Harry Potter and “Charmed” are great introductions to magic, but they do often mislead the general public about magic. Hopefully this article will demystify 3 of the common myths about magic created by popular media.
1. There Are No Muggles
Science education is a floundering element of the United States educational system. Educators and science advocates are calling for change in the way this subject is taught to teachers and to students. Science lesson plans are lacking due to the scarce amount of resources available. When media options are made available, these plans can be given new life.
Those educators focused on science have argued that math and reading tests mandated by the federal government are taking valuable class time away from the necessary instruction science students so desperately need. There is hope that the new science testing under the NCLB will renew a healthy focus on this topic in the classroom.
Video Conferencing
With video conferencing two or more people can participate in a virtual classroom along with an instructor. The participants can not only communicate with one another, they can also see each other as well. This makes participating in a distance learning program feel more like actually being in a classroom. The equipment needed for video conferencing varies. It can be as simple as a computer that is set up with a video camera or web cam, computer monitor, speakers, and a microphone. The computer also needs a network system to transmit data back and forth. Most computers and laptops sold today have all of this functionality built in. Participants speak into their microphones and are able to hear what others have to say via the speakers that are in their computers. A television monitor can also be used to display images and a telephone network or LAN can also be used to transfer data. The video cameras capture and transmit images of the classroom participants or any other material that is positioned in front of the camera.
Video conferencing is appealing and can make for an immersive educational atmosphere. However, there are a few drawbacks. If the equipment is not already built-in, then setting up the video cameras, speakers, and microphones can be difficult for the technically challenged. And there is another interesting limitation of video conferencing and it does not have to do with equipment. When some participants realize they are ‘on screen’ there is a tendency to become camera shy. This problem usually goes away as participants become more comfortable in this type of learning environment.