Learning from history
As a self-proclaimed history buff I just can’t help but post this BBC audio slideshow detailing the life of Prince Philip. As His Royal Highness approaches his 90th birthday, a collaborative slideshow has been produced to showcase photographs from various stages of his life. Narrated by Jane Roberts, curator of an exhibition at Windsor Castle celebrating the Prince’s birthday, this 5 minute production offers a brief but informative insight into the life of Britain’s longest-serving consort.
© BBC Prince Philip's 90 years
Click on image to view the slideshow
This slideshow got me thinking (unsurprisingly about history – it doesn’t take much to get me musing on anything historical). Perhaps a particular niche market audio slideshows should corner is education. Short, succinct 5 minute productions using music, narration or archive over engaging stills could be used in virtually any area of the curriculum: the Noble Eightfold Path for RE, kitchen safety for Food Technology, Pythagoras Theorem for Maths. Stick the kids in front of a projector, hit play and teach them in a few minutes what could take a whole lesson from a text book. The key is to engage them, and audio slideshows offer this opportunity. Perhaps if the correct software was made more accessible they could make their own and ultimately learn by doing: research the subject area, write up what they know and choose interesting pictures to illustrate their points best.
I’m going to keep my eye out for any more historical slideshows, mainly because I can’t get enough of them. But also I’ll be checking out how they are or could be utilised by schools. We could be on to something here.
VisVox
Ellen Arnold
Philip Allen
Harriet Bradshaw
Vanessa Baffoe
Rob Carragher
I think that is a wonderful idea. As a governor of a junior school we are always looking for more resources. These children are native to the world of technolgy, lets embrace that.
I also agree with the comment above as i feel this would engage the children a lot more than a textbook would. From only just leaving school in the last few years i think i would have benefited a lot from this as this brings the subject to life compared to just using a textbook.
I think that is a great idea. Having also studied history, it would also be good to get kids to make their own as an alternative to giving presentations.
Audio slideshows would certainly be another way to get children interested in history, though do we really want to show them lots of clips of quite possibly the most socially inept person in the entire history of the UK?
Infact… of course we do. I hope we’ve got a few more years of Phillip being mental and awkwardly comical in public
He is still pretty good for a 90 year old.
I’m studying my GCSE’s at the moment and sometimes struggle to find interesting information to support my essays, this sound like it could be a useful resource.
Great example to explore. The blog is shaping up nicely – the one thing missing is interviews with creators. Could you talk to the creator of this one?
Check out our interview with Paul Kerley, BBC Audio Slideshow Producer:
http://visvox.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/audio-slideshows-at-the-bbc/
He produced the example above so I’ll contact him for a comment!
i like the juxtapostion between the audio (very prim and admiring of old Phil) and the sexualised nature of the pictures (don’t believe me? -check out his wandering hand in the windsor castle photo, and where is his hand in his wedding photo and diamond anniversary pic?? the old dog.