According to Marshall Hall Publishing, they produce CDs,
Audios, and DVDs that will amaze, amuse, entertain, and educate. You can also subscribe to their YouTube
channel at http://www.youtube.com/edinger1343
to view clips and previews of their programs.
The DVD sells for $19.95 at the Marshall Hall Publishing website and
includes a study guide.
We reviewed The History of The Oregon Trail (36 minutes) & The Pony Express DVD (16 minutes). My 6th & 8th grader
did not make it through the entire DVD.
However, they chuckled at some of the funny voice changes that
periodically occur during the video. My
husband & I finished the entire video.
Oregon
Trail was the last book we
read during the last school year so we were familiar with a lot of the
information. What you miss from a book
is a picture of the scenery that words can not fully describe. You see the picture in your mind but it can’t
be compared to the awesome shots of beautiful mountains, prairie land, and
rivers that are shown throughout the video. I enjoyed that the most.
It is amazing to think of
the sacrifice so many made to take the 2,000 mile trip across rough terrain,
facing Indian threats, and enduring scarlet fever in search of better opportunities
for their family. Even more astonishing
is of all the individuals who set out on the trail 90% actually made it. There are many reminders along the trail
today that give tribute to the pioneers’ great sacrifice.
We learned a great deal from
the Pony Express video as I didn’t know too much about it. The video takes you from the beginning of how
the Pony Express started to the very end – the bankruptcy of its owners. The onset of civil war and a political
election took precedence over the government’s support of the private
financiers’ business which ultimately bankrupts the company. During its short life span of 19 months, the
Pony Express met the growing needs of an expanding country. I enjoyed the detail of how the operation was
set up with stops every 15 miles or so to change ponies with an overnight stay
at the 70 mile post. Riders received
only 2 minutes to change horses before setting off for the next stop. What an efficient operation. We got a kick out of seeing the newspaper ad
the owners ran looking for employees that stated, “young, skinny, wiry men not
over the age 18.” Similarly, the oath employees made after hire
attesting to not taking to “strong drink, remaining honest, and not quarrelling
with other employees” was interesting. Can
you imagine such practices in today’s workplace? That is a lawsuit waiting to happen in
today’s environment.
Final thoughts: Didn’t
really hold my kids’ attention. I think
today’s kids are so accustomed to sophisticated animation and graphics in film
that anything less just doesn’t work.
The graphics are a bit dated in this DVD. As an adult, we are a little more forgiving
as we are more interested in content. To
really amaze, amuse, and entertain Marshall Publishing should update their approach
to present this material in a kid friendly manner. I’m not sure what that would mean technically
in the world of video production but it is hard to compete in educational media
with older technology.
See what my other "crew mates" thoughts of Marshall Publishing here.
Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.
No comments:
Post a Comment