Digital Video and Audio Certificates and Their Usage in Educational Activities

Abstract

Šiauliai County Povilas Višinskis Public Library realized that creators, witnesses and preservers of a local history are, above all, people who live here, so the library collects the archives of historical and cultural events of Šiauliai region, which were captured in the old video tapes (VHS) by local residents. Videos from VHS tapes are transferred to a digital format, processed, described and become accessible to everyone via Internet. In 2015 a spoken history project about the Lithuanian drama festival “Atgaiva” (Šiauliai, 1988) was started. Festival contributed to the creation of a new democratic atmosphere in Lithuania. Memories of participants were recorded on a voice recorder, texts were reviewed, edited and published in the archive of a spoken history “Atgaiva” on the library’s website.

In this way, the valuable historical material that people have ever created is preserved and is accessible to everyone.

The accumulated video and audio collections are used in educational activities: non-traditional/integrated lessons of history, civic education, etc. During the activities, participants review documentary films, check their historical knowledge by participating in a virtual quiz created for a specific film. It is a great opportunity to learn history not through textbooks, but through getting to know the “live” story. This form of learning is particularly attractive to young people because it is interactive and based on ICT. Creators of the video tapes are invited to participate in these activities and different generations take part in discussions.

This activity promotes interest in history, citizenship, strengthens the links of community members, historical and cultural identity.