Action
Research
problem
"students aren't taking notes!"
no info gained from 'movies'
"videos are boring"
accountability
assessment
participation
solution A
solution B
enforcement
using assessment 
as punishment
quizzes
"gotchas!"
not using videos at all
rationale / pleading
create reason as to why?
simple solution
KISS principle
project based
creative
dynamic
student centered
fun!
point of pride
public display
easy on the budget
basic template
during most classes where some sort of AV material was being used, students didn't bother to take notes, write down important ideas, etc. even when being promted. 

it was like they didn't "need" to, since they didn't do it in their other classes either!
it's very difficult to tell whether or not a student has actually done anything with the data coming at them. 

in social studies, lots ot material is AV related, and such materials serve students well, if they chose to participate. 

but, there's no telling if they engaged unless some form of formal assessment is applied immediately.
how do you accurately assess AV materials? quiz, test, or oral examination, or through class participation? the choices are many, but I'm not so sure about their validity...
why?
another video? why is this all we do?

these are constant questions in some social studies rooms, and I guess, depends on the teacher. the key is to understand why somthing is done, and do something with it.
the immediate perception among many students seems to be that AV materials are boring. is that because they've never been asked to "do" anything with it before? is it because they don't know how to deal with the information presented? why are videos boring?
if you ask students to simply "take notes" on the video, you'll end up with nothing. there has to be a better way to go about it!
how do you get more students per class to actively particiate in AV materials? videos are a useful tool in social studies and other classes, but can easily turn into an open study hall if you don't watch out. we like to see all heads focused on the screen, but know that this may never be so. how do we change that behavior? how do we instill curiosity, love of learning, and drive in lackluster students?
the normal reaction, at least from some teachers, and myself in beginning, was to try to 'get' the students by sneaking in assignments or quizzes.

this never created a good environment, and I'm not sure any of those assessments were valid.
random quizzes on AV materials are a waste of time - if students don't understand the objectives of why they're watching something, they turn off. quizzes, especially unannounced, are not worth the time...
for my social studies classes, this is not a good solution. I need a break sometimes, students need a break from me, etc. 

plus, there is so much great stuff on AV that it is truly valuable to use them in class for a variety of purposes.
using enforcement, like issuing detentions for not doing their work hardly ever works. 

negative reinforcement never solves the underlying problem. 
trying to plead your case with students mean you've already lost. 

either you have a solid objective in mind, or you don't. why are you showing the movie in the first place? 

is it to learn a new skill, or to furnish content?
one of the first reactions to students not doing their work with AV materials is to add questions on a test from the video. what does that accomplish? probably very little.

and what's the outcome? how many students performed poorly on that assessment? and will you go back and re-teach it? probably not.
traditional, new teacher model
three years later, a bit more experience
what is your objective for using AV?

tell the students, and they're more likely to embrace the project / assignment.

objectives could be various - content / or skills & methods. or both. or a combination of many other variables. but share it with the kids!
by introducing a template that can become familiar to the students, through repetition, the startup time can be eliminated.

for example, fold a sheet of paper three times to create 8 cards / data points. then use that with a range of projects...
approach using AV like a project. 

"here's what we're gonna do, and here's what you'll accomplish in the next few days..."

use AV for units of study, and create a large encompassing display or project that you can reference later on, or look back at, or look forward to...
solution C
the future...
allow yourself enough flexibility to change the project / assignment as it develops. 
work with what you have. you can go a log way with some paper, scissors, glue, and markers (most of which students will bring to you with enough incentive).
yes, you gotta make it fun!
design a project where students are allowed to take pride in their work.

this can come from multiple areas, such as building a public display, or voting on best display, etc.
students are already creative, but a lot of the time, they haven't been allowed to exercise their creativity!

design a project with this in mind, and allow yourself to be dynamic enough to recognize creativity, and celebrating it, either on the spot, or publicly in front of the whole class.
get permission from the principals to display your students' work outside your classroom walls.

why not display in the hallway, or in the cafeteria?

building public displays generates more quality (because it becomes the point of pride for many).
put the students in charge!

old school - you do all the work...

new school - students do most of the work, and are allowed enough freedom to experiment, create, adapt, and succeed!
keep it simple stupid!
make sure your solution, whatever it might be, is simple. that will increase participation levels, engage more students, etc.
my example
8 1/2 x 11 paper
fold & rip
every other minute
'data point' concept
building blocks
expand, expand, expand
once students are used to collecting data, you can do whatever you want with the data points!
take the paper, fold three times, rip, label and collect... that's all there's to it!
collect a data point every other minute.

for 30 minute video = 2 sheets of paper = 16 data points ~ 32 minutes worth!
available to almost all schools, and all teachers.

use colored papers - easy way to separate projects!
most students don't think about their thinking or gatering of information.

spend some time explaining how new information is generated in the brain, categorized, etc.

then, do that in the classroom! each piece of paper becomes a data point that can be categorized, classified, modified, developed, expanded, connected, organized, etc., just like in our brains!
make a micro/macro project:

create letters, shapes, etc from the collected data points. easy to do, easy to display, easy to get excited about!