PBS Sprout and The Electric Company: Using Media in Early Childhood Classrooms - Making Curriculum Pop2024-03-28T18:01:48Zhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/forum/topics/pbs-sprout-and-the-electric?groupUrl=elementaryteachers&commentId=2665237%3AComment%3A7248&groupId=2665237%3AGroup%3A4647&feed=yes&xn_auth=noTalking about a blast from th…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-06-05:2665237:Comment:99592009-06-05T16:02:09.481ZRavenhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/Raven
Talking about a blast from the past hearing "The Electric Company" was making a comeback. I was a little struck by how `uncool' it was in relation to the show I remember from my youth. Maybe I am romanticizing the show from then, but it seemed that when many of these shows began they heralded new ways of bringing inner-city perspectives into kids' television. In a sense they set the norm for shows that would come later. Now it feels like some shows are just trying to recycle other elements of…
Talking about a blast from the past hearing "The Electric Company" was making a comeback. I was a little struck by how `uncool' it was in relation to the show I remember from my youth. Maybe I am romanticizing the show from then, but it seemed that when many of these shows began they heralded new ways of bringing inner-city perspectives into kids' television. In a sense they set the norm for shows that would come later. Now it feels like some shows are just trying to recycle other elements of popular culture, thinking that this will appeal to young people. I don't know if kids are down with these kinds of appeals to the so-called familiar. When we watched the Electric Company excerpts, I was a little sad at how they were teaching vocabulary...the hip-hop based raps were a little illegitmate and acultural, kind of an insult to any real-life rapper out there. I feel like real hip-hop artists reaching out to do education sometimes provide more creative experiences for youth.<br />
<br />
Check two of my favorite sources that 'bring the street to education':<br />
Flocabulary<br />
Testtracks<br />
<br />
Both sources have videos and music related to vocabulary development and history/social studies issues.<br />
<br />
A friend of mine who teaches middle school used these models and then had kids develop their own cool systems for vocab and history. Maybe a segment of Electric Company can be used as a model for students to follow in creating their own rhymes, cue cards, video segments? Hi Blair,
Who knew that there…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-05-05:2665237:Comment:72922009-05-05T04:08:43.380ZSophy Josephhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/SophyJoseph
Hi Blair,<br />
Who knew that there was so much already out there to enrich our teaching further? As I sat there watching the "new" Electric Company, I realized that they made my life as a literacy teacher all the more cooler. I will definitely be using clips from this show to illustrate points within literacy. I feel that with their catchy tunes, it's a great tool to use with our students. I also enjoyed knowing about tools that were able to be accessed at home on the internet from their website.…
Hi Blair,<br />
Who knew that there was so much already out there to enrich our teaching further? As I sat there watching the "new" Electric Company, I realized that they made my life as a literacy teacher all the more cooler. I will definitely be using clips from this show to illustrate points within literacy. I feel that with their catchy tunes, it's a great tool to use with our students. I also enjoyed knowing about tools that were able to be accessed at home on the internet from their website. This might be exactly what a few of my kids need when following up or extending their literacy skills. Thanks for the post Blair. I…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-05-04:2665237:Comment:72482009-05-04T19:51:15.318ZMollie McAllisterhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/MollieMcAllister
Thanks for the post Blair. I think you brought up some wonderful points about how educational these shows actually are. I too was really excited to see the new Electric Company. While watching the clips from various episodes I thought about how great it was that there is a learning program for older kids. The had really creative ways to show different reading strategies and skills. I like your idea of using this in the classroom. I think that it would be an exciting way for students to learn a…
Thanks for the post Blair. I think you brought up some wonderful points about how educational these shows actually are. I too was really excited to see the new Electric Company. While watching the clips from various episodes I thought about how great it was that there is a learning program for older kids. The had really creative ways to show different reading strategies and skills. I like your idea of using this in the classroom. I think that it would be an exciting way for students to learn a new strategy for reading. Hey Blair,
I loved this pres…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-05-04:2665237:Comment:71432009-05-04T01:44:04.792ZDaniella Nusblathttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/DaniellaNusblat
Hey Blair,<br />
<br />
I loved this presentation too! The minute I saw The Goodnight Show, I thought that this would be a great way to help kids get into a routine at night. I think you posed great questions regarding the amount of time that kids are engaged in media related activities. I think there are many benefits of integrating the moving image into the classroom but I can also see how students are bombarded with media/technology throughout the day. I’m not sure what the answer is but its definitely…
Hey Blair,<br />
<br />
I loved this presentation too! The minute I saw The Goodnight Show, I thought that this would be a great way to help kids get into a routine at night. I think you posed great questions regarding the amount of time that kids are engaged in media related activities. I think there are many benefits of integrating the moving image into the classroom but I can also see how students are bombarded with media/technology throughout the day. I’m not sure what the answer is but its definitely a thought I will continue to ponder. Great post! Hi Blair,
Amazing post! Since…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-05-03:2665237:Comment:70782009-05-03T17:54:29.165ZCindy Peattiehttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/CynthiaScalone
Hi Blair,<br />
Amazing post! Since I teach Nursery school, I definitely relate to the issue of how to incorporate media into my classroom. Lack of resources and funds also presents a dilemma because my school does not own a television or computer. I really enjoyed the presentation, "Kids, Curriculum, and Talking Chickens: Behind The Scenes In Children's Television," because it gave me so many ideas of how to integrate media into an early childhood classroom. After meeting Chicka, I asked my…
Hi Blair,<br />
Amazing post! Since I teach Nursery school, I definitely relate to the issue of how to incorporate media into my classroom. Lack of resources and funds also presents a dilemma because my school does not own a television or computer. I really enjoyed the presentation, "Kids, Curriculum, and Talking Chickens: Behind The Scenes In Children's Television," because it gave me so many ideas of how to integrate media into an early childhood classroom. After meeting Chicka, I asked my students' parents if their kids have seen The Sunny Side Up and Good Night Show. I was very surprised when I found out that almost all of my students had never seen these two shows. To test Alan Teasley's statistic that children between the ages of 2-7 have their T.V. on 35% of the time and 32% have it in their bedroom, I asked my students' parents how much time does their children watch TV on a daily and weekly basis. Many of the parents said that their children only watch a half an hour of television a day, either in the morning before school or in the evening before bed. The parents commented on how their children are only allowed to watch educational programs such as Sesame Street. I explained to the parents that I met the director of production at PBS Kids Sprout and how their children would not only benefit from watching Sprout but would love the Sunny Side Up and Good Night Show because the target audience is preschoolers. All of the PBS children programs are enjoyable for children to watch however, they also reinforce the main ideas and concepts that kids learn in school! Blair, Wow amazing post, I li…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-05-01:2665237:Comment:69432009-05-01T17:39:59.062ZSean Owenshttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/SeanOwens
Blair, Wow amazing post, I like how you linked several presentations together. You gave me a good idea for using Pams lecture in a classroom, never thought of using it for a childrens show. I also like the information on the themeing of sprout because it ccan be tied into a lesson that allows students to analyze what they are viewing
Blair, Wow amazing post, I like how you linked several presentations together. You gave me a good idea for using Pams lecture in a classroom, never thought of using it for a childrens show. I also like the information on the themeing of sprout because it ccan be tied into a lesson that allows students to analyze what they are viewing Hi Blair!
Great post! I like…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-04-26:2665237:Comment:63392009-04-26T02:57:33.591ZWynne Calcutthttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/WynneCalcutt
Hi Blair!<br />
<br />
Great post! I like that you reflected on the statistics Alan Teasley brought up. They were pretty shocking and it made me wonder if children need more TV in the classroom. You also bring up a good point about how parents would respond to it. I think you have thought of great ways to incorporate The Electric Company and The Sunny Side Up Show into the classroom. I especially like the idea of using The Electric Company to support vocabulary instruction. Thanks for all the resources and…
Hi Blair!<br />
<br />
Great post! I like that you reflected on the statistics Alan Teasley brought up. They were pretty shocking and it made me wonder if children need more TV in the classroom. You also bring up a good point about how parents would respond to it. I think you have thought of great ways to incorporate The Electric Company and The Sunny Side Up Show into the classroom. I especially like the idea of using The Electric Company to support vocabulary instruction. Thanks for all the resources and way to bring what you learned from the presentations and apply it to a classroom environment! When we were watching "Kit Ki…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-04-19:2665237:Comment:55832009-04-19T03:05:30.385ZJulia Kimhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/JuliaKim
When we were watching "Kit Kitredge" with our individual focus (fashion, music, language..), I was surprised how much there was to talk about after only watching one scene. There were parts/aspects of the movie that I would've ignored or not paid attention If I were just watching this movie at home. I think any show/ movie clips are shown to kids with a purpose of teaching something or for an activity it is a fun tool to use with our younger students. Yea, so a clip from The Sunny Side Up show…
When we were watching "Kit Kitredge" with our individual focus (fashion, music, language..), I was surprised how much there was to talk about after only watching one scene. There were parts/aspects of the movie that I would've ignored or not paid attention If I were just watching this movie at home. I think any show/ movie clips are shown to kids with a purpose of teaching something or for an activity it is a fun tool to use with our younger students. Yea, so a clip from The Sunny Side Up show that relates to a theme will probably get the message across to the little ones better than just a sheet of paper~ Children's television really…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-04-15:2665237:Comment:53462009-04-15T16:51:13.185ZAmy Rothhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/AmyRoth
Children's television really has changed significantly since we were in school. I distinctively remember flipping back and forth between Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers!<br />
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I like your ideas Blair of using the he Electric Company to work with your students on vocabulary. Vocabulary instruction is not always the most stimulating, but I think this would really get the kids excited. When I teach vocabulary in my second grade classroom as a class we create actions for the definitions of different words.…
Children's television really has changed significantly since we were in school. I distinctively remember flipping back and forth between Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers!<br />
<br />
I like your ideas Blair of using the he Electric Company to work with your students on vocabulary. Vocabulary instruction is not always the most stimulating, but I think this would really get the kids excited. When I teach vocabulary in my second grade classroom as a class we create actions for the definitions of different words. The students really enjoy making up nonverbal gestures. Electric company would definitely would help to lift the level of my instruction by including multiple literacies. I think by incorporating the Electric company in the classroom, the lesson would be a hit. Electric Company sure does add some energy to less exciting topics in the classroom. I could even see my class getting excited about vowel sounds if I used the rap that the show had created!<br />
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I think it was suggested in class but you can also use Teacher Tube (<a href="http://www.teachertube.com">www.teachertube.com</a>), which is another great website that has video clips that you can use in your classroom.<br />
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Let me know how it goes! Hi Elizabeth,
Happy you enjoy…tag:mcpopmb.ning.com,2009-04-15:2665237:Comment:53242009-04-15T12:04:40.447ZBlair Chipkinhttp://mcpopmb.ning.com/profile/BlairChipkin
Hi Elizabeth,<br />
Happy you enjoyed the post :) I completely agree with you that students need media in the classroom to think more critically. I know my students view T.V. as a favorite pass time activity to do when they get home . They just want to relax in front of the T.V. and not think. But i want them to think! I am just still unsure how parents and administrators might view this idea.<br />
<br />
Thanks again!
Hi Elizabeth,<br />
Happy you enjoyed the post :) I completely agree with you that students need media in the classroom to think more critically. I know my students view T.V. as a favorite pass time activity to do when they get home . They just want to relax in front of the T.V. and not think. But i want them to think! I am just still unsure how parents and administrators might view this idea.<br />
<br />
Thanks again!