The Impact of Interactive TV on Classroom Culture & Social Structure

Twenty years later, Dr. Ron Kantor's original ethnography investigating the impact of interactive television on classroom culture and social structure is now more relevant than ever. At the time Dr. Kantor conducted this research, ITV was a novelty and had to be delivered using elaborate networks supported by cable or satellite systems. Over the past 20 years, the use of virtual classroom environments has exploded as costs have gone down and technical quality improved. This monograph tells the story of six secondary schools in a growing, mostly rural county in the mid-South that was interested in "sharing" teachers across schools geographically dispersed across 613 square miles. The class was also broadcast on the local television network, so people at home could watch. This resulted in all kinds of interesting secondary effects, and a community of learning that spread well beyond the ITV classroom. Kantor tells the story of what happened, sharing findings gleaned using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods. His theory of Intra-action provides insight on how to use eLearning today in a more innovative and constructivist manner.