The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

464 THE EDUCATIONAL SCREEN Division stating the exact dates on which they are reserving the pictures for us. A copy of this complete schedule is now posted on the teachers' bulletin board. So much for the routine of ordering motion pictures. Let us now turn to showing the pictures in the school. We use a daylight screen 4 by 5 feet in the school auditorium, setting the screen at the front of the stage and the semi-portable projector 16 feet behind it. Using a 1000 watt lamp in our projector we get an excellent picture which fills the screen and is clearly seen from the rear of the room, 70 feet distant. The picture is not distinct from the sides of the room, so this arrangement does not seem adapted to student assemblies when the room is full. In our auditorium which has a total seating capacity of 600, at least 250 can see the pictures with perfect vision on the day light screen. We have a lecture-classroom equipped for projection, but using it often necessitated the transfer of classes from this room for the day. Then too, with curtains drawn, good ventilation can not be maintained — a serious matter on hot days. As it seats only 65 pupils, it is sometimes not large enough. Our auditorium is not of the modern type, but simply a large rectangular room with level floor and large windows on both sides and the rear. The windows are equipped with only the ordinary buff, translucent shades, which are drawn only enough to keep out most of the direct sunlight. We can therefore have windows open on two sides all the time, if we so desire. By showing the pictures in the auditorium we can accommodate few or many pupils at any one time. Teachers can bring their classes there without forcing other classes to move. The daylight screen makes possible a welllighted, well-ventilated room, which in turn simplifies discipline and makes it possible for pupils to take notes if they desire. The securing of competent operators has been one of our most serious difficulties, noi entirely solved as yet. As a picture may b( used at any or all periods of the day, it is ob viously impossible for any one teacher or pu pil to be the sole operator. As far as possible we have secured a boy from the study hall foi each period of the day and have given thes( boys some training in operating the projector We are then prepared to provide an operatoi for any period of the day, the exceptions be ing for one or two periods when there ar( no boys in the study hall and other arrange ments have to be made. We have pictures on Friday. A week be fore a program of pictures is to be given the titles are posted on the teachers' bulletii board and the teachers invited to "sign up' for the pictures for any one or more of th six periods of the day. In this way the coin mittee knows beforehand the periods whei pictures are wanted and can arrange to hav operators on hand for those periods. Our program generally consists of thre reels. As our periods are one hour in length this gives plenty of time for classes to meet then adjourn to the auditorium and see th program. Ordinarily there is not much tim to spare, especially if the operator is a hi slow or has a little trouble. Sometimes ; picture program is shown every period o the day. At other times it is projected fo only one or two classes. One of our diffi culties at first was the fact that some pupil saw the picture several times on the same day This was due to the tendency of teachers I "sign up" for pictures which had only ; limited application to their subjects. Thi difficulty has largely been eliminated by th teachers themselves who are now careful no to take their classes to the pictures when man of the class will see them at another time For instance, if a picture is primarily fo freshman science pupils, the freshman Englisl teacher will not sign for it too. The teache of sophomore science, however, might con sider it worth while.