Video: Remote Collections: Television

Could you watch the Weather Channel or Food Network all day? Are you a fan of Gilligan's Island, Monty Python, or Mister Rogers Neighborhood returns? Maybe you're involved with longtime favorites like Doctor Who, American Idol, or CSI. Through sporting events, soaps, sitcoms, reality shows and dramas, you can experience people, places, cultures, and ideas from around the world.

There are two ways for people to experience television programming. First, they can watch the scheduled shows presented through broadcast, cable, satellite, or webcast. Second, they can enjoy video recordings that can be purchased on DVD, downloaded through the Internet, or recorded through digital video recorders (DVRs).

Television Programming

Dozens of producers develop hundreds of programs each year. Some programs are watched millions of times, while others gather dust on the shelf. Like the film industry, there are a wide range of television genres including dramas (science fiction, fantasy, horror, cops), reality shows, action, soap operas, game shows, sports, sitcoms, animated, music programs, music videos, children's, news, weather, documentaries, instructional, educational, talk shows, variety, religion, infomercial, miniseries, and more.

Go to Television from eduScapes 42eXplore and learn about how television is made and where to locate programming. Check programming schedules around the world at TVZap from Buttle and Tuttle Ltd.

Video Recordings

Entertainment Series. Past and present popular television series are now available on digital video including classics like I Love Lucy, Twilight Zone, MASH and Monty Python's Flying Circus. Newer programs like Friends, Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Outer Limits, X-Files, Sex in the City, Sopranos, and 24 are also available.

Series are popular in libraries. People like to hold television marathon parties or spend a rainy weekend with a series. In some cases, people prefer the video format over broadcast television because they are commercial free. They can also be viewed all at once rather than stringing it out over days or weeks.

Specialty Shows. People like to purchase television programs that aren't available in all areas. For example, some people don't get HBO. Programs like epic miniseries From Earth to the Moon and Tuskegee Airmen are examples. The program's website often contains additional information and resources beyond the video. For instance, HBO's movie The Pacific has extensive online content.

Public television and particularly Ken Burns are know for great documentaries such as The National Parks: America's Best Idea. Go to PBS for upcoming programs.

Many libraries purchase these types of programs for people who don't subscribe to specialized television services, don't want to record them for later viewing, or simply missed the programs when they were aired.

Informational Programs. From Discovery Channel's Crocodile Hunter and Wolves At Our Door to PBSs popular NOVA series, a wide variety of informational programs are available. Many of these were original filmed for television, while others were adapted for television from theatrical releases. For example, National Geographic's Lewis and Clark is a nice, short overview of the original journey originally produced as an IMAX movie. National Geographic is well-known for their television programming.

Many informational programs are available in sets at a reduced provide. For example, the Sharks video contains both Great White and The Ultimate Guide to Sharks.

Instructional and Educational Programs. Whether you're remodeling a house, pricing antiques, or exploring ancient civilizations, there are lots of programs that will provide direction and insights. Stations such as A & E, Hallmark, Discovery Channel, and PBS provide these programs along with entertainment and informational programs.

Children's Programs. Some children's programming is educational, but much of it is purely entertainment. Programming from Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network provide a combination of shows. Popular shows include Spongebob Square pants and Rugrats.

Other favorites include the The Wild Thornberrys, Big Blue House, Kratt's Creatures, Little Bear, Dora the Explorer, and Franklin are a few other favorites.

Television in the Classroom

Pride and Prejudice, Shackleton, Horatio Hornblower, and Jane Austen's Emma are a few examples of A&E movies. These programs and thousands of others are used each year by classroom teachers.

One of the biggest promoters of video in the classroom is a group of organizations from the cable industry.

Visit Cable in the Classroom website. Explore their online materials. You can also view the resources available on television and the web

PBS Teachers has lots of information for teachers and librarians. They have a great media blog and media literacy section.

At HBO, explore specific programming such as their documentary section and programs such as Gasland.

Many individual channels contains quality resources such as the BioClassroom study guides from Biography Channel.

Television

Go to Cable in the Classroom's Programming and Resources page. It contains great overviews for each of the well-known cable resources. The overview includes their educational initiatives, online resources, as well as a link to their website.

A&E. The A&E programming includes a variety of stations and programs including Biography.com, HistoryChannel.com, History Channel - Classroom, HistoryInternational.com.

ABC.

AMC (American Movie Classics).

BBC. British Broadcasting

BET. Black Entertainment Network

C-SPAN. Video archives and live programming.

CBC. Canadian Broadcasting video archives and live programming. Explore the CBCKids.

CBS. In addition to regular programs, they also support Nickelodeon, and Nick Jr. (Teachers.nick.com). Some examples are below:

• Bill Nye
• Blue's Clues
• Bob the Builder
• Dora the Explorer
• Franklin
• Little Bear
• Little Bill
• Maggie
• Max & Ruby
• Oswald
• Rubbadubbers

Channel One. An educational television program system for schools.

Discovery Channel. The Discovery Channel contains great programming for children and adults. Their programming includes Discovery, Discovery Kids, Discovery Health, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, and TLC. They have a website for educators at Discovery School. They currently have two series just for classroom use: Discovery Education.

These programs can be recorded for free or purchased at the Discovery Store. In addition to their great programming, they have a wonderful website that includes a great Lesson Plans Library. In addition, the website contains other teaching tools such as a Puzzlemaker, Quiz Center, Lesson Planner, and Worksheet Generator.

Disney. ABC News and Disney Channel are part of the same family.

Fox.

Latino Public Network

National Geographic. National Geographic has their own cable station and also produces programming for others such as PBS. The National Geographic Channel has some streaming.

NBC. This group includes MSNBC, CNBC, and Telemundo. They also own Bravo.

OvationTV. - arts network

PBS is a huge organization with many programs.The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is an umbrella for a number of television, radio, and digital services including NPR and PBS. Their Education division contains many online resources to go with their broadcasts. Most programs can be viewed on television or purchased on video.

• American Experience - PBS program on people and culture
• American Family - PBS program on family
• Ken Burns American Stories - PBS programs by Ken Burns
• Nature - PBS program on nature
• Nova (Teacher Page) - Recent edition is Mars Dead or Alive.
• PBS Kids
  • Programs for Young Children - PBS Ready to Learn
    • Arthur
    • Barney
    • Berenstain Bears
    • Between the Lions
    • Boohbah
    • Caillou
    • Cat in the Hat
    • Clifford
    • Curious George
    • CyberChase
    • Dinosaur Train
    • Electric Company
    • Fetch
    • Geoge Shrinks
    • Martha Speaks
    • Maya and Miguel
    • Mister Rogers
    • Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese Cat
    • Sesame Street
    • Sid the Science Kid
    • SuperWhy
    • Teletubbies
    • WordGirl
    • Word World
    • Zoboomafoo
    • Zoom
      
      
  • Programs for Tweens
  • Design Squad
  • Don't Buy It - consumers
  • Democracy Project and Learning Adventures in Citizenship
  • Fizzy's Lunch Lab
  • It's My Life - social issues
  • Kratt's Creatures & Kratt Brothers & Wild Kratts
  • Meet the Greens
  • PBS Newshour Extra
  • Plastic Fork Diaries - food and bodies
  • WeboNauts
• PBS Parents
• PBS Teachers
• WHYY-TV PBS - public television station in Wilmington, Delaware
  • It's a Mitzvah!
  • Mural - guide
  • Thomas Eakins - guide
  • Workshop of the World
• SesameWorkshop
• Sites Related to Public Broadcasting from Current.org

SyFy. Science Fiction programming

Showtime. This group includes a number of movie channels

Time Warner

• Cartoon Network
• CNN Student News contains a daily guide, archives, transcripts and lots of activities. Go directly to the CNN Student Programming at CNN Student News. You can see video clips if you are a free subscriber.
• TNT television programs available on TNT including Animal Farm, Buffalo Soldiers, David Copperfield, The English Patient, Hamlet, and many others. Guides are available at the website. They provide excellent models for effective viewing. These programs can be viewed on TNT or purchased.
• TCM By the Book contains web resources to go with classics movies. These include Lives on Film,and Stage to Screen projects.
• HBO. Programs such as documentaries and movies like The Pacific.
• TruTV

Weather Classroom. Weather Channel materials.

Off-Air Recording

Read FAQ about offi-air recording and rebroadcast and instructional television recording guidelines from PBS.

Also find related information at Rules and Permissions for Audio-visual Media Copyright Law and Audio-visual Materials from Brown University.

---