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

AV in the Church Field by William S. Hockman Presbyterian A-V Gadget In the June issue we commented on the Presbyterian Viewstrip. At that time, all we had to go on was the promotional claims of Westminster Press, publisher of the Faith and Life Curriculum used by United Presbyterian Churches (USA) and others. Now, after examining the Viewstrip and the hand-viewer involved in its use, we would like to report that it is a snare and delusion as a visual aid to education. With the sales promotion of the Westminster Press, and the prestige which will rub off on it by association with the church school curriculum of this large denomination, many churches will buy this gadget, only to find that Junior and Junior Hi boys and girls accept it for the humbug visual that it is, and then their leaders will be vaccinated against the authentic visual media. A fuU page ad in a unit of the cur riculum, obviously beamed at teachers and parents, declares "The new Fact Finders make church history fun to learn, and easy to remember." When this "wonderful new teaching tool for juniors and junior highers" is closely examined we find the visual portion of the package consisting of the following: six viewstrips of 13 frames each; a plastic hand-viewer to be peeked through with one eye; and a booklet with text bearing on the pictures, and in which five frames of the viewstrip are reproduced. When viewing the pictures in the hand-viewer both hands are occupied, since this $1.25 gadget won't hold the viewstrip in position. We are not told what the other eye is supposed to be doing while one is occupied with a study of these very meaningful pictures—unless it is supposed to be scanning the text of the booklets. Can you see young people, familiar in many schools with legitimate audiovisual media, coming to our church schools early just in order to use seriously this "fascinating and unique selfteaching and self-learning device?" Suppose they do try to take this phony visual seriously— what conclusions will they reach about it? Suppose they take it seriously, and suppose thousands of churches order thousands of the packages, what will that prove? The visual integrity and educational utility of a visual medium is not established in that manner, and we will venture here that the acid test of time and use will consign this peek-a-boo visual to the scrap heap. With the church educational landscape fuU of good audiovisual material in the authentic and tested media, we wonder deeply why this phony gadget was dreamed up in die first place. Can it be that the educational leaders of a great denomination were so unfamiliar with the vahdated achievements of the audiovisual movement that they felt compelled to invent something? Perhaps we will never know. If it comes to light, we shall be pleased to print it here— but, don't hold your breath! WSH A Poetry Version Mo.st talks and sermons on stewardship are at best prose versions of the subject. They have the grace of an octogenarian elephant with arthritis. Now comes a poetry treatment of the subject in the medium of the film. Not just film, either, but the top of the top-drawer animation in this country. Produced by the Broadcasting and Film Commission of the National Council of Churches, here is what one denomination has to say about it: "The beautiful, imaginative, moving film. The Gift, speaks of Christ as God's unique gift for the heahng of the divisions between men and within man. This film helps state the biblical basis of stewardship in the perspective of a personal Christian faith." It accents the stewardship of the whole life, and leaves its viewers to spell this wholeness out for themselves. Being only 20 minutes in length, and like good poetry which can stand several readings, this film shoiJd be seen twice by the same audience— and, of course, the excellent guide for the user, by Art Byers, will assist you in making the most effective use of this fine film. Available from some rental libraries; from denominational film sources; and, if you need help, write to the stewardship department of your denomination. Notes On Two Films The 44-minute color film. The Chinese In Dispersion, gives two thirds of the footage to excellent visual and verbal description of the Chinese on the rim of Asia— in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, Thailand, and Burma. After .30 minutes we know who they are, what they do, how they think of themselves, what their neighbors think of them, how they make a living and get on in general. This is splendidly informative footage. In the last 15 minutes of the film we go back to some of these same cities and countries. Now we are given information on what the Christian churches (mostly working together) are doing through medical work, social work, education and evangelism for and with Chinese Christians. This, too, is excellent dascription. In the film. Walk With Me, handicapped persons tell us what being handicapped means to them, how they would like us to regard them and assist them, in such a way as to open our eyes, inform our minds, and energize our wills. In the rehabilitation department of the Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries in Cincinnati we see these handicapped people turning in a remarkable performance of living and working. Fine film; B&W; and rents for $8.00. Like the one above, which rents for $12.00, it is available from the Cokesbury Film Libraries (Retail Division of the Methodist Publishing House) located in many cities. Inquire, also, of your local film rental library, or write to Cokesbury, Nashville 3, Tenn. (Both films were produced by the Board of Missions, Methodist Church, 475 Riverside Dr., N.Y. 27) The Accent Falls on Archaeology The filmstrip series, "Great Personalities of The Bible," attempts to "make use of archaeology, geography, history, art and architecture, and other available materials, to help us understand the personalities of the Bible." After looking this 12-unit .series over I would lessen the accent on 'personalities' and increase it on life and times. Four filmstrips deal with Jesus: Birth and Boyhood, The Beginning of His Ministry, The Closing Ministry, and The Sitffering and Death. One on Feter and one on Paul complete the N.T. section. For the O.T. the series presents Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and Solomon. The running time on each is 9-10 minutes. Both on the filmstrip and on the records, these titles are paired— 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and so on, giving us six fs cans and six discs. The photography is good to excellent. The recording is good LP. The printed commentaries carry additional notes, comments, and facts in a parallel column. This is material for youth and adults; for the enrichment of reading and study; and, for its own sake alone. From Film Services, 3805 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, Calif. Teacher of the Good Word To this very day the gulf stream of Hasidic piety, joy, praise, and wisdom 666 Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide — November, 1962