Humanities

Exploring History

1) Evidence of Our Lives, Techniques for Finding the Past. This video, divided into short sections, addresses the nature of physical evidence. It shows how children can develop skills by recording, researching and interpreting their local environment (The Roland Collection). 27 minutes, color, Ages 9-15.

2) Rescuing Our Past (The Roland Collection).

Other Cultures

3) Nubia '64, Saving the Temples of Ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians built colossal temples and shrines along the banks of the River Nile, because they knew that from its yearly flooding came the whole prosperity of their land. But when the modern rulers of Egypt decided to dam the Nile in Nubia, to ensure regular irrigation along 600 miles of its course, they knew that the river's level was bound to rise and rise until some of the monuments on the former banks were completely submerged. This film is presented as a human document rather than as art history (The Roland Collection). 42 minutes, color, Ages 12-adult.

4) Pre-Columbian Art in Mexico. Visit the Aztec shrine near Mexico City. Paz, the speaker, introduces you to the complex cosmology of the Aztecs, their notions of time and space, and their symbols of growth and death. See the great pyramids of Tenayuca, Chiche'n-Itza', Teotihuaca'n and Taji'n (The Roland Collection). 56 minutes, color, Ages 14-adult.

5) In Search of the Mayas. An introduction to the geographical area of Mesoamerican culture which gave birth to the pre-Hispanic civilizations of Mexico. Origins and characteristics are discussed; the idea of nature, communications with their gods, and the symbolic nature of their artistic expressions. The cultures are examined through reconstruction of their architecture, sculpture, painting, ceramics and craftsmanship (The Roland Collection). 56 minutes, color, Ages 14-adult.

6) Public Murals in New York. At the height of the Depression in the USA, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president. As a part of the New Deal Program, the Federal Art Project employed artists to paint public murals. There were over 200 in New York alone. This program visits the sites of some of these murals (The Roland Collection). 25 minutes, color, Ages 18-adult.

7) What is a Good Drawing? This educational film, with its clear visual and highly informative narration, encourages an understanding and appreciation of the art of drawing. If an artist can impress his own personal style of drawing on every subject, he has forced the world around him to see his own vision (The Roland Collection). 18 minutes, B & W, Ages 12-adult.

8) Art Restoration. High technology establishes for police or auction rooms whether priceless pottery or prints are real or fake. The removal of layers of dirt may reveal a masterpiece. X-radiography can discover a second figure behind a royal portrait. Science can analyze works of art and restore them to their original perfection or so its seems. But in restoration, something of the past is always lost. (The Roland Collection) 30 minutes, color, Ages 13-adult.

9) Thomas Hart Benton's Missouri. Thomas Hart Benton was at the apex of his career when he painted "Social History of the State of Missouri." This program explores this, the most ambitious mural by America's foremost muralist, and its depiction of Missouri's history from pioneer days to the Depression era. 28 minutes, color, Ages 12-adults.

10) The Reality of Karel Appel. The Dutch painter and sculptor first came to prominence in the 1940s. Appel's paintings are redolent of the world of trolls, Norse signs and Nordic myth. His paintings are gaudy, his colors vivid, and he slaps them on the canvas as if in a duel, using his brushes, paints, putty-knife and his hands as weapons (The Roland Collection). 15 minutes, color, Ages 13-adult.

11) Pre-Columbian Art in Mexico. Visit the Aztec shrine near Mexico City. Paz, the speaker, introduces you to the complex cosmology of the Aztecs, their notions of time and space, and their symbols of growth and death. See the great pyramids of Tenayuca, Chiche'n-Itza', Teotihuaca'n and Taji'n (The Roland Collection). 56 minutes, color, Ages 14-adult.

12) In Search of the Mayas. An introduction to the geographical area of Mesoamerican culture which gave birth to the pre-Hispanic civilizations of Mexico. Origins and characteristics are discussed; the idea of nature, communications with their gods, and the symbolic nature of their artistic expressions. The cultures are examined through reconstruction of their architecture, sculpture, painting, ceramics and craftsmanship (The Roland Collection). 56 minutes, color, Ages 14-adult.

Processes of Art

13) Screenprinting. The video concentrates on how screenprints are made, but it also follows the creation of a work by the artist Jane Sampson. She talks during the introduction about the medium and explains why she chooses to work with screenprints. The practical topics covered include the basic equipment, stencils, direct photo emulsion, washing and preparing the mesh, application, retouching and printing the next color, and final cleanup (The Roland Collection). 33 minutes, color, Ages 12-adult.

14) Lithography. The video-based learning package is a practical guide to the creation of lithographic prints. It is intended for artists wishing to become involved in printmaking who need to understand the basic principles of lithography. The program covers both stone and zinc plates, graining and prepping, etching, gumming and printing off direct and indirect presses (The Roland Collection). 39 minutes, color, Ages 12-adults.

15) Etching. This video introduces us to the artist Sandy Sykes who is developing an etching in a series about dragons. The creation of this work demonstrates a number of techniques, including basic etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint and others (The Roland Collection). 40 minutes, color, Ages 12-adult.

16) Stonecarving. This program gives an insight into the practicalities of carving stone and the creation of a piece of sculpture. This will describe how stone is quarried, transported and delivered to a studio. Techniques and tools are explained, such as the angle grinder, punches and points, hammers, claw-tools, and pneumatic tools (The Roland Collection). 43 minutes, color, ages 12-adult.

17) Glass and Ceramics. This program demonstrates two traditional glass-making techniques: glass blowing and the art of stained glass windows. It also follows the production of industrial ceramics, explaining that this material is constantly being used in new applications. 23 minutes, color, Ages 12-adults.

18) Enameling. This video starts with a short history of enameling, introduces the subject as a whole and explains major techniques. The program was shot in the studio of Jane Short, a young English enameler and jeweler who talks us through the design, making and coloring of a piece using a number of techniques (The Roland Collection). 2 parts, both 29 minutes, color, Ages 12-adult.

19) The Amazing Internet. This informative video explores the tremendous power of the Internet and its rich on-line resources. Teachers and students will learn what the Internet is and find out how to begin using it effectively in the classroom. You will walk through a detailed history of the Internet, plus the latest on-line sites you can integrate into the classroom curriculum. Plus, you'll learn about the latest Internet technologies (Classroom Connect, Inc. series). 15 minutes, for grade school age kids

20) Discovering the Web. This Internet Revealed video will unlock the power of the Web and prepare you and your students for a marvelous voyage of discovery on-line. You'll learn how to obtain a free copy of the latest Internet browser software to use in your classroom right away (Classroom Connect, Inc. series). 35 minutes, for grade school age kids

21) Super Searching the Web. This video makes it easy to learn the skills needed to mine the Internet to find the sites and information you need most. You'll have a deep understanding of the most powerful Internet search tools currently available. Easy-to-use searching techniques to help locate the specific on-line information needed will be discussed. Also, a step-by-step description of each major searching tools - directories, search engines, and meta search engines - will be followed by a real-time example of its classroom application (Classroom Connect, Inc. series). 23 minutes

22) News, HTML, and E-Mail. In just a half-hour, this crystal-clear video shows educators how to make the most of e-mail, Usenet, newsgroup, and HTML to turn their students into global publishers (Classroom Connect, Inc. series). 34 minutes

23) Teacher's Videos and Companion Guide. This teacher's guide is designed as a comparison to the three-tape video series. This guide takes you step-by-step into each of the three video tapes. It also gives sample of lesson plans and Internet projects ready to use in the classroom (Classroom Connect, Inc. series). 64 pages

Tape 1: Integrating the Internet 101
This video brings the case for bringing the Internet into the classroom, and shows how you can use it for professional enhancement and networking. Learn proven techniques for managing the Internet at your school with sample acceptable Use Policies and guidelines for Internet access in a school environment. 30 minutes

Tape 2: Cheating Internet Lesson Plans
Shows you how to "Internet-ize" traditional plans on a guided tour of sites with extraordinary resources and lesson plans collections. 30 minutes

Tape 3: Creating Internet Projects
In this series, you will be taught how to find and join existing global Internet projects that compel students environment and enhance the value of existing lesson plans and curricula. You'll learn the three types of Internet projects and how they function in the classroom. 30 minutes