EDU-cation vs.

VO-cation: Video Visibility in School

It was a very cold, January day when my wiIe (and research partner) and I visited
Brad Bartholomew who teaches the video, radio and communication courses at a small
and somewhat aIIluent High School in Central New York State. This town oI just over
2,000 rests comIortably outside the suburbs oI mid-sized city and boasts an impressive
statistic oI 90 oI its high school graduates enrolling in college.
We were escorted to the class by a woman who monitored visitor sign-in. This
was because she wasn`t sure we could Iind his room, which was oII the beaten trail, and
as it turned out this impression was no accident.
My Iirst impression oI the lab/room, Brad`s space, was that it was dominated by
computer stations pc`s. It was neat, organized and well maintained by its keeper. Brad
has been working at this school Ior 8 years. He started out in technology and worked his
way to video, radio and communication. He has no Iormal training in these subjects and
admits he`s learned everything about these areas Irom his students (and by just doing it).
Brad talked to us while his students entered the class and they seemed to know
what they needed to do with minimal instructions on his part. He explained that the
students were in the production stage oI their music video assignment. They were
shooting images that they had already scripted on storyboards and were collecting their
Iilm passes Irom a hook on the wall behind his desk so that they could shoot their Iootage
in areas oI the school outside oI the classroom.
This was a special arrangement Brad had created over the years to deal with the
special needs oI production that oIten require outside class involvement and participation.
He told the story oI a colleague oI his (who he later introduced us to, and now was the
Vice Principle oI the school) who taught English near his classroom and was upset with
the 'open access policy oI his class which allowed students to, essentially, Ireely roam
the halls and school property while classes were going on.
In her mind, such a Ireedom was not appropriate Ior students and she was not
happy that he encouraged this policy. This was beIore she leIt Ior another school to teach
there Ior a short amount oI time, where she saw the video teacher there with an even
more liberal access policy which oIten involved driving oII Ior an hour or so with
students to get necessary images miles Irom the school grounds, and no real policy in
terms oI a hall passes Ior students leIt behind.
In comparison, her new school was without limits! When she returned to this
school soon aIter, she acknowledged her respect Ior Brad`s (somewhat) structured policy
oI 'Iilm passes which students wore around their necks.
We walked around the school with Brad as he checked on his students and he said
that part oI the arrangement was that the hall monitors kept an eye on the students as
well. We visited all 5 groups, located at opposite ends oI the school grounds and they
struck me as being serious in their music video production pursuits and respectIul oI the
rules. One example oI this was the 'no violence rule.
One oI the groups was shooting a protagonist being hit by a basketball thrown by
another student VERY hard. But he wore a thick pad to deIlect the blow oI the ball as it
hit him in the chest. BeIore they recorded the shot they asked Brad iI this was OK. Brad
supervised the event and it was a smooth and successIul experience.
We talked about Brad`s curriculum, the diIIerences between classes he taught
Irom radio to TV to general communications and the way that he taught them. My overall
impression oI his courses and the overall treatment oI visual communication in the
curriculum was that media production was clearly seen as a vocationthis as opposed to
as a means oI expression or 'text, like writing. This has a particular bearing on the way
that the Superintendant oI the School District labeled Brad and his classes. He basically
told Brad, 'You and what you do are essentially invisible to me.
Brad Ielt that this was truly a problem, not only with the Superintendent, but also
the rest oI the school. Such an attitude coming Irom the top was truly unIortunate and
was a disservice to the kids, as it limited the potential and reach oI video upon the school
population.
The superintendent was concerned more with the 'core Iive subjects in the
district: English, Social Studies, Science, Math and Foreign Language. He did not see any
connection between the activities oI the communication courses and those Iive subjects.
No wonder Brad was invisible his classroom and what he taught were both oII the beaten
trail!
This is an example oI how some schools tend to marginalize video as separate
Irom the core curricula. What the Brad`s superintendant Iails to see is that video (and
other media tools as well) can exercise and express a student`s understanding and
involvement in any subject, not just TV or radio or communication.

It`s helpIul to think oI video as a tool (among many) oI learning, to employ in a
holistic approach to education. II Brad`s classroom was a 'writing room (rather than a
'video room), the superintendant might have 'seen him because writing is an activity
associated with every core subject (certainly some more than others). Writing is
understood as complementary to educational objectives across the board, not just the
vocation oI writing, despite the Iact that some students might grow up to be writers. And
it is likely that they will be better writers because oI their multi-dimensional use oI
writing in all subjects.
Video works the same way. As a video instructor, I can teach video to my
students pretty quickly and eIIectively in the vacuum oI vocation, but they will do better
work iI they connect their vocation to subjects and ideas outside oI the vocation.
Brad Iound this when he partnered with a Spanish teacher and produced a series
oI Spanish language radio commercials. The joint exercise invigorated the Spanish
students` and the video students` respective lesson plans. He wanted to do more oI this,
but it was an uphill battle to be seen as relevant to the teachers oI core subjects who
seemed more Iocused on state tests than out-oI-the-box teaching methods.
II teachers oI core subjects allow it in their classrooms, video can serve EDU-
cation just as well, iI not better than VO-cation. Like the value writing is only part
wordsmithery, the value oI video is only part visual craIt. The most important part oI
both is having something to say once the pen hits the paper or the camera switches 'ON.
That`s when things get truly interesting, but at the very least - VISIBLE!
***

NOTE: II you have seen examples oI this divide between video as EDU-cation and video as VO-cation I
would enjoy hearing your stories at msschoonsyr.edu.