Considering that captions are really just words used in a particular way to provide access and meaning, it challenges us as educators to ponder how we can use the opportunity these words provide. The written word has been used to teach concepts for thousands of years, so let’s look at words in the context of access. The use of captioned video ‘turns a light on’ to expose the hidden treasure – information – which lies within the video. Further learning for all students can be facilitated by releasing that knowledge in a variety of forms.
In 2013, Media Access Australia’s Education Manager Anne McGrath presented at the 27th Australian and New Zealand Conference for Educators of the Deaf (ANZCED). The presentation, ‘Beyond access – using captions to teach skills and concepts’, considered these issues a little more directly. What to do with all these words and how to optimise their use? An excerpt from the presentation starts the conversation.
This presentation and more are available to download via Media Access Australia's SlideShare channel.