Educational entertainment
It has been used by academia, corporations, governments, and other entities in various countries to disseminate information in classrooms and/or via television, radio, and other media to influence viewers' opinions and behaviors.
[3] Poor Richard's Almanack demonstrates early implementation of edutainment, with Benjamin Franklin combining entertaining and educational content, such as puzzles and rules of conduct, into an instructional entity for colonists.
Later development of the concept of edutainment can be tied to Walt Disney, with his first educational short film, Tommy Tucker's Tooth, being commissioned and shot in 1922 for the Deneer Dental Institute.
Modern forms of edutainment include television productions, film, museum exhibits, and computer software which use entertainment to attract and maintain an audience, while incorporating deliberate educational content or messages.
Much of what edutainment can offer through audio and video especially, is accessible over the internet on platforms such as YouTube, with such channels as Vsauce, CGP Grey, MinutePhysics, Meet Arnold, Veritasium, and Crash Course.
Public Service Broadcasting is a band that incorporates audio and footage from the British Film Institute into their music and performances, and this partnership helps the British Film Institute showcase its material; their album Inform-Educate-Entertain, which covers topics such as the climbing of Mount Everest and highway safety, demonstrates the connection between the concept of edutainment and their music.
[18][page needed] The third season of the television show MTV Shuga was analyzed by researchers and then published online in 2017 in terms of its effects related to its goal of educating African youth about sexual health and HIV, and secondarily, gender-based violence.
[23] Educational games are designed to teach people about certain subjects, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand an historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill as they play.
[25][page range too broad] Kim (2008) supports the use of off-the-shelf games with meta-cognitive strategies to provide an increase in students' cognitive performance.
Many toys (e.g., a miniature piano) are simply colorful, scaled-down versions of more complex objects, and thus can base children in skills and benefits associated with the latter.
[citation needed] Toys are often employed in the context of mimicry and roleplay to partially experience personalities or situations not otherwise possible, very akin to simulation in video games.
Most children are naturally inquisitive (possibly why they sometimes break their toys; simply to know what is inside or how it moves or what produces that sound), and caregivers should not waste this opportunity.
[citation needed] Some toys are of considerable appeal and benefit to both children and adults, such as Lego or Rubik's Cube, as their design and implementation can range from the simple to the sophisticated.
The park's dedication plaque, written by Marty Sklar and Erwin Okun, states the following: "May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire.
[43][44] Other notable theme parks that incorporate educational elements and topics are Disney's Animal Kingdom, Holy Land Experience, Dinosaur World, Busch Gardens, and Puy du Fou.
[citation needed] Edutainment is also a growing paradigm within the science center and children's museum community in the United States, as well as in many other locations such as the zoo or a botanical garden.
Educational locations such as these are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to reach the surrounding public and get them interested in areas such as the fine arts, science, literature, and history.
Since people are used to flashy, polished entertainment venues like movie theaters and theme parks, they demand similar experiences at science centers or museums.
[48][page needed] In a study conducted by Ruby Lynch-Arroyo and Joyce Asing-Cashman (2016), Numb3rs, which is an example of edutainment in the form of a television show, was integrated into the education of preservice mathematics teachers.
[51] As for podcasts and narration specifically, according to a study conducted by Trish L. Varao Sousa, Jonathan S. A. Carriere, and Daniel Smilek (2013) with student participants, these forms may not be particularly helpful, as their use can result in both less information actually internalized and less engagement overall when compared to other "reading encounters.
The book entitled Amusing Ourselves to Death by theorist Neil Postman demonstrates this notion, as it is claimed that areas of study have been "transformed into congenial adjuncts of show business.
