Technology Training in our schools

Technology training changes so much from school to school and system to system. As a media specialist in Portsmouth, Virginia, I was blessed with a strong technology support system. My school had a technology resource teacher (TRT) and a technology specialist. The TRT provided training for teachers, did classes with the teachers, and was always available  for technology support. Our technology specialist made sure all the software is updated running and properly installed. I was very blessed to have the tech team I had and luckily they taught me quite a bit. From speaking with media specialist in Alabama where I currently live, technology is taught very differently. It does seem to fall more on the media specialist to be the technology resource teacher too. That will certainly be a new challenge to tackle but it is doable. I agree with Jurkowski on the importance of knowing what areas your staff needs help with so a comprehensive technology professional development plan can be put into place to help meet those needs.  I think one of the best DO's in technology staff development I learned from my TRT is that after teaching the staff a skill, she would be present the first time the teacher used the technology in class. My TRT helped me to develop and implement a fantastic blogging site for the media center and her being there the first lesson helped me to be comfortable teaching blogging. I would hope to be as good of a support for my teachers as she was to me one day though I know as a media specialist we wear many hats and there often aren't enough hours in the day!

Blog #6 Technology training!

The state of my faculty’s technology skills is probably on a need to know basis in my opinion.  Everyone had to take the Promethean Board training for PLU’s which, I am sure if the training was not mandatory no one would have taken out the time to take all of those modules. We have had some opportunities in school but they are mostly offered county wide or they select who goes where in some instances. Trainings are offered but in-house training is not that popular in my current school. Most things are self-motivated tasks or self-taught technology skills in my school. We have some very talented people in our building but they normally say they learned how to use the devices on their own time or dime.           

Meanwhile, there are several different problems to factor into why technology training is not as popular as it should be, funding, timing, and interest. Even though, most teachers want admit they have fears about technology training taking away from their planning and copying time. They do have to schedule in the time to sit and learn something new, useful, and valuable. However, we also need to plan and prep as much as possible. Staff development is a complicated task when everyone has a fear or no time to just sit still and complete the task. Everyone wants an email, memo, walk-thru training.  I also agree with Jurkowski, time involvement is a big issue for teachers. We are expected to learn new innovative things but how and when? Maybe, like Jurkowski reminds us enthusiasm is contagious, well so is money and if we were paid to train more we might just have a plan. While it sounds exciting to read about how to make the training look great and sound great, there is an underlying fear no one will admit to.

The issue of funding will always be an issue and therefore teachers look the other way unless it’s mandatory. This past year my school purchased document cameras for each and every classroom and the training was optional. Most people asked people who attended the training and there was no need to sit in training when word of mouth worked? I almost forgot about PD360 which is considered technology based lessons and trainings. Well they are beneficial and informative when we have time to sit and watch the videos and modules. Then answer the response questions at the end of each lesson. If I had a DO’s and DON’Ts list it would say, “don’t be afraid of technology!’

IPTV, Coming Soon to a Desktop Near You!

My school is going through a transition period with the video distribution system.  Cobb County recently (as in just last week) announced that we will be switching to digital television in our schools.  We currently have a closed circuit cable system which includes several regular channels as well as separate channels for in-school broadcasts.  We do a morning news program that we run on closed circuit three times a week.  We are also able to play videos or DVDs on closed circuit as requested by teachers.  We’ve had issues with the system because the VCRs have been breaking down and videocassettes have been getting “eaten.”  Just this year we had someone from the county switch out some components so we could continue our broadcasts.  Teachers do not have any control or input regarding the video distribution system besides requesting videos be played for their classes/grades. 

We were told via email that the new system will be available via a desktop shortcut for teachers and administrators to access from their computers.  There will be 6 district-provided digital cable channels:  Cobb edTV, Georgia Public TV, The Weather Channel, Fox News, The History Channel, and The Learning Channel.  The announcement sent a ripple through our district as many people had opinions about the channels that are going to be included.  Needless to say, quite a few of those with opinions are media specialists who would have liked to have some input regarding the channels that were selected. 

According to the announcement, access to IPTV will only be available through a hard-wired computer via a shortcut on the desktop.  Schools will have the option of purchasing additional channels.  We will be able to transition internal school broadcasts and the old system will be fully replaced.  That means no more coaxial cable, a head end unit, or DVD tuners.  While this is very exciting news, it does bring up some concerns.  As with any type of large scale transition, we expect that there could be problems with the new system.  We’ll have to learn how to work the new system and hope that we can have a smooth transition for our news broadcasts.  We were told that the change would happen sometime around Spring Break which is just around the corner.  Hopefully it will not be too painful a change.

I've always found the head end unit to be very intimidating, especially since it reminds me of one of those hulking old computer systems from way back when.  I'm interested to see how the new system will work and what types of accommodations we'll have to make to ensure that the system works for us.  I don't know that we'll be able to play videocassettes on closed circuit once the system is gone.  In that case, we need to get rid of our VHS tapes very soon.  We've got a huge weeding project in progress but have yet to touch the A/V section.  Our teachers may be very unhappy with this change until they get used to it.  I am looking forward to a much simpler interface though.

Social Networking and School Library Media Centers

          Social networking in our schools is going to become more and more prevalent in the upcoming years. I do think there is a place for them. When I was a librarian in Virginia, our school's tech specialist completed a lesson with me on blogs. I would read a book aloud to students and then the students would post responses on the library blog. It was a very cool lesson. I used the blog throughout the year and loved the responses I got from students. I think some of the students felt more comfortable responding online rather than aloud. I got very honest feedback from some students and very silly responses from others! The blog certainly needed to be monitored and comments needed to be addressed to help keep students on track. I could tell getting to do blog responses was something cool and new for the students and they really got into them.
             One of the most important aspects of the blogging lesson though was the added lesson of internet safety which certainly needs to be considered and taught. One of our jobs as educators especially as media specialist is to teach internet safety. The article "Secure Social Networking" by Gail Junion-Metz gives some great sites that are secure for students to use. I am not currently in a school, but in the schools I have taught at in the past most social networking sites were blocked. We could get access to sites for class projects such as the blog but for the most part social networking sites were blocked.
         As long as schools take the proper steps to ensure safety. I think there are many ways to use social networking in our schools!

Blog 5: Video Distribution Systems, Georgia Public Broadcasting Education Resources, School TV News

Information is communicated through a variety of different methods in a school, but some of the most commonly used are as follows: video distribution systems, GA Public Broadcasting Education Resources, and the School TV News. My school currently uses GA Public Broadcasting Resources; specifically Discovery Streaming, and Media Cast on a continual basis. About six years ago, we did utilize a closed circuit cable system that school news would be reported on by students once a week and teachers could show videos using this closed circuit system. This went away though and we have never looked back.

The video distribution systems like GA Public Broadcasting Resources (Discovery Streaming) have so much to offer. Using VHS tapes and DVD’s quickly became resources that were not high in demand due to the vast amount of content found online. Teachers can find resources grouped by grade level, content area, and even professional development materials. All the videos I have ever used in my reading and language arts classes have been valuable additions to my lessons and really helped to emphasize the content being taught. My school does hold a purchasing license that costs $360 per year that enables teachers to show movies outside of these locations. If teachers find a video that they want to purchase, a few TV’s on rolling carts can be used or the media specialist can play the video using the old closed circuit method.

While watching videos and having access to many videos has improved, my school did not keep up with the School TV News. After we switched to the new video distribution systems, school news seemed to fall to the wayside. I miss it and I think the kids do too; or they used to because now those students have moved on to the high school or graduated. I think school news gives students a chance to share information and to be a part of the school community. If you have time, visit the following links to view an elementary school and high school news broadcast. The students report on topics from weather, school functions, and conduct teacher interviews. They use student reporters with well-prepared scripts, popular music, and well-designed and thought out backgrounds for the news reports. I think School TV News is a much better way to share information than simply announcing news over the loudspeaker each day. Students learn about technology and communicating simultaneously. Some may put school news to the side because of time restraints, but with the right students and possible teacher assistance; I’m sure it could be a manageable task.

Elementary: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/orenco/Home/tabid/2559/Default.aspx

High: http://www.wyckoffschools.org/eisenhower/etv/index.html#

Social Networking and School Library Media Centers......

What do you think about social networking sites being used in a school setting? Is there a place or role for them?

            Social networking sites should be used in schools as a tool to educate students and help teachers and parents communicate. However, these sites are popular to students who think they cannot function in society today without social networking. The idea of social networking can be frightening for non-users but you have to think of the impact social networking has on students today. Taking into consideration social networking can be dangerous and educational all at the same time is hard to imagine. As listed in the Library 2.0 and Beyond there are several types of notable social network websites which can use as long as the site regulations are followed correctly. The opportunity for libraries is limited in most schools however, Google, is a growing site the SLM could use. Students, SLM, and teachers can share documents as well as group work easily. If a school library uses social networking to promote their website students would probably visit the site more often. The website has to appeal to the students as well as teachers. There is always a role social networking should play in schools as well as society, everything has to be based around the state standards and have effective results. Students can take advantage of social networking if it is not used in a proper fashion for example, cyber bullying. According to Mathews, social networking communities can also foster the spread of rumors and false information. This can be a major issue for teachers and administrators.

            I personally feel any sites approved by my current county are the only sites I would use in a school setting due to the safety of students and major privacy issues. It’s hard to say yes or no when you know the pros and cons of online social networking. The more I read the more I start to think outside the box. I know everything has to be monitored down to the wire. Social networking is just what it says it is a social site for everyone to enjoy. But, it can be a tool to help educate students and communicate with parents. Social networking is very vital for students they just have to be educated on how to use the sites. In order to keep up with the 21^st century demands students and teachers need social networking tools. In Barbara Fiehn’s article she contacted a few school library media specialist to get their views on social networking and they had a common response, of hesitation based on lack of knowledge of how this will really work in their schools.

            Based on my readings social networking and school library media centers have a great deal of negatives and positive impacts to review before they can be implemented in schools safely and properly. If I am trained and I know the sites are safe and the county I work in is backing the sites I am willing to implement them in my classroom.

Media Center Web Pages: To Blog or Not to Blog?

I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking through school websites in search of one thing or another.  As part of the PTA and Foundation at my daughters’ schools, I did a lot of comparing between school programs in my area.  A few years ago many schools in Cobb County had very fancy websites that were unique to the school.  It has only been recently that the schools were required to use the same service for their websites.  If you were to explore different schools in the district today, you would find that there is a uniformity that was not there before.  On the one hand, it is easier to navigate to the various parts of the sites but on the other hand, they don’t always look as “pretty” as they did. 

My current position as the media center paraprofessional at my school has given me the opportunity to learn much more about school websites than I have ever known.  I am one of the two people in our building with access to update the school website.  That has been a very interesting experience for me.  We use Microsoft Web Expression for the website but all of our teachers, including the media specialist, use edublogs for their web pages.  Web Expression has not been the most user-friendly application but I have enjoyed working with edublogs which is super simple.

After reviewing some of the sample media center web pages for this assignment, I have come to the conclusion that blogs are much more effective for communicating with students, staff, parents, and the community.  The “regular” media center web pages are not as attractive as the blogs which are much more customizable.  Both have the capability to add content such as images and videos but the overall design and layout of the blogs that I have seen are much more enjoyable for me to look at.  If you want your users to return to your media center web pages, you need to make sure that the pages have a “hook” for them. 

When comparing the regular web pages to the blogs that I looked at, I knew that for my own media center program I would prefer to have a blog.  Even web pages like “The Unquiet Library” were very plain in comparison to a blog version of a media center web page such as the one at Mt. Bethel Elementary School.  My media specialist created the blog and I help her to update and maintain it.  We try to keep the content as up to date as possible and have something for everyone:  students, teachers, and parents. 

The main school website includes a direct link to the media center blog and teachers are encouraged to include a link on their blogs as well.  The media specialist has been collaborating regularly with the different grade levels and she has created a page for all class projects.  I recently received an email from my daughter’s Target teacher asking me to check the media center blog for updates on their current project.  Other teachers have directed parents to check the media center blog to see the final products of the collaborative projects that their classes recently completed in the media center.  It’s been amazing to see how much the teachers have been promoting the media center blogs.  I think more parents have seen our blog this year than the last few years combined.  Last year the media center web page was static.  The media specialist never updated it and it was generic.  The new web pages/blog is dynamic and always interesting. 

We rely heavily on our blog to communicate with parents.  We know that it’s working because I’ve spoken to many parents who appreciate that we have provided them with a quick and easy tool to communicate what’s going on in the media center.  We have a book club, participated in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, have monthly contests and collaborate with our teachers.  All of this information is readily available on our blog and it’s been great!

The answer to the question, “To Blog or Not to Blog?” is definitely BLOG!