Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 29, 1993 TAG: 9303270156
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MELANIE S. HATTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
With notepads on knees, Martha Leonard's fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders recently watched scenes from strife-torn Bosnia flash across the screen in their room at Roanoke's Fairview Elementary School.
When the scene shifted to an aircraft carrier, Leonard zapped the remote control, pausing the screen. "What's the name of the ship?" she quizzed.
"John F. Kennedy," shouted the group of pupils.
"What do you see on it?" Leonard pursued.
It was difficult to make out what was on the ship. On closer inspection the picture revealed jets, and Leonard explained President Clinton's plan to dump food from the planes into Bosnia.
The children were watching "CNN Newsroom," a 15-minute news program offered by Cable News Network and produced for young people in the style of "CNN Headline News." Of course, television isn't new to the classroom, but with the growth of cable, schools have access to much more than ever.
Cable in the Classroom, a non-profit service of the national Cable Alliance for Education, is provided by cable companies that offer commercial-free programming aimed at young people. Cable in the Classroom was formed in 1989 as a clearinghouse for information about the educational programs available on cable.
More than 30 cable distributors across the country, including Cox Cable in Roanoke and Salem Cable, are members of the service. Twenty networks, including Nickelodeon, Home Box Office and The Discovery Channel, contribute to the programming.
Cox and Salem cable provide the service to schools in the Roanoke Valley for free and also send each school a glossy magazine called "Cable in the Classroom."
The magazine has program copyright information, feature articles, a detailed listing of programs and suggested class subject tie-ins. The March issue highlights women's history month and recommends the Arts & Entertainment Network's "The Diary of Anne Frank" as a piece for a history class.
Another article discusses "Teen Summit," a weekly youth forum on Black Entertainment Television, and its ability to spark classroom discussions and work projects.
Fairview student James Hannah, 10, said watching the television news during class is "great." He said he liked the piece on Bosnia. "It's kinda neat . . . actually learning something about a different country."
There are some topics the program airs that grown-ups don't hear in their news, James said, such as a story about a Russian woman who had more than 25 cats and dogs in her house.
"It's not like big news, but we think it's interesting," he said.
People today are very passive viewers, says David Baker, media specialist for Roanoke City Schools. "We sit with our mouths open and take in without asking questions."
Educators are trying to develop more active and interactive viewers in their students, Baker said. The down side is that it puts a heavier burden on teachers to preview material and develop follow-up questions. But, Baker added, that leads to more discrimination between watching good and bad video.
"You can tape five minutes of a particular subject instead of having to wade through other issues you're not interested in," said Sam Mayes, social-studies teacher at William Byrd Middle School in Roanoke County. "Actually, the VCR has made television classroom-friendly."
Earlier this month, Mayes and valley educators attended a workshop, sponsored by Cox Cable, on using the service as a teaching tool.
The advantage of cable is the immediacy of the information, Mayes said. He said he plays "CNN Headline News" every morning when students enter homeroom and often uses segments for class discussion. Watching a three- to five-minute segment of CNN in conjunction with reading the newspaper "helps [students] make a connection with what's going on," he said.
And although "CNN Newsroom" may be geared to young people the subject matter doesn't give that away.
"The material going out to kids is not kid material," explained Pat Schneider, a consultant to "CNN Newsroom," speaking at the workshop. News reports are pulled from regular CNN newscasts and edited late in the evening for broadcast weekdays at 3:45 a.m.
Teachers either set their own VCRs or ask their school's librarian to tape the show. Having it on video tape allows teachers to stop and discuss topics with their students.
Martha Bersch, who teaches advanced placement history at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, also attended the workshop. She said she saw specific benefits for children with learning disabilities because the pictures on the screen would help them understand issues. It would help kids who learn better through pictures and sound, Bersch said.
Martha Leonard at Fairview started taping the news show three years ago after some information about it landed on her desk. At that time, she joined ranks with third-grade teacher Betty Breedlove and fifth-grade teacher Delores Rorrer, and each takes turns showing the program to their combined classes weekdays at 1 p.m.
Many teachers may not feel secure about using the television, Leonard said, because there isn't a manual that provides background to news subjects, or says where to stop the tape and what to discuss. But, "I'm using what I'm hearing" from the news to teach the class, she said. And that becomes the background.
Having access to "CNN Newsroom," Leonard said, "is a major plus in our program."
The youngsters learn to take good notes because the weekly tests are based solely on the information provided by the television. Also, the children are more receptive to watching TV news at home and can talk with any adult about news events, she said.
"It's fun," said 11-year-old Christyanna Dabney. "We get more information for kids. It's more understandable."
Fourth-grader Darell Hodnett said he likes to impress his family with what he's learned. He surprised a cousin one day with a piece of information he'd gleaned from "CNN Newsroom" - he couldn't remember what it was.
Most of the time the news isn't boring, 9-year-old Timica Campbell said. She said she likes to watch the news because "you're just gonna learn new things."
Sometimes the information can get a little heavy for the elementary-school level, Leonard admits. One report was about teen-age pregnancy.
"That was touchy," she said. Leonard said she was careful to steer the discussion away from issues more suited to older students but took the opportunity to talk about how babies can interfere with going to college.
Reports plucked from regular news are screened for sensitive subjects, Schneider said. War scenes during the Persian Gulf War, for example, were edited when possible.
But Schneider said she encourages controversial topics because they can help young people learn to express their opinions and listen to others.
by CNB