THE TAPE- RECORDERA tape recorder is a device that uses electromagnets to record and play back sound. Once the sound is recorded, it can then be reproduced using the player component that almost any tape recorder will have. It was the dominant audio technology during the last several decades of the 20th century.

A tape recorder works by running a tape coated with a type of iron oxide over the electromagnetic head of the machine. Depending on what its function is at that particular time, new information can be put on the magnetic tape or it can be read back. Due to the use of magnets, the audio cassette is highly susceptible to magnetic fields and therefore needs to be kept away from all magnets. This is one of the easiest ways to damage a recording. The tape recorder was the precedent of the video recorder, which is still in widespread use today. The basic technology between the two is very similar.

The cassette used in a tape recorder can be the standard size, or one much smaller, which is known as the microcassette. Either way, the function of the tape recorder remains the same. A microcassette is often used as a voice recorder, though it is capable of recording music as well.

Benefits

Studies have shown that some students do not have a long attention span in the classroom. Tapes in the classroom enable teachers to constantly shift the attention of the students and hopefully work with the students' short attention spans. Tapes also allow teachers to take a backseat and not be the focus of the lesson. Whether using prerecorded activities or recordings in the classroom, tapes provide teachers a long and varied list of activities for their classroom. The tapes can even be used in a school or classroom time capsule. Recorded stories are especially beneficial in younger classrooms to help students read.

Language in the classroom is based on context and although teachers can set up role playing activities, teachers tend to face the reality of their environment. However, tapes provide opportunities for teachers to instantly provide a variety of different contexts, such as two people talking at a bus stop or at a party. Teachers can either buy language learning tapes, borrow from the library or even prerecord conversations themselves at no cost. Teachers can also assign students to record conversations in groups and play them for the class in order for students to hear their own accent and work on any necessary changes.

Using tapes and tape recorders provides opportunities for students to hear a vast amount of authentic native speech. Tapes are an aural aid that may be employed for more than one purpose. They may be used to provide students with recorded samples of native speakers' pronunciation and intonation. They may also be used in grammar drills and in listening comprehension.

TELEVISION

Television (often abbreviated to TV or idiot box in British English is a widely used telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. The term may also be used to refer specifically to a television set, programming or television transmission.

Educators use TV in the classroom to satisfy a variety of objectives:

To reinforce and expand on content being taught (94%) To respond to a variety of learning styles (83%) To increase student motivation to learn (74%) To stimulate other learning activities (69.3%)

Teachers report that because they use TV in the classroom, students have a better understanding, and enter into more discussion on the content and ideas presented. They show an increased motivation and enthusiasm for learning.

Here are some teaching tips to maximize the benefits of using television in the classroom:

Use programs to convey or reinforce knowledge within a broader lesson context. Plan an activity prior to viewing to provide a context for the viewing of the video. Direct the

students toward meeting desired learning outcomes. Provide a focus for viewing to set the stage for “active viewing": specific things students

should look or listen for in the program segment. Integrate the video into the learning experience by adding an experiential or “hands-on”

component to the lesson. PAUSE! Use the remote control or the pause button on the VCR to keep viewers actively

involved in the viewing. Use questions during your “pause” to motivate critical thinking and student participation: Why did that happen? How does this compare with that? What might happen next?

Use the paused image on the television screen as an electronic blackboard, encouraging students to look closely at it for information or comparison.

Stop the tape just long enough to have students record information, examine a chart or draw a diagram, then resume the tape for another brief period. Try to "weave" the video in and out of the lesson.

Use the rewind and fast forward buttons to make use of the video which is directly relevant to the lesson objectives and learning outcomes.

There are lots of ways to watch television and our purpose for viewing has a significant impact on what we take away from the experience. Most TV viewing is for entertainment and relaxation, and that's fine--unless we want people to remember what they've seen. Television can be a powerful

educational tool, but it we want our students to absorb specific content from what they see, we need to give them a model for viewing that is active and critical. For starters,

•view from videotape rather than real-time broadcasts .

•don't be constrained by programs; only use the segments you need .

•don't use the television as a babysitter.

In addition:

Think about what you are trying to accomplish. If you can achieve your goal without using video, you may want to reconsider your use of TV. However, video can help accomplish things you can't do any other way. TV does the following very well:

1. Spark interest in a new subject area. Imaginative and quick paced video can inspire your students to pursue a subject.

2. Demonstrate something you can't show any other way, such as a satellite's view of changing weather patterns, the inside of a human body, a math concept that involves motion of 3-D geometry, the sounds and sights of a rainforest, the sound of various accents in a foreign language, a chemistry experiment that is too dangerous or too expensive to do in the classroom, etc.

3. Enrich content by demonstrating new applications or insights.4. Practice a skill such as note taking, problem solving, predicting, listening, etc.5. Review a lesson you have already presented so the students can hear and see it

in a different way.

View actively - Think of the TV as a teacher. Do you turn off the lights when you talk ? Would you be satisfied with a class that sat and stared at you for thirty minutes without responding or interacting? The TV can't act as teacher if students aren't active. Interactive viewing requires three simple steps:

1. Prepare -let students know why they are watching, what to look for, or what you will ask when the video is over. The younger the student, the more detailed the description should be of what they are going to see.

2. Participate - View interactively. Sing along, answer questions aloud as they are posed, pause to discuss possible outcomes or solutions before the video presents them, pause to check for comprehension, pause to predict action, write down clues, etc.

3. Connect to other activities - Bring the video lessons off the screen and into the classroom or home by choosing follow-up activities that connect the viewing experience to hands-on exercises or real-life experience. With younger students, be sure to explain the connections between the video and the activities you do.