Audio-Visual Media in Education

Audio-Visual Media

• The main types of audio-visual media are:
  • Writing boards
  • Flipcharts
  • OHP transparencies
  • 35 mm slides
  • Videotapes
  • Models/real objects/samples/shapes
  • Audiotapes
  • Audio-conferencing
  • Video-conferencing
  • Digital projectors
  • Smart classrooms
  • Computers (software and storage media)
  • The Internet

Flipcharts

• To effectively use flipcharts, use:
  • Wide-tipped pens or markers
  • Large block letters
  • Different colored pens
  • Headings, boxes, cartoons, and borders
  • Bullets to delineate items on the page
  • Leave plenty of white space
• Advantages of flipcharts:
  • Available in most training rooms
  • Easy to move from room to room
  • Do not require electricity
  • Several may be used simultaneously
  • Easy to use and inexpensive
  • Suitable for use by trainers and participants
  • Excellent for brainstorming, problem solving, making lists
  • Pages can be prepared in advance
  • Pages can be removed and taped on the walls

Transparencies

• Advantages of transparencies:
  • The projector is simple to use
  • Can be used in almost any training room with electricity
  • Can be used with the classroom lights on
  • Can be prepared in advance to save time
  • Are inexpensive
  • Can be prepared quickly and easily
  • Can be used repeatedly
• Disadvantages of transparencies:
  • Cannot project text and images directly from the printed page
  • Be careful not to block the participants' view of the screen
• To produce transparencies, use:
  • Pens to create text or drawings on plastic or acetate sheets
  • A copy machine with transparency film designed for copiers
  • A computer and printer
• When preparing transparencies:
  • Limit the information to one main idea and about 5-6 lines of large type
  • Use large lettering
  • Print text
  • Make graphics and drawings large enough to be seen
  • Mount transparencies in frames or insert them in plastic pockets
  • Number the transparencies
  • Store the transparencies in a box, envelope, or a "pocket" made from folders or plastic

Using the Overhead Projector

• When using the overhead projector:
  • Locate and check the operation of the on/off switch
  • Have an extra projector bulb
  • Focus the projector and check the position of the image
  • Turn the projector on after the transparency is placed on the glass
  • Turn off the projector before removing the transparency
  • Move away from the projector so participants can see
  • Face the participants, not the screen, while talking
  • Show one point at a time
  • Use a pointer or pencil to focus attention
  • Allow plenty of time for the participants to read what is on the screen

Slides

• Advantages of slides:
  • Relatively inexpensive and easy to produce
  • Can be made locally by the trainer
  • Are good for showing individual steps of a procedure or close-ups of equipment
  • Can be shown in a fairly light room
  • Can be used with audiotapes to produce a slide show with narration
• Disadvantages of slides:
  • Slide projectors are much more expensive than overhead projectors
  • Slide projectors are more fragile than overhead projectors and do not tolerate voltage fluctuations as well
  • Slides are not updated as easily or produced as inexpensively as transparencies
• When preparing slides:
  • Limit each slide to one main idea
  • Text slides should be short and concise
  • No more than 35 words (approximately five lines of text)
  • Legibility of the material on the slide is crucial
  • Number the slides in pencil or pen on the mounting frame
  • Mark or "spot" slides before placing in the tray

Using the Slide Projector

• When using the slide projector:
  • Arrange the room so all participants can see the screen
  • Set up and test the slide projector
  • Make sure there is an extra projector bulb
  • Locate the focus control, check the focus, and position the image on the screen
  • Run through all the slides in advance
  • Determine if all or some of the lights can be left on
  • During the presentation, avoid rushing through a series of slides

Videotapes

• Advantages of using videotapes:
  • Capture events the eye alone would not see
  • Steps of a procedure or technique can be shown by slowing down the videotape
  • Videotapes provide better color and detail
  • Videotapes can be prepared by the trainer to reflect local conditions

Writing Boards

• Advantages of the writing board:
  • Available in most training rooms
  • Does not require electricity
  • Easy to use and inexpensive
  • Suitable for use by both clinical trainers and participants
  • Excellent for brainstorming, problem solving, making lists, and other participatory activities
• Disadvantages of the writing board:
  • The board cannot hold a large amount of material
  • Writing on the board is time-consuming
  • It is difficult to write on the board and talk to the participants
  • The board can get messy
  • There is no permanent record of information presented
• Tips for the writing board:
  • Keep the board clean
  • Use chalk or pens that can be seen
  • Make text and drawings large enough to be seen by all
  • Prepare complex drawings in advance
  • Underline headings and important or unfamiliar words
  • Do not talk while facing the board
  • Do not block the participants' view
  • Allow time for participants to copy information from the board