The Davideon Project: Capitalizing the Possibilities of Streaming Video as Flexible Learning Objects for the Humanities

Audiovisual material has been a valuable resource for the humanities. As Andrew Buchanan wrote in 1951, "The function of film in education is to add to man's sense of reality by adding the faculty of sight to abstract apprehension. To see the things of which we learn completes, or almost completes, our study. The eye can often teach that which no words can convey" (15). Indeed, as the availability of audiovisual and online media has increased, the study of both the content and the impact of such media on society has become more significant. Although the use of online audiovisual sources is certainly advantageous for numerous disciplines, incorporating such materials into history, journalism, media studies, and other humanities courses provides particularly relevant learning opportunities.