Collections: Big Picture

You’ve probably heard that an image is worth a thousand words, but what about an audio or a video? For many learners, audio and video can bring information alive by providing an element of authenticity. Users are able to see and hear a particular frog in a specific pond, not a generic, static description in written words. Oral descriptions can help the auditory learner gain descriptive information, while the movement of video can help a student understand the context of the descriptions.

Go to Frogs and Toads from eduScapes 42eXplore. Scim through and examine some of the resources. Many of the linked websites contain text and still pictures. Look for digital audio and video elements on the web such as a frog movie or the sound of the frog croaking. Check out frog audio and video options at Amazon such as Sounds of North American Frogs. You'll even find the book and audio cassette Frog and Toad are Friends.

Information and Entertainment

In addition to providing valuable learning tools, audio and video formats are popular for information and entertainment. A Paris travel video might be more useful than a book in deciding whether to take a vacation in Europe. Many people would choose an audio CD rather than a book to learn French language. Video games, popular movies, and books-on-tape have all become popular leisure activities.

Whether listening to jazz or watching a romantic comedy, people spend a substantial amount of leisure time enjoying audio and video. Consider the millions of copies of Spiderman that have been sold to video stores and libraries around the world.

An MTV Networks/Viacom Study (June 2000) found that media and entertainment take up the largest chunk of leisure time.

Teens are particularly active users of audio and video for information an entertainment. A 2005 study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project titled Teen Content Creators and Consumer (pdf download) found that more than half of online teens have created content for the Internet and a majority teens download music.