Camcorders and Classrooms

raditionally, audiovisual aids, such as filmstrips, films, and slide presentations, have been supplemental to classroom instruction. Just a few years ago, the microcomputer was also a supplemental piece of equipment in many school buildings; however, today more and more teachers find that they cannot be without one or more microcomputers in each classroom, much less in each building. Reider (1985) cites the fact that from September 1983 to September 1984, the number of schools housing video cassette recorders (VCRs) increased from 36,545 to 56,166-a growth rate higher than that for microcomputers-and he suggests that "VCRs have become the educational technology of choice without so much as a whisper from the education community" (14). These facts about school use must be combined with a report from Variety (1986) that by October 1986 some 38 percent of American homes had a VCR (up from 35 percent in April 1986). And another report from the Electronic Industries Association in "Sight 'n' Sound" (1987) predicted that a VCR would be found in almost half of all U.S. homes along with as many as two million camcorders by the end of 1987. The 1990 census information will, no doubt, confirm these predictions. Because a number of households now have more than one VCR, determining the percentage of homes with such equipment is presently an estimate. With this kind of growth in both schools and homes, educators must explore all the possibilities for improving classroom instruction, extracurricular activities, and parent/community relations through the use of videocassette equipment. Teachers well remember the days when microcomputers were in place in the schools but sat idle because no one knew how to use them. No doubt by now schools have found many uses for the VCR, but those uses are still chiefly supplemental to daily instruction. Perhaps one reason that the microcomputer has been viewed as an educational tool and the VCR as a recreational/home-use tool relates to marketing strategies launched by the respective industries. If VCR companies realized the potential impact that their equipment could have in schools, they might be willing to make special "deals" with school districts, just as some mi rocomputer manufacturers have successfully done. Cooperative efforts among educators, businesses, students, and parents can make video a truly integral part of the daily routine. But educators need to be proactive rather than reactive in finding camcorder/VCR uses that increases both teacher effectiveness and classroom efficiency. From teacher training through professional evaluation, from classroom to extracurricular uses, the possibilities are endless. Room 309 is a videotape developed at Memphis State University to prepare teachers who have not participated in student teaching but instead attend a ten-week "boot camp" during the summer. This tape presents a high school classroom that houses every imaginable kind of problem the teacher might face. "Vignettes of students entering a classroom late, snoring through a lecture, talking, and being generally disorderly are included on the videotape" (Room 309, Chronicle, A 15). Such a tape would also be just as beneficial for teachers who participate in general methods classes serving as a simulation of possible situations teachers might, (and probably will), encounter during student teaching or during the first difficult year on their own. Although microteaching and subsequent peer evaluation have long been in use in teacher training and will probably continue to be so, this kind of recorded, simulated classroom experience is innovative and useful for teacher educators.