1. Brief Description:  Film is one of the earliest variations of Motion Visuals which takes still images photographed at a specific frame rate (usually 24 frames per second) and projects them onto a screen via a lens and a bulb which either flashes or is covered/uncovered at the proper frame rate as the celluloid pictures are rolled over the lens, creating a visual representation of motion.  Film cameras and projectors have largely been replaced by digital equipment that use electronics to capture the images, motion, and sound.

Class of media: Instructional aid

Characteristics: Motion visual

2. Standards and Goals: (when, how and where to use for instructional meaningful connections, how would this be used in the real world):  Film is best used as an educational aid to augment curriculum where movement, interaction of components, or graphic representation of abstract ideas can assist learners in building understanding of concepts.  A film of an individual talking would not be the most appropriate use of this medium, however if the subject is the interaction of rotating gears or how the motion of surf and tides creates erosion of beaches, film may be quite effective.  The key to remember is that the motion aspect should be an essential element to the learning and the topic.

3. Application to types of learning:

       a. Cognitive objectives: (Prior knowledge, reading ability, vocabulary levels):    Film tends to be most effective for learners with limited prior knowledge as significant prior knowledge of the topic may interfere with the effectiveness of the aid based on the learners’ preexisting understanding of the subject matter.  Film can be used to teach recognition and/or discrimination of relevant motion stimuli.  It can be used to teach rules, principles, and it is possible (although not economical) to display words (Bergeron, 2019).  Reading ability has little impact on film unless the learner has hearing impairments or the film is in a foreign language which requires the reading of subtitles.  Vocabulary levels used in the media should be appropriate for the education level of the learner.

       b. Psychomotor objectives: (interpretive movement, physical and perceptual abilities):  While the learners do not need any specific psychomotor skills to watch film, it is a beneficial medium to visually demonstrate interpretive movement or physical abilities/processes (Bergeron, 2019).  Perceptual abilities will be key to proper understanding of displayed content.  Visually impaired students will need to rely on audio transcriptions.

       c. Affective objectives:(senses, what attentive needs and abilities, value/emotion requirement, motivation to learn):
Film can be beneficial when content is meant to raise awareness of cultural understanding or to insight emotions to spark conversation.

4. Strengths:  When compared to text or still images, film allows the learner to see physical movement and the relationships of objects to other items which can be essential when teaching processes or mechanical interfaces.  Other strengths include

1. Risk-Free Observation – Potentially dangerous processes can be watched without the risk of injury to the learners.
2. Dramatization – Historical figures and events can be viewed as if they were in the classroom and engaged in activities.
3. Affective Learning – The emotional impact of film can help shape attitudes, both personal and social.
4. Problem Solving – A dramatization or open-ended film can allow learners to discuss possible solutions or alternatives.
5. Cultural Understanding – The ability to see how other cultures live and interact from a near-first hand perspective can build understanding and appreciation for other value systems.
6. Commonality – A common base of experience from a film can allow groups with different opinions to begin to work together towards solutions.

(Smaldino, Lowther, & Mims, 2018)

5. Limitations:  While the action and relatively constant change contained in film can increase student interest in the instruction, there are also significant limitations which must be considered before employing them in a learning environment:

1. Fixed Pace – Based on its technology, film is usually played at a constant pace which may be too slow for some learners and too fast for others and there is no ability to easily pause the film or change the speed at which it operates.  Attempts to “pause” a film usually result in celluloid film melting from the heat of the projector bulb, thereby eliminating the ability to make a more in depth examination of the topic.
2. Talking Head – Many films consist of images of someone talking, i.e. a “talking head” which is a relative waste of the capabilities of the medium as the same content could be passed via audio or text.
3. Still Phenomena – Ensure you use film for concepts that involve motion or where the motion would enhance the understanding of interactions.  If a detailed study of a still visual like a photo will provide understanding, then it may be better suited as such.
4. Misinterpretation – Documentaries and interpretive movies and film can present a complex or potentially biased viewpoint on an issue.  Things like satire may be taken as serious or misunderstood by younger or more naive students.   (Smaldino, Lowther, & Mims, 2018)
5. Time, Cost and Equipment – Producing or watching film may require substantial investment on the part of the developer, school, or teacher.  These costs must be weighed heavily to ensure the films are appropriate for the topic and any identified advantage is worth the expense.  Additionally, movies take time to set up and watch.  If the film only strengthens a single point, it may not be worth the time consumed as apposed to a still visual, text, or verbal explanation.  (Bergeron, 2019)

6. Special Features/Creative ideas:  Film has the ability to show entire processes, provide vivid imagery of distant locations, and can help learners conceptualize abstract ideas through the animation of components and visualization of items that are impossible to see in the real world, such as forces acting on an object or subatomic particle motion. By combining aspects like real life items/people, animated characters or representations, audio tracks, and interactive features, designers can build a captivating learning tool which will enhance the instructor’s content.

7. UDL/ Accessibility requirements:  Key items to add will be adjustable volume and closed captioning or subtitles for the hearing impaired.  As mentioned above, film lacks the ability to be easily adapted to learners with visual impairments or to be adjustable in speed of delivery, however the monitoring colors, activity levels, and image flashes is still critical as they may trigger unintended responses from students with other impairments such as autism or traumatic brain injuries (Jeffs, 2009).

Only purchase film that is already captioned and Audio Descriptions are now available for educational films that are purchased. This is required for universal design and accessibility requirements.

Learning is impossible if information is imperceptible to the learner, and difficult when information is presented in formats that require extraordinary effort or assistance. To reduce barriers to learning, it is important to ensure that key information is equally perceptible to all learners by:

1) providing the same information through different modalities (e.g., through vision, hearing, or touch);

2) providing information in a format that will allow for adjustability by the user (e.g., text that can be enlarged, sounds that can be amplified). Such multiple representations not only ensure that information is accessible to learners with particular sensory and perceptual disabilities, but also easier to access and comprehend for many others.

8. Technology Resources/websites:

https://www.kodak.com/uploadedfiles/motion/US_plugins_acrobat_en_motion_newsletters_filmEss_07_cameras_and_lenses.pdf

Understanding audio description in the community: https://www.afb.org/aw/14/12/15725

9. Examples of film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En__V0oEJsU

10. References:

Bergeron, C. (2019, April 9).  Re:  Motion Visuals [Online course wiki page comments].  Retrieved from  https://cyberactive.bellevue.edu/ultra/courses/_483792_1/cl/outline

Jeffs, T. L., (2009). Virtual reality and special needs. Themes in Science and Technology Education, 2(1-2), 253-268. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1131319.pdf

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., & Mims, C. (2018). Instructional technology and media for learning (12th ed, pp178-186). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.