management and inclusion.

A number of the short programmes form a series of connected and related programmes that cover a topic in considerable detail. In a number of cases, recognised experts in the field host the programmes. For example, the late Professor Ted Wragg was used to introduce programmes in several different series, such as classroom assessment and a series of interviews with prominent personalities in the educational world.

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author

Downloading and Editing the Resources

There are many different file types in use for video files and some of these are proprietary to particular manufacturers. If you find as you experiment with downloaded video that you come across a file type you have not met before, or that your software doesn’t seem to like, search the internet for detailed information and tutorial help - there is a lot of material out there that is very accessible and often very good. The site itself also has a video guide help sheet that covers many aspects of viewing and downloading video from the site. It is a good place to start if you have never downloaded and edited video before and it can be accessed from the website Teachers' TV help pages

Downloading the files.
Once registered on the site, most of the downloads from Teachers’ TV are available in two different formats. For PC users, the most likely format to use is Windows Movie (wmv), whilst for Mac users the files are available in Quicktime format (mov). Of course, both of these formats can be used on a variety of different hardware platforms (provided you have installed the appropriate software – Windows Media Player or Quicktime Player respectively). However, there are limitations with both of these formats if you want to ensure compatibility and complete accessibility across a range of hardware platforms.

Downloading the video file is easy and will be familiar – a right mouse click and ‘save file as’ for PC users and ‘download linked file’ for Mac users being the most straightforward solution. There are also instructions on the Teachers’ TV website (see link above). Download times vary dependent on the size of file and the speed of the connection, but the programmes are not usually excessively long, so with a reasonable connection should not take too long.

It is perhaps unfortunate that the site doesn’t provide a facility for downloading in mpeg format, because that format is useable across a greater range of different software packages and playable on more hardware platforms such as mobile phones and other portable devices. So, if accessibility is important to you and you want to provide mpeg versions of the programmes you have downloaded, you will have to convert them yourself, which means you have to buy a suitable programme to convert from the formats provided into mpeg. There are also other reasons for converting the files to mpeg format when it comes to editing the programmes to suit your purposes (see below). There are a variety of options for converting wmv files to mpeg including a number of shareware file converters that do a good job. Again, a search of the internet should provide some appropriate alternatives.

Editing the files.
Windows Movie Maker is now shipped with the OS or is available as a free download from Microsoft. It provides a basic set of tools for editing and saving files in the common Windows formats such as wmv and avi. It is easy to use and has enough functionality to provide for most basic editing requirements. If what you want to do is to slice up a programme and then save selected parts of it or split it into a number of sections, then Movie Maker will probably suffice for your needs. It is intuitive to use, but if you want to learn more about the program, there are many tutorials relating to the use of Movie Maker available on the web, and also one that has been commissioned by the TDA. This tutorial is particularly relevant to the use of Movie Maker with Teachers’ TV files and can be accessed from this link Download Word document: How to use Windows MovieMaker.doc (1816K)

For Apple, iMovie provides all the basic editing facilities you are likely to need (and many you will perhaps never use). It is bundled with all new Apple computers as well as being available as a separate purchase. The software will export the movie to a variety of formats, although Quicktime, videophone and iPod seem to be the most useable. As an additional note, avi files are also playable in Quicktime, so if your software can produce avi files (e.g. Movie Maker), this may be a solution that will provide access for just about all users. There are some free on-line tutorials for using iMovie available from this link Atomic Learning iMovie Tutorials

Whilst the facilities of either of these programs will probably be sufficient for most requirements, there are alternatives that provide for more sophisticated editing. For example, Pinnacle Studio version 9. This is where you need mpeg format files because Pinnacle will not recognise the propriety formats such as wmv, avi and mov and if, you are already using it for general video editing, it makes sense to work with what you know. Unfortunately, the Pinnacle software is only available in Windows version; there is no Apple version. Another possibility for editing software would be Adobe Premiere, although this is really a professional editing package and probably far more sophisticated than is likely to be required for most users. The same can be said of Apple’s Final Cut Pro. The expense of buying these programs is likely to rule them out for most users.

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author

How to use the resources

In most cases, playing the files using Windows Media Player or Quicktime Player will be the preferred solution. If you copy the edited files to a VLE such as Blackboard, then your trainees can either run the file from the VLE, or copy it to their own device to play later (this will probably be appropriate for most users). As long as the file type is compatible with other hardware and software, the user should be able to play the file on their own equipment. As indicated above, Quicktime player will play mpeg, mov, and avi formats, whereas Windows Media Player will play wmv, avi and mpeg formats .

Streaming the files from the VLE across a network is possible, but very slow, so most trainees prefer to save the files and play them later.

Copyright Issues.
The copyright licence for Teachers’ TV is issued under the Creative Archive umbrella. It is particularly permissive and is a strong commendation for the resources on the site. Basically the licence allows you to deconstruct, edit and reconstruct the media in any way you wish provided that you acknowledge the source and also provided that you make no financial or commercial gain from the original material or the derivatives that you create. This means that you are allowed to cut the programmes into smaller sections and then use the sections in your teaching and in a way that suits your purpose. Hence you have a good deal of editorial control over the video that you use.

The full licence can be found here

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author

Video and pedagogy

The use of video in ITE can be a particularly good way of focusing beginning teachers on important classroom events. It has long been recognised that trainees on teaching practice can se themselves as guests in the classroom and thus fail to engage with what is actually happening and what the experienced teacher is actually doing when she is teaching. As McAlpine, Brown, McIntyre and Hagger (1988) indicate:

" … the more skilful the teaching the easier everything looks, … the more difficult it is to understand how success is achieved." (Communicating the Practical Knowledge of Teachers to Student-Teachers. 1988, p1)

This is particularly a problem for trainees in the early stage of their ITE course. There is often so much happening in the classroom and the teacher is managing so many different aspects and interactions that it can be difficult to determine that which is important from that which is not. Additionally, beginning teachers often fail to recognise the impact that the classroom environment has on the dynamic in the classroom. In all of these circumstances, the selective use of video material can allow beginning teachers to make more sense of what they are seeing in the classroom and also how the teacher is managing the class and the environment to assure effective teaching and learning. Over two decades ago, Bates (1984) indicated that in the early 1980’s virtually all UK schools and HE institutions made educational use of television technologies, so video is a familiar media for ITE tutors and also for trainees.

In most of the Teachers’ TV footage, the classrooms are ‘real’ and the video is filmed in the classroom as it is, rather than being obviously staged or scripted. As a result, the video looks and feels authentic to the viewer and the responses and reactions of the pupils are familiar to anyone who has been in a classroom in a typical school. This is of obvious help to beginning teachers as they often need to see behaviour, teaching methods and activities within context and in an environment they can recognise when they go into school themselves. Hence, the more realistic the video footage, the more likely the trainees will relate to what is going on.

Of course, any video programme has been edited and the particular perspective of the editor and producer are evident in the way the programme has been put together. But, this need not be a barrier, as the technology and the Teachers’ TV copyright licence allow the freedom to deconstruct the programme and then either manage the release of elements of it, or reconstruct it. Consequently, tutors can be in control of the content presented to trainees and can match the content to particular teaching methods or learning issues.

Although video has uses in the ITE context, some thought is needed to ensure that it is effective. Often video footage is used in a face-to-face session when the lecturer shows a video to the whole class and then uses it to generate discussion or focus of issues in the selected clip. Whilst this approach can be effective as Collis (1996) acknowledges:

“Learners can be in a face-to-face setting, and for reasons of personality or class size or teacher characteristics, rarely ask the teacher direct questions and rarely engage in structured group discussions; yet learning can and does still occur.” (Tele-learning in a Digital World 1996, p49)

it is not necessarily as effective as it could be. For example, the ‘one shot’ nature of the use of video in this way means that not all trainees will necessarily grasp the message. Also if trainees are away during that session, they miss the experience and also the opportunity for learning. Often, the use of video in such sessions is disappointing and doesn’t generate the depth of engagement by the trainees intended.

With current software such as Windows Movie Maker and Apple Quicktime and even software often seen in Primary Schools such as TextEase Movie CT it is possible to save video files for trainees to access individually either in college, or, with the use of a VLE, at home or in school. This then allows the tutor to use a more varied pedagogical approach to the use of the media and create a more meaningful engagement with the video than is possible to achieve by showing a video once in a classroom session. Skiera and Stirling (2003), in a study of Training Teachers in the US acknowledge the value of video based material to orient the training teacher to the classroom environment and also to develop their reflective practices through the provision of real exemplars.

Some reasons for using video in ITE courses are:

Previous use of video in face to face sessions where the level of trainee engagement was poor and trainee feedback on the sessions was (at best) neutral
An intention to shift the balance of ‘meaning making’ from tutor to trainee and thus increase independence in the trainee learning experience
A desire to introduce cohesive and progressive pre-session activities allowing trainees time to reflect on the subject before a scheduled face-to-face session
A requirement to develop trainee observational skills related to classroom dynamics
To enable trainees from geographically dispersed locations to engage collectively in the debate surrounding an issue

Despite all your best efforts to engage the trainees with new and innovative ideas for using video, there will still be some trainees who still do not fully engage. No doubt there will always be some trainees who fail to take the opportunities presented to them, but the use of video media itself is no guarantee of trainee engagement.

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author

Examples of use with Trainees

Two examples.

The choice of pedagogies available is wide and varied and these examples are a very small illustration of two methods. However, there are many more methods available. A good summary of the relative merits of a greater range of different methods for delivering learning via VLEs can be found at Paulsen, M. F. (2003). Online Education and Learning Management Systems - Global E-Learning in a Scandinavian Perspective. Bekkestua. NKI Forlaget. (I am indebted to Dr Martin Owen of Futurelab for this source). Also the recently published book Learning and Teaching with Virtual Learning Environments edited by Gillespie, Boulton, Hramiak and Williamson provides a good summary of different pedagogical approaches.

Example 1.
A programme that captures the interaction over several weeks between an NQT ICT teacher in a school in Bradford and a Local Authority Adviser focusing on classroom organisation and management. The whole programme is only 15 minutes long and can be accessed here

How it was used:

The programme was split into smaller sections and then these sections were released onto the VLE over a period of 2 weeks in the first few weeks of the PGCE course.
Before the video clips were released, some still images captured from the video were posted onto the VLE to enable the trainees to start their reflection process by looking carefully at the classroom environment.
A series of discussion topics was established to accompany each release.
The trainees were expected to contribute to an on-line discussion where they reflected on the images and video material and addressed the questions asked.
The initial questions were designed to encourage the trainees to consider some of the issues that might arise in this classroom and then reflect on what issues actually did arise once they had seen the relevant part of the video.
Later in the discussion, the emphasis turned more towards what they as training teachers might do if faced with similar issues as the NQT in the programme. In this way, the discussion provided trainees with a progression of learning and opportunities for deeper reflection over time.
After the video material and the discussion had been running for approximately 2 weeks, a college face-to-face session was held focusing on classroom organisation and management. In this session, the trainees had the opportunity to consolidate the learning experiences of the on-line activities.

Example 2.
As a different pedagogical approach, a short (5 minute) programme hosted by Professor Ted Wragg was used as part of a face-to-face session with trainees on ITE courses. The programme is about the types of questions asked in the classroom and it provides a useful coverage of some of the research into how teachers use questioning. It can be accessed here

How it was used:

The programme was used in a traditional way in a face-to-face session where trainees watched the whole programme in one go.
It was also available to trainees via the VLE so that they could return to it independently if they wished.
The programme was used as an introduction to a more comprehensive investigation of the use of questions as a tool in Assessment for Learning (AfL).
As a follow up the trainees were directed to explore other video programmes from the Teachers’ TV site related to AfL.
The trainees were asked to make their own choice from the many programmes available on this topic with the aim of sharing with their peers what they had learnt from their investigations and exploration of the media available.
This sharing took the form of a written summary of their chosen programme that they posted to the VLE for all to see.
This method of using the site requires a high level of independent working from the trainee and so may not be appropriate for all ITE contexts, but it has proved to be a valid and suitable way of placing the responsibility for learning back onto the trainees.

Note: all copyrights acknowledged.

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author

Bibliography

Bates, A.W. (1984). Broadcasting in Education. London. Constable.

Collis, B. (1996). Tele-learning in a Digital World. London. International Thomson Computer Press.

Gillespie, H. Boulton, H. Hramiak, A. and Williamson, R. (2007). Learning and Teaching in Virtual Environments. Exeter. Learning Matters.

McAlpine, A. Brown, S. McIntyre, D. and Hagger, H. (1988). Communicating the Practical Knowledge of Teachers to Student-Teachers. Edinburgh. SCRE. http://www.scre.ac.uk/spotlight/spotlight13.html last accessed May 1st 2009.

Paulsen, M. F. (2003). Online Education and Learning Management Systems - Global E-Learning in a Scandinavian Perspective. Bekkestua. NKI Forlaget.

Skiera, P. & Stirling, D. (2003). The Study of Digital Video Library Artifacts as a Medium for Teacher Development. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2003 (p. 2215). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Teachers’ TV. (2005). Copyright Licence. http://www.teachers.tv/help/copyright/creativearchive last accessed May 1st 2009

Teachers’ TV. (2005). Hot Research Questions. http://www.teachers.tv/video/2619 last accessed September 7th 2009

Teachers’ TV. (2005). Teaching with Lanovy-Taylor – Getting Their Attention. http://www.teachers.tv/video/1413 last accessed May 1st 2009

Teachers’ TV. (2005). Video Guide. http://www.teachers.tv/help/video last accessed May 1st 2009

author: Martyn Lawson
email the author