Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

The reader's right S«nd letters to EdSCREEN Gr AVGUIDE, 2000 Lincoln Pork West, Chicogo 14 Editor's note: Paul Reed's editorial in the June, 1958 issue of ED. SCREEN has drawn interesting response. The following letter is being pa.ssed on to readers as being indicative of the type of correspondence LOF has received since the editorial was published. The advertisement in question appeared in the April, 1958 issue of School Management, pages 53-56. Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Co. Gentlemen: Please register my complaint against some of your recent advertising in a school journal with national distribution. This advertising deals with daylight in classrooms. One of my chief problems now is daylight in classrooms — TOO MUCH D.AYLYIGHT! Now I am in favor of daylight in classrooms but not as much daylight as possible. Moreover, the daylight in classrooms should be subject to easy control by the teacher at all times. Such control should be inexpensive to provide. Let's consider a specific school building — a new school building — a not yet used school building; but it's obsolete! The classrooms in this building have vast expanses of glass on the upper two-thirds of the exterior walls — lots of daylight. High-priced shades have been installed to partially control the daylight. The addition of opaque drapes (plastic or fabric) to cover this glass area would probably reduce the light in the classrooms to a level which would enable the teachers to use projected teaching materials such as films, filmstrips, slides, and flat pictures, the flat pictures being projected with that very useful piece of equipment, the opaque projector. Yes, the drapes would reduce the daylight through the glass in the exterior walls, but — the upper third of the interior walls is also glass, and there are skylights in the roof of the corridors! WHEELIT Makes it easy/ More maneuverable Saves heavy lifting Locks securely for projection With WHF.KMT on the job, all the difficulties of handliiif; projection equipment are solved. It steers around corners, goes up and down stairs, and handles heavy equipment safely and with ease. Is it any wonder that 49 out of 50 California audiovisual coordinators voted WHEELIT the best after a competitive demonstration? Illustrated: Folding Wheelit C-402 (right) on steps. Fits easily into small storageareas or car trunk. Non Folding Wheelit 4 102 (left) for interior transportation and stationary use. Two Additional Wheelits Now Ready! —the industry's most complete line Two additional models, just announced, complete our line, including the 41-inch high level WHEFLIT, ihc 33-inch medium height and 25-inch low level mixlels, all with two platforms. All-steel construction (except platforms). Precision workmanship, Chromat finish. Heavy straps. Dependable locking device. (;ood balance. Formica-top wooden platforms absorb sound, eliminate vibration. For informal ion and prices, consult your supply dealer or write Dept. ES GRUBER PRODUCTS CO. Toledo 6, Ohio Thus the interior walls will also need opaque drapes, and the skylights will need blinds. But none of these needed drapes have been considered necessary by the builders and are not likely to be provided soon — if ever. This building can not be used satisfactorily for teaching with modern tools of instruction such as audio-visuals or television. The building is obsolete. \o doubt this situation could l)e found thousands of times across the country with local variations. I suspect that the designer of this I)uilding was oversold on glass. I suspect that his client knows little about school building design and use. I further suspect that your company and/or its advertising agency knows little about school building design and use. Yet you are trying to influence the client and his architect with opinions thinly disguised as fact. Further, it appears that none of those just mentioned above knows much about modern teaching. Or else knowing, they choose to ignore. Has your company ever asked teachers what they would like in school buildings? Do architects ask teachers what they prefer as regards their teaching ENVIRONMENT AND D.\YLIGHT? Has your company or its advertising agency consulted such school people as principals, superintendents, audio-visual directors? I think not, and I ask, Why not? I think they should. Very truly yours, William F. Daniels Audio-Visual Coordinator Crown Point (Indiana) Schools We Thank You, Twice! I just had to write you concerning the July issue of SCREEN. It is a wonderful publication and makes for enjoyable reading from cover to cover. I believe that this kind of approach will be appreciated by all. Philip Lewis Director, Bureau of Instructional Materials Hoard of Kducation Chicago, 111. Your July Convention issue carries the real feeling of what the Convention is and docs. I believe this issue is a real service to the audio-visual field and cannot help l)ut aid in the task of building better use of modern teaching-learning tools. Don White Executive Vice-President National Audio-Visual Association Fairfax, Va. 452 EdScreen & AV Guide — SeDtember, 1958