Project 2: Zoom vs. Blues' Clues

For project 2, we are looking at older PBS television shows such as Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Wishbone, Reading Rainbow, and Zoom. We believe this type of programming inspired young viewers to be proactive in their learning. In other words, their learning did not stop when they turned off the tv. These shows were often interactive or they encouraged interaction with the local community. For instance, Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers are both built around a fictional community or neighborhood, and Reading Rainbow encouraged its viewers to hunt down certain books at the local library. We compare PBS programming to contemporary shows like Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues, which are only superficially interactive with their viewers. They ask their viewers to follow along, but they do not inspire that proactive, emotional response in watchers. Throughout the episode, kids play along and do their part, but when the show is over, that's where the learning stops. They have indeed, done their part, and it ends there.

Blue's Clues

As the title suggests, Blue's Clues involves a sort of question-and-answer interaction between the host, Steve, and the viewer. Based on the clues Blue leaves behind as a way of communication, the viewer is supposed to figure out his message. In the above clip, viewers are supposed to guess based on the three clues (eggs, a tree, and sticks) that Blue saw a bird's nest. But what is this really teaching kids? How often are they supposed figure out riddle-like situations?

Perhaps the most salient part of this clip is the end song that Steve sings, in which he sings, "Thanks for doing your part, you sure are smart!" The end song is indeed a wrap up. It says goodbye to viewers without also encouraging them to continue learning or continue interaction. The viewer "part" or role begins and ends with each episode.

Zoom

While Blue's Clues encourages merely episodic viewer interaction and learning, Zoom, which is partially created from the suggestions of young viewers, strongly advocates for both interactive communication as well as continual learning. From the theme song: "We're all plugged into one world now. So let's talk; we want to hear from you!" Viewers are asked to send in different activities, riddles, games, experiments, etc.; they are encouraged to share their knowledge and literacies. The above lyrics encourage the viewer to not only interact with the show but to do so after the episode has ended. It prompts action post-episode. Compared with the end song of Blue's Clues, Zoom's ending specifically commands viewers to continue their learning after the show is over: "And if you like what you see, turn off the TV and do it!"Zoom suggests that the best education is the self-motivated education that occurs away from the television, post-episode; viewers are inspired by what they see on the show. Zoom acts as an impetus for learning rather than an end game.

***Note: We will not compare Blue's Clues and Zoom in our actual project because they are aimed at different age groups and education levels. However, although I am analyzing Zoom, some of these points can apply to Sesame Street as well, which is perhaps a more suitable comparison against Blue's Clues.