Tech Diversity and the MC

The media center can play a pivotal role in technology and diversity in the school setting. Technology is available in most media centers and if students are trained correctly they can use this as they continue through life. The role of diversity can be addressed in many ways. Diversity means different things to different people. We have students with special needs that utilize various resources that our media center offers. This year to address diversity we have created a culture corner. Each month we celebrate another cultural group. We pull the books and other resources that address that culture. We have people bring in items to go on display that are relevant to the heritage or group we are celebrating. Also, to address the different diverse needs in our media center I am trying to get input from the faculty, parents, and students about the types of materials they would like to see available in our media center. We also invite guest speakers to come in and talk with students about various events, share stories of different cultures, and demonstrate arts and crafts. Hopefully, in the future as our school grows and changes we will be able to continue to develop a diverse school community.

Technology Training

This year as a new media specialist and taking this class I have experienced many new technologies that I have never used before. The focus of technology training that has been offered this year at my school has been about Infinite Campus. Lucky, for me I have not been impacted by this update. Our county updated right before school started. The first few weeks of school were a nightmare for most people in the county. The only problems this has caused for us in the library is student numbers not being updated into Destiny very quick. Teachers at my school feel like they are on technology overload this year. It seems like every other week I hear an announcement about technology training in the lab. I have heard many complaints about all of these changes. I don't dare try to offer the teachers an in-service dealing with technology this year. I think I will start with training the students on some of the new resources that I have learned in this class. I think students are always receptive to new technology. Personally I enjoy learning about new technology. Some of them I find easier and more beneficial than others.

Diversity in the Media Center

Often times in education teachers, administrators, and various other specialists use the term diverse to categorize learners with different needs. This is partially true, but it does not encompass everything that diversity can refer to. The problem is that most teachers, when they use the word, are only talking about where kids are in their learning. However, to me diversity means every way a human being is different from another. This is a broad category, but in education there are several categories that can be diverse when talking about a student population.

Some different areas of diversity are:
Socio-economic status Cultural traditions, norms, and mores Background and experiences Education levels
Innate abilities and talents
Learning styles

Technology is a great tool in general for reaching, motivating, and teaching students with various diversities and diverse needs. Whatever the technology is, most students, no matter their background, culture, economic level, or any other quality, want to work with it. It is rare to find a student who is not really interested in using a new technological tool in school. Technology also often reaches kids where they are. Typically students can make use of technology in some format no matter where they are or what their background is. The use of technology is just extremely adaptable. Since the media center is typically a hub of novel technology, kids of all different needs and levels can find benefits to experience and learning there. The fact that many media centers have a plethora of multimedia is also beneficial in reaching students no matter where they are or what they need. Unlike the stricter curriculum of a classroom, the media center can provide materials, technology, and experiences in what the students are interested in. If technology and media are constantly being expanded in the media center, it can be a place of growth and learning for all students.

Technology can also serve to teach teachers about diversity. For instance, we seek to find information in many different formats to meet many different needs. We need to take the same approach for our students. They need different things and so there is no one magic technology, software, skill, or strategy. We need to realize that, like technology, our students are growing and changing, and we must be looking for cutting edge ways to meet the diversity that exists within all people.

Technology and Diversity in the Media Center

I have always felt that "diversity" has been used in the schools to describe students of various ethnic backgrounds. But the real meaning of the word is "differences." Differences can be many things. In my school it would also include special-needs pre-k and the behavior disorder classes. We also have a number of students with serious economic needs--needs so great that they do not eat when not in school. Other differences would include children:

-- from a one parent household
--with parents in prison
--with hearing, speech, motor, or visual impairments
--non-english speaking students

We can serve all these populations in the media center. There are also technologies for these populations, some of which we surveyed in 6401. Most media centers are arranged and stocked for the white, "regular ed" student. Our population has changed and our books, materials, and technologies need to change as well to reflect and educate all our students.

Diversity in the Media Center by Sharon H.

In the media centers I have visited this quarter, I haven't seen much evidence of diversity. Most students are treated one and the same. However, research has shown us that there are different learning styles among individuals that should be addressed by the educational system. As a media specialist, I would like to meet those needs by having different centers that apppeal to different learning styles. For example, a listening center for those who learn best by listening. A center where the students does a hands-on project for tactile learners. A center that incorporates movement for those students who need learn best when active. That is not to say that a student must only use one center, they can rotate if they like.

Another type of diversity is disabilities. In my media center, I would like to have books on different reading levels to accomodate a wide range of reading ability. I would also like to have books with large print for those who may have difficulty seeing small print. Books on tape could be used to aid those with hearing problems. I would also like my media center to be bright and cheerful so that each student would feel welcome to stay and browse for awhile (with their teacher's permission of course).

Thirdly, there are racial and cultural diversities. These areas can be addressed at different times of the year. For example, a center on Martin Luther King for Black History Month or a center with Spanish music, books, and artifacts for the month of May.

I feel that there is a lot of opportunity to address these areas in the media center which is central to all students in the school.

E-books and Digital Storytelling

After reading about E-books I feel that I have learned many new ideas of how these would work well in a media center. I have not tried these before but with my next book order, I am going to order one and give it a try. I think I will order a book that we can't keep on the shelves. I would enjoy being able to tell students they can access it on our computers if it is not actually available on our shelves. Students could at least begin the book until the hard copy becomes available. Some students might enjoy this format so well they will finish the book and not even want the hard copy. I would like to see research on how reading comprehension scores stand up using E-books versus reading the hard copy of the book.

Digital storytelling is a wonderful resource that I have not used in the past. I have to say it was very difficult for me to create my digital story. I had to start over more than once. I found the hardest part to complete were the sound clips. The pictures were more easily obtained but getting them positioned correctly on the storyboard was another story. Hopefully, with more practice this will become a less cumbersome task for me. I will give it another try.

E-Books and Digital Storytelling by Sharon H

Digital storytelling is wonderful and challenging at the same time. That is why it would be such a great tool to use with students. It is something that they would create themselves yet it would make them think also. I didn't know anything about digital storytelling until I had to create my own project this week. Though at times I became frustrated and tired, overall, I really enjoyed the experience. If I used this in an elementary classroom or with a group of students in the media center, however, I think it would be best to break the project down into easy steps and to provide most the of pictures for them. Older students in middle or high school would probably be able to complete the projects themselves with guidance from the teacher of course. The most important thing I learned from this project was that the student, not the teacher, is doing the work. The students are actively involved in their own learning, and I think that is great. I wouldn't be able to do more than 1 to 2 projects a year because of the time involved in planning, assembling, and proofreading. However, this experience is something that I believe students will remember for years to come.
E-Books are on-line books that can be read directly from the computer using Abode or MP3 readers. Also, a special device called e-book readers can be used. Some cell phones can even be used to read e-books. I think this would be wonderful for students to use. They could listen to the stories and look at the text and pictures at the same time. It might help low readers to read books that are slightly above their reading level. Also, it would be great for students who are vision impaired. If the e-books could not be read from the computers, however, it would costs the media center extra to purchase the hand held devices. Also, if not strictly supervised, these devices may suddenly become "misplaced" causing additional cost to the library.
However, in my research, I easily came across two web sites that offer free e-books. One was for adults, Free E Books.net, and the other for children, kids.nypl.org/readingchildren'sbooks.cfm. It seems that there is a lot of reading materials out there which can be readily accessed at little or no cost to the reader. All I can say is, "How can that be a bad thing?"

The Stories of Our Lives

My family has always been a family of storytellers. When we gather for holidays, we talk with my aunts and uncles and cousins about where our parents and their parents grew up. We ask questions about who was related to who and where and how they lived. We are curious about the interesting and unusual names (Icy Myrtle!) they had. We have been to the cemetery to try to find them there. We look them up on the huge family tree that was made that goes back several hundred years. When our parents and their siblings are gone, so will be the stories, so we have to put all the pieces together while they are still with us.

My mother was a geneology librarian. She helped people put together the stories of their lives and their pasts every day. Her patrons came in so excited about the adventure they were embarking upon. This could be another wonderful way to use digital storytelling.

My dad has been gone almost three-and-a-half years. When I think about him one of the things that makes me the saddest is that I will never hear another one of his stories. He lived to be 82 years old and told us stories, sometimes more than once, about his childhood growing up in a small mid-western town, losing his mother at age 11, enlisting in WWII, his travels around the world in the Navy, and coming home to raise a family. His generation has so many wonderful stories to tell about how different their lives were from the ones we live right now. These stories are irreplaceable and ones that we can preserve through digital storytelling.

When my brother was in college he traveled from his college across the state to interview our great-aunt in her 80's with a cassette tape recorder. She had led a varied and interesting life up to that time, and eventually lived to be 104. She was so honored by my brother's interview. I don't think that our elders realize how much we value their stories. Their photos could be paired with their interviews to create beautiful keepsake digital stories of their lives.

I have heard over recent years about storytelling booths that are set up in large cities where a person can go with a relative or friend and interview them and save their story. I don't know who sponsors this but some lovely stories have been saved in this manner. I'm sure that students, parents and other members of the community have riveting stories about their lives to tell if we can allow them to tell them in our libraries.

I am not familiar with ebooks, but if this technology will encourage or allow students to "read" then I am all for it. I have always been in favor of anything that will get print into the hands of children. I figure it is only a matter of time before they are hooked on books!

When I volunteered in a media center several weeks ago, the SLMS showed her students a "movie" on Storylineonline.net. This is a website which shows streaming video of actors reading familiar children's books. That day we watched "Stellaluna" and "Sophie's Masterpiece." Another great site is Fablevision.com which has a variety of functions--students can create a story video, watch stories that other kids created. It sells books, has lessons and activities, and other things. Check it out.

Digital Storytelling and EBooks

I have been amazed at watching the differences in the digital stories in this class. Before beginning this project, I had no experience with digital storytelling. Shamefully, I just considered it a “fancy PowerPoint.” After completing this assignment and viewing others in this class, I have come to see how the digital media form has become a very applicable and professional venue for creating emotional and powerful stories. With the right training and creativity, an author can turn what may have been a mundane or ordinary story into a multimedia adventure. This form of storytelling can help students, teachers, and anyone interested in telling a story to express themselves in words, pictures, and sounds. I have turned the page on this idea, and would love to see it in schools and educational settings. However, I have noticed that schools, at least around here, do not have enough technological capabilities to incorporate digital storytelling on a large scale in a classroom. If a teacher is resourceful and creative, this new technology can be achieved.

Another technology that many schools in this area, including the school where I am observing, do not currently use is eBooks. The technology needed to download and read eBooks is quite easy to get and easy to use. After a little searching, it also seems that they are a little cheaper than regular books. However, a couple of issues exist in the media center where I am observing. The problem of how to disseminate the eBooks if they were being used is a big issue. Many students at this school do not have a computer, so some sort of device would have to be checked out as well. The eBook readers are usually expensive. This turns out to be more hectic and expensive than regular print books. Another issue is tradition. This technology is new, and many tradition readers just cannot tear themselves from a paper book. I know I feel there is something special about holding a book and turning the pages. A screen is just not the same thing. This is similar to a letter and an email. A letter just seems more personal and special than the electronic equivalent. If schools and media specialists can overcome these and other challenges, eBooks may be a great option for the media center of the future.

Technology Training

The faculty at my mentor’s school has taken a giant leap in their technology skills over the last two years. Over that period of time, every classroom in the school has been equipped with a Promethean Activboard and projector. While some teachers are still more advanced in their technology skills than others, the new technology in every classroom pretty much forced the faculty to advance in their technology skills. The training approach that the school took in this situation was to send two teachers to extensive training on the use of the Activboards, and then have them redeliver information to the faculty. This decision was made primarily due to funding or lack thereof, one of the major problems of technology training. Another problem or barrier that exists in technology training is that it does not take priority over the latest “program” that the system is promoting. So, schools have to get creative and motivated within their building to make the training occur and on-going.

The first item on my “Do” list if it were my responsibility to provide technology training would be to be proactive in offering training. I see this as one of my main responsibilities and priorities as a media specialist. Also on my “Do” list would be to offer technology training in a variety of formats. (such as on-line, small group, large group, and training aid type materials) Just like students, teachers are not all the same in their learning styles and preferences, so flexibility of instruction is important. It is also important to offer training during a variety of times as well. (during planning time, before or after school periodically, or by sign up) Also included on my “Do” list would be to provide follow-up support to the training. This is a vital piece to technology training that is often missed, but is often the determining factor in the continued use and success of technology.

The sole item on my “Don’t” list would be making training mandatory. Instead, I would focus on communicating with staff to see what technology is needed and desired, spreading the word about what trainings are available, and publicizing the success of teachers applying the technology in their classrooms.

Teacher Technology Training

I have had precious few staff development technology training sessions in the past 12 years. I remember in 1998, some of us completed several sessions on Microsoft Word. I recall learning nothing, but I think I still have the handouts...I hate to say this, but technology training has been pretty much non-existent in my teaching history. I have attended several faculty meetings where United Streaming was demonstrated, but aside from that my training has been limited to someone showing us how to input test scores on a website, and demanding that we post our personal information on our class web page, (name and educational background only) in return for a free jeans pass. Precisely one year later I repeated this exercise.

I was beside myself when I was told that I no longer had to take the county technology class but that I could "test out" of it. I had no idea how I would pass the computer test as I had had no instruction at all over the years. I managed to pass that test only to discover that I had to pass 6401 when I enrolled in this program (help) which was substantially more difficult than the county course. Now I wish I hadn't spent all those years avoiding the course...

There are no official people in my school to go to for technology assistance. When I have a question about a project I am doing (always for one of the media classes, never for my own students) I have to run around the school and ask people who know more than I do. Someone usually say, "go ask Susie Q., she knows about XYZ." Then Susie says, " I can help you with Powerpoint but I don't know anything about LNMOP." It's very frustrating. I have, however, learned a great deal from the teachers in my school. I learned Powerpoint from a team member, and was fortunate enough to spend several hours during a work day getting technology assistance from another teacher who was soooo lovely to me. I could not have completed my projects without these fabulous colleagues. In return, I willingly help anyone who comes to me for help.

I believe that it would be very difficult to provide technology training for the staff since everyone starts from a different "place" and if you are not prepared to take in the information you take in nothing. We do have optional classes provided on Blackboard for teachers and staff to take for small amounts of credit. It certainly doesn't work to have mandatory training. Any training done by the county would need to be voluntary. During pre-planning, a technology department person came to our school and briefly discussed the 2007 Word which had been installed on the computers over the summer. If I were sending someone to present this topic to school I would make sure that they were extremely well versed in the program. I asked a very simple question and she could not answer it. ("How do you change the default font?" Kim Huett discovered the answer.)

To Attend or Not to Attend: or What! Not Another Meeting ! by Sharon H.

I admit I'm somewhat at a disadvantage on this topic as I am not presently teaching within a school system. You see, I retired this past June after 30 years of teaching. However, I can comment on how it was done at my previous school for years and years and years. It went something like this. (teacher's voice) Okay, I've got a teacher workday. So, I'll work on finishing my report cards. Then, I'll start planning that Social Studies lesson I've been meaning to get to like forever now---" (sound of intercom) "If all teachers will report to the computer lab for the mandatory meeting on whatever technology we're trying to introduce to you today."
And so it goes. So, for the morning or aftenoon I would be in the computer lab learning about some new technology the school wanted me to know about. Most of the training was great, and I usually learned a lot for it, however, there were drawbacks. Namely, the meeting was mandatory. Some of the classes could have been voluntary. So, why not offer an incentive for attending? For example, a PLU. Many of these classes were taught by employees of the firm who was selling the program to the school. This instructor was in a room with 30 teachers who would rather be someplace else. Also, there was always a time limit. Frequently, some questions were not answered because there was need to "move on." I could surely empathize
with my students after one of these sessions. I would have enjoyed it more if I could have been in a room with a smaller group where I could ask questions without worrying about holding up everyone else. So, I guess my do's and don'ts lists include the following:
If the technology is not needed for maintaining school records or information, make the class voluntary and offer an incentive for attending.
Teach the technology in as small a group as possible so that dummies like me can ask lots of questions.
While some teachers may never attend these trainings, the teachers that did attend are usually willing to share what they learned, so the information is dispersed to others through the "trickle down" process.
Make the technology training as specify a possible and provide handouts with step-by-step instructions so that we can follow them when we go back to our classrooms to practice this new skill.
Well, I've spoken about training teachers in technology. What about the students? The students' training was always done in the computer lab by the manager of the computer lab. However, again she was met with many of the same problems that I mentioned above with the teachers. She had a varying degree of proficiency among her learners, and there were too many students present for her to answer all their questions. Often though when I would walk into the computer lab, I would see that the children were teaching each other about the technology.
The media specialist at the school where I am apprenticing for my media specialist add-on expressed some of the same concerns to me in a conversation we recently had. He told me that he would like to offer more technology classes to the teachers but feel that they would resent the intrusion on their time. So, I suggested that he teach the willing, offer an incentive, and let the word spread about the rest.

Video Distribution and Announcements

Currently at my school the county is in the process of updating our video distribution system. As the system is currently set up in the media center we house the vhs tapes and dvd's. We request that teachers sign up for videos at least one day prior to the showing date. Of course this does not always happen. Rain, substitutes, and other events often bring unexpected changes in our video schedule. We fast forward the videos through the credits and previews to avoid that time being wasted in the classroom. Teachers send down a student when they are ready for us to start the videos. We let them know then what channel the video is on. This works well for teachers if their schedule or time is off a little. The new system from what I understand is going to allow teachers to access the system and begin the videos via their computers in the classroom. I haven't heard very positive remarks about this new system so I am somewhat dreading it.

My school does do a morning announcement show via the closed circuit system. We pre-tape it every morning at 7:30 and show it over the closed circuit system at 7:50. At the end of last year we auditioned upcoming 5th graders for news anchors, weather, camera, and technical crew. Each day we have different students Monday through Friday. We have a Powerpoint system that the kids use as a teleprompter. Each week a different class sends 3 or 4 students down per day to do the pledge and the national anthem.

Video Distribution System

The media center at the middle school where I am mentoring is not responsible for or even connected to any production of a morning show or announcements. To get information on the morning announcement television show I had to go see the technology teacher. He is responsible for producing the program every morning.

The show is aired every morning via a channel on a video distribution system. Children read the announcements and sign up on a voluntary basis. The show is created through Visual Communicator software, and this is apparently an easy program to use and manipulate. In the show the students show photographs, make announcements, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and announce the daily lunch menu. There is not much else done with the announcements over the video distribution system.

There are five other channels in the video distribution system. The single one used for the morning show is located in the technology room. The five others are located in the media center workroom. Four are attached to VCRs while only one has a DVD. The system is not used for anything other than showing movies closed circuit throughout the school.

The classrooms use the Smart Boards and projectors to show multimedia off of the computer. More than GPB, the teachers use united streaming. They usually show these videos only in their single rooms through their projectors. The media center does not do anything with these activities and leave it up to the teacher to choose media to show in their classroom.

TV news and GPB

We do not have TV news at my school. We do all our news on the announcements in the morning and afternoon. Students are selected to assist with the Pledge. The students are in second grade and above. The principal discusses the lunch menu, character word of the day, and any special announcements.


One nice thing we do is mentioning students on the announcements who have exhibited good character. A teacher will submit their name and mention what they did. For instance, a child may find a dollar in the hall and turn it in or pick up trash on the playground without being asked. This is a nice way of highlighting students who "do the right thing." Their name and good deed is written on a leaf and added to the tree bulletin board in the front hall. This program has promoted more good deeds in our school.


We do not use GPB educational resources through a video distribution system. We could use the GPB digital resources via the computer or with our new projectors. There are many wonderful resources available and would be something I could refer teachers to in the future as a media specialist.


I have used some of the GPB online resources with my students. We do use United Streaming in our classes. We locate material that is related to the lesson topic and show them to individual students on the computer.

Hear All About It by Sharon H.

I interviewed the media specialist at Allatoona High School in Acworth about their school news, video distribution system, and the GPB. Allatoona High's principal conducts the announcements each morning over the intercom. You know, what I mean. The pledge, the moment of silence, the warnings about writing obscene words on the bathroom walls. However, the media specialist also has a computer which runs powerpoint presentations on televisons throughout the school. These powerpoint presentations include announcements about important dates (such as holidays), club meetings, and when and where the pep rally will be held on Friday afternoon. Teachers who want to contribute a slide to the power point announcements can create the slide and put it into the media specialist's drop folder on the computer. Additionally, the journalism teacher in the school has a class which allows the students to produce and present video announcements which are also shown over the television. These announcements usually contain information about special events that may be too long for a single slide. For example, this month his class did a video about a charity drive. The student in the video stood in front of a green screen with a white forest behind her so that she appeared to be in a snowy environment. Other teachers may also request videos from this teacher about special projects they may have. They have to fill out a Request for Production form and submit it to this teacher in time for the production to be completed. This is the video distribution system for the school.
The school encourages teachers to use GPB in their classrooms especially the United Streaming part of the web site. When teachers approach the media specialists asking about videos the library may have a certain topic, the media specialist will often refer them to GPB.

Social Networking: Untapped Potential

Now that Web 2.0 is such a hot topic, social networking is at the forefront of many technological discussions. It seems that every day a new site dedicated to networking and communication is launched. Sites like Facebook, Myspace, Blogger, and others are the modern tool of communication. These highly interactive websites depend on users talking and networking with each other, and they are quickly reducing the prominence that older internet tools, such as email, held for so long. Unfortunately schools, in my area of Georgia, are not utilizing this type of written word and communication. In fact, in the education arena it is as if they do not even exist except as a deviant tool of inappropriate content. All personal networking pages and blogs are blocked. Some slide through the filter, but ninety-nine percent are stopped immediately regardless of their content. I understand the need to block inappropriate content from the internet, and I know that social networking sites have a lot of this content. It is hard to simply say do not block these pages, but the potential benefits of these sites far out weight the hazards they present.

The benefits of these websites are just beginning to blossom in the minds of educators. As I think about blogs, Facebook, and other networking sites I realize that they hold an untapped potential for all subjects, and they can teach students many different things about communication, writing, and even life. Students will willingly write to each other, which can build communication skills and discourse. Students may also learn to evaluate information and its use. This may make them more literate and critically aware of the world around them. This is potentially one of the most motivating methods to get them to discuss and respond in the written form. They also can view and learn to implement many differing forms of multimedia. The overall structure of the sites allows everyone to be successful at using them, and this is potentially useful in ensuring access of information for all students.

Social networking sites and other tools of Web 2.0 are changing the way everyday people use the internet. These tools are not the future, they are the now. Eliminating them from the education of students is limiting a great, typically free, resource, and it is hurting their knowledge of current technological tools and uses. Technology is advancing exponentially. If education wants to prepare students for the future, as is often claimed, then they need to at least bring current technology and its uses into the classroom. Besides, I cannot think of a single student who would not want to post to their friends on the internet, even if it is about a subject in school.

Social Networking

As a mother of two teenagers, I see the pro and con of the Facebook and MySpace type of social networking. I don't see how the classroom could be positively impacted by students using these. Instead, I think it would keep students interested in what the latest posting, status change, new picture added, or bulletins. I know that I have seen very mean and inappropriate comments posted by teenagers about others. I would hate to think what they would say about a teacher they got upset with. The benefit that I see is that it teaches teenagers how to complete advanced technology tasks with editing and music on their pages. It also allows them to be creative creating their own unique page.

I found that it was interesting that the interpersonal networking concept originated in 1929 by Karinthy Frigyes who said that we are all connected to each other and the internet or the world wide web was not developed to decades later and it truly did connect us with virtually everybody in the world.

I had never heard of a friendling. I do understand what it is with the adding of friends to someone else's profile. I just had not heard of that term. This reading has got me thinking about how social networking could be beneficial in the school setting. I did get some ideas that I would love to try particularly with younger students that have not been exposed to the vast amount of unhealthy social networking.

Social Networking?

It's difficult to comment on something I know so little about. When I hear "social networking" I generally think of Facebook and MySpace. Clearly social networking is bigger than this. So I decided to do an internet search on education and social networking. Much of the information I received was fairly similar to the chapter in Library 2.0.

I did, however, find an interesting article by the National School Boards Association. (http://www.masternewmedia.org/learning_educational_technologies/social-networking/social-networking-in-education-survey-on-new-generation-social-creative-and-interconnected-lifestyles-NSBA-2007-1109.htm)
Not surprisingly, 96% of students with online access report using social networking sites. Now for the interesting part: 60% of students who use social networking talk about education topics online! And more than 50% talk about schoolwork. Although many school districts are leary of social networking some schools have reported using social networking sites for:

-online collaborative projects with other schools
-online pen pal and other international programs
-school-run blogs
-creation and maintenance of wikis
-staff development purposes

Students spend time at networking sites in many ways; blogging, sharing music, videos and photos. But the key task they are involved in is creating content, say the authors. It seems that this energy and involvement could be used in a positive and beneficial way in the classroom.

Students report creating detailed stories with new characters, contributing to collaborative projectsweekly or more frequently, sending suggestions to Web sites, and submitting articles to sites on a weekly basis.

The article reports that only a minority of students and parents have reported having had negative experiences with social networking. Most problems they reported were similar to those they have had with other media (television and music) or encountered in everyday life.

I think we will face an uphill battle gaining district approval for social networking in schools, although there are clearly benefits to students. Harold Rheingold made an excellent point in a related article. He said that "learning to use participatory media technologies, refining one's own ability to speak, present and communicate visually may indeed be among the most precious skills that the young generations of digital natives need to learn if you want them to be able to affect sensible change in the future."

Social Networking by Sharon H.

Social networking, as I understand it, is the ability of a group of people with like interests to meet together to discuss various topics and share ideas. Social networking has been around for years in such websites as MySpace and Facebook. Essentially, by writing our comments in this blog and sharing them with others, we are performing the rites of social networking within the specialized environment of our class.
Theoretically, social networking is an excellent platflorm for the exchange of information, thoughts, and personal profiles. However, as with any internet medium, there are problems associated with social networking as well. Since social networking is usually open to a world population, the dangers of undesirable members whose goal is not to interact with others but to steal people's privacy if ever present. The news is full of stories about runaway teens convinced by an internet predator to meet secretively with them in a prearranged time and place. The anonymity of the who exactly is posting can be chillingly scary. Identifies can be easily misrepresentated or at times even faked.
However,in regard to social networking and the library, I have found some really useful information. Sites such a Librarything and Shelfari allow users to create and publish collections of books that they have read and enjoyed. Readers with common interests can meet and discuss books that they have read. Reviews of books can be posted for everyone to read before they buy. These features are great for fostering a love for books and reading. OPAC, the library search engine, should also contain some of these features whether they are limited to a particular school, county, or state. What a fantastic way for young people to read and share books. Safeguards would have to be built in, of course, to protect the innocent, but I feel that social newworking about books has great potential.

Web Pages

Web Pages are unlimited in number. One of the main problems I find with web pages is that they are often not updated or not longer exist. It becomes very frustrating to find a web page, especially a school web page, and when you click on the links all of the sites are not longer available or have been moved.

The other thing that I notice about school web pages is the vast amount of differing information and or content. Some school media centers have a very simple web page with numerous resourceful links while others have numerous pictures and very little actual information that can be utilized.

I find that busy and cluttered web pages not only distract me but students also tend to avoid them because they feel they are bombarded with useless pictures and information that may or may not be appropriate for the web page.

The best web pages I have looked out tend to be the interactive ones. They work with you as you surf your way through the content. Web pages are here to stay with each passing day more and more come online while others are no longer available or are no longer supported.

Web Pages Past, Present, and Future

By the time I graduated high school and entered college, the internet began to really become something useful to ordinary people. Just a few years earlier it was something that only individuals with specific skills could access and use. Now, the internet has become even more interactive, allowing any person with access to a computer to create their own website, blog, wiki, or many more personal pages and space. With the increase in access and use, there have been a slew of new issues pop up. Some websites are phenomenal, and with today’s software becoming more and more point and click, sites for schools and media centers really have to be upgraded. The thing I find most frustrating with media center websites is that they hold a lot of potential, but are often used as a list of links. The idea of setting a standard for a webpage through the media center is quite appealing to me. I would love to start a blog and a wiki. It’s a little ambitious, but I would hope that I could spark the creativity under some teachers.

I also tend to want web pages to look neat and sophisticated. I really do not think that tons of random clipart and a lot of poorly constructed tables makes for a useful webpage. I am definitely not insinuating that a media specialist needs to be an expert at web design, but a lot of the software available now is very helpful in keeping the look clean and professional. Attention must be paid to colors, logos, pictures, and current links. It is quite annoying when a site has pixilated pictures, poor color choices (it’s a personal choice, but some things do not work together), or dead links. A little bit of effort in these areas really helps.

I don’t want to list a bunch of complaints and make it seem that I am negative. I really believe there are quite a few educators out there willing to put in the time and effort to make a really interactive and useful tool out of the classroom, media center, or school website. I am always excited to see the new ways educators from all levels want to implement the available tools on the internet. The main thing about it is that a webpage is somewhat like a garden. They are fun to plant and watch grow, but they need care and weeding and eventually new plants. A webpage is a growing organism. If it is not constantly changing and checking and redeveloping , the internet will leave it behind.

Media Center Websites

I have visited numerous school elementary school websites. I have found some excellent ones and some I don't care for as much. My favorite websites were clean, clear, colorful, attractive, simple in style, and easy to use. I don't care for a website that is busy, has lengthy lists, or too cutesy. I want to be able to locate the information I need quickly (if I were a regular user) and not have to work so hard for it. I am not as interested in the name of the media specialist or the media center hours as I am in locating information (were I a student or parent).

Some websites were very user friendly. They had each grade level listed with links attached in all the curriculum areas. Some had working links, some did not. It's important that the web master frequently check the links to determine if they still work. Several websites had links to the local public library which I thought was a great idea.

Some of the terrific items listed on websites were:
*student and teacher book reviews
*links to Newbery and Caldecott winning books
*links to state book award winning books
*links to school OPAC
*lists of recommended books
*a separate area for parents
*a separate area for teachers
*information on how to use the internet, including, "what does .org mean? .edu? .com?"
*information on how to do research, how to cite sources, how to write
a bibliography
*book care tips-see http://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/barleylibrary/lib/bkhap.htm

It is clear that with a little research before creating a website one can determine how to make an attractive site and things to avoid.

School Media Web Sites by Sharon H.

In this new age of the Internet, school libraries are no longer a place where the media specialist can spend her day browsing quietly among her books. The media center has now become so intergrated with supporting school curriculm that it is considered an extension of the classroom. The Internet contains a plethora of information waiting at the researcher's fingertips to be accessed and utilized. A media center web site is the logical location for providing access to this information.
Media center web sites should contain information about the school such as mission statements, names of personnel, e-mail addresses, and hours of operation. Yet, it should also go beyond that to include links to informational web sites for research, book reviews, homework helpers, library and community news as well as other useful and important information. Like the hub of a wheel, the media center web site is the center of the information spiral that radiates throughout the school. This web site should be available to teachers, students, parents, and adminstration.
Good ideas, but where does a media specialist find the time to design, write, research and publish such a site? The idea can at times seem daunting and fearsome. Researching the internet to find research resources is time consuming and tedious. Designing a web site that is functional and useful is challenging and downright scary. Yet, many media specialist meet this challenge each day with fortitude and skill.
In addition to basic information about the school and the media center, the web site should provide links to web site resources for teachers and students. Student need web sites that will provide factual information for research. These sites need to be updated regularly and be user friendly. Informational web sites also need to be appropriate for the grade levels within the school. Teachers could benefit from having links to web sites that contain ideas for lesson plans, projects, and professional articles.
However, media center web sites should not promote entirely promote research over reading for pleasure. Links should also be included that present sites for book reviews, ebooks, interactive games, and book lists. The list is endless.
While doing some reading on the subject of media center web sites, I came across some information about some web sites that centralize resources for librarians, teachers and students. Some of these web sites are:

School Library Web Directory (www.sldirectory.com) This site contains a lot for teachers and librarians by providing links to many other sites. A subcategory of this site www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/wpages.html provides links to media center web sites all over the world and is very interesting to browse through.

Librarians Index to the Internet (Ill.org) also provides many resources for librarians to link to.

For students there are also a number of interesting and informative sites such as :

Kids Click
Yahooligans
Ask Jeeves for Kids

Utilizing and linking through these sources, might make seemingly overwhelming task of reseach a little easier for the busy media specialist.

Wiki's are a technology that have been around for a while. Until I enrolled in this class, I never realized how wiki's are used all the time on the internet. I've often wondered why our internet filter blocks them and once I realized that a wiki could be changed by anyone I have a better understanding.

I can see why the internet filters would prevent students doing research from being able to access information that could be inaccurate based on who posted it and who changed it.

Wiki's have many benefits as well. I think that today teacher meeting time is limited and that the use of wiki's would allow teachers from all over a school, district, state, or country the ability to vent, discuss, and collaborate together with other teachers dealing with the same problems, curriculum, and mandates. Teachers often have common issues and new fresh ideas could be shared on wiki's to help alleviate their stress.

The use of wiki's in a school among students is not necessarily the best idea. It would have benefits but if students have the ability to change the postings of others it could lead to a great deal of problems.

Wikis

I like the benefits that Wikis have to offer students in the 21st century. Students can complete their work and integrate it with technology at the same time. I love the flexibility that it offers. Students can access it at school or at home, assuming they have a computer at home. Parents can oversee the project and perhaps learn something new about technology at the same time. This will make the parents better able to help their child or children in the future. Teachers could even post a "How to use a Wiki" tutorial on their page. This will assist students and parents with technical problems. It will help them in completing a project instead of getting stranded in the middle of an assignment because they forgot how to use the Wiki.

As a media specialist, I would hold a "Get to Know Wikis" session for teachers. I would work with the teachers, help them set up their class Wikis, and discuss how and why to use them in their classroom. I would hold this in the computer lab so that all teachers would have a computer to work on. These sessions could be held during team planning meetings. Each grade level may have a slightly different purpose for their Wikis depending on what curriculum area they wish to focus on.

I also think that Wikis could be used for weekly team planning. "Collaboration" is a huge buzz word in my county. We write lesson plans together and have the same daily schedule. Wikis could prove to be a big asset for teachers who collaborate in this manner. Since one of the benefits of Wikis is that they are accessible from any computer, team members could add information to it at their leisure instead of limiting their contribution to school hours.

Since one of the goals of collaboration is to improve instruction Wikis have a multitude of different ways to achieve this at each grade level. I see great potential for Wikis in the school system in the future.

Wikis

Podcasting

I would love to have the opportunity to share podcasting with other faculty members. Podcasting can be a tremendous asset to teachers if they play with it and learn the many potential benefits it has to offer. Another advantage to instructing teachers about podcasting is that it can be shared with students. Students could use this in many ways. One major benefit directly related to the media specialists in my county would be helping students to use this to compete in the media festival. In my county the media specialists are highly encouraged to promote this at our individual schools. Students who are often more likely to be comfortable with new technology than most of us adults would most likely find podcasting highly engaging and find many new and clever ways to utilize the benefits. I think that the more faculty that you share podcasting with the more students who will learn about it. This will open up unlimited possibilities using podcasting within your school community.

Podcasting October 25, 2008

If a teacher were to come to me and ask for help setting up a podcast I would discuss with him/her what they had in mind for their project. I would explain that although I have limited experience is podcasting, I would be happy to explore it with them. I think it would be a terrific project and one where we could learn together. The first thing I would do with the teacher would be to give them an article on podcasting to acquaint them with the topic and also refer them to WilloWeb so they might see how others have used podcasting . That might help them define exactly what they wanted to do when we got together.

The article in Library 2.0 gave many terrific ideas about how to use podcasting. I love the idea of a weekly podcast explaining all the thing happening in the media center. I could talk about new book and material arrivals, special events, and exhibits such as science projects on display. Podcasts are a great way to deliver Book Talks, media center tours, book reviews, and lectures on a specific topic. Podcasts could also be made of speakers which could be shown to students who were absent or who wanted to review the information. Students could make podcasts on a wide variety of topics. There are an almost unlimited number of ways podcasts could be used to make education more fun and technically challenging for students.

Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks and risks of Wikis?

Before this class I had never participated or even thought about wikis. I knew of Wikipedia, and that was the extent of my knowledge. I have learned a lot about what wikis are intended for after reading the class text, Library 2.0, and looking at examples online. I am a little surprised to see that these collaborative tools are not as extensively being used as I expected to find. There are some great things going on, but Wikis hold much more potential for the classroom, for the media center, and in instructional design. However, without commitment from participants, wikis cannot be anything more than an empty online filing cabinet.

Wikis offer a plethora of opportunities for collaboration and shared knowledge exploration. Classrooms can use them for student portfolios and assignments. Media centers can have students add information on book talks and reviews as well as participate in Literature Circles and other forms of shared inquiry. Teachers and the media specialist can collaborate on instructional design and the planning of lessons. Wikis also offer a common ground for teachers, students, administration, and the media specialist to lend support and novel ideas to the school’s education community.

One of the greatest benefits that I can see ion a wiki is that it offers students and teachers asynchronous communication. This may sound like a bad thing, but for many people asynchronous communication allows them time to think about their ideas and refine what they have to say. Students and teachers are often forced to work quickly with little time for thoughts and reflections. A wiki allows users more time to compose themselves. This could lead to deeper, more abstract thinking and truly novel ideas. Wikis would only be limited by the imaginations of the monitors and community of users.

The fact that wikis are only limited by the users can also be a drawback. What if users do not commit to adding information or trying to keep the wiki updated. Students can be required to make posts and add information, but requiring teachers to do anything often leads to resentment, which may hurt the integrity of the wiki and its information. Questions pop up like: How do you get a commitment from the school community? Also, how does one show the teachers and staff that a wiki is useful and can be beneficial? These are difficult problems, but realistic ones if a media specialist plans to truly integrate the use of wikis in his or her school.

Wikis and the Media Specialist by Sharon H.

Wikis are interactive web pages that can be shared by many people. As a result, new ideas and thoughts can be added to the information posted on a Wiki so that the page(s) become an ever evolving resource. In addition to script, Wikis can include videos, pictures, music, and links. Any subject can be explored and written about thereby increasing a person's base of knowledge in many categories. However, the same strengths I just mentioned about Wikis can also be their weaknesses. Wikis can be edited or revised by anyone leading to articles with inaccurate information. Important or vital text could also be deleted. Wikis also need to be constantly monitored to protect against inappropriate language or obscene materials. Therefore, in my hypotheical school, I believe I would limit the editing of the Wiki page to the personnel of the school only. The Wiki would be available to parents or the public as a read only document. Having said that, the Wiki would be a great instrument to share with parents information about the school and its activities. For instance, if the school I previously worked in had a Wiki page, I could have gone to it on the web and found out that the media center is having a book fair this week. Wikis would also be great for teachers to share lesson plans. Groups of teachers from different schools in the same county and grade level could be paired to create lesson plans based on their grade level's standards. For example: Group A ,a group of 4th grade teachers from School A, could be paired with Group B, a group of 4th grade teachers from School B. The lesson plans could be written, revised, edited, updated, and evaluated each year as new ideas and resources are added. Links could be added to videos, music, or informational articles. Editing privledges could be restricted to this group of teachers only to prevent unwanted additions or deletions. In order to prevent duplication of a task, teachers could also make these plans available to the principal for review. Believe me, no teacher wants to write the same lesson plans twice. This would be a very effective tool for collaboration between teachers.
As a media specialist, I would need to be comfortable working with Wikis myself in order to publish a Wiki about the media center. I would also need to be able to provide information to teachers about Wikis as well as trouble shoot problems that may be having. Wikis are an exciting and innovative tool that really has the potential to bring educators together in a collaborative effort.

The Media Specialist and Podcasting by Sharon H.

When I become a media specialist, I would sincerely hope that at least one teacher would approach me about podcasting. In that way, I could be honest with this person and explain that though I am no expert in this area, I would certainly be willing to learn as much about it as possible. Having someone with you when you naviagating uncharted waters is always a great help. First, the teacher and I would sit down together and discuss how we would like to approach the possiblity of creating podcasts. How do we learn the information we need to know to be successful? What technical personnel is available to answer any questions we may have?
If no teacher approached me first, then I may even choose a teacher to collaborate with that I thought would be open and responsive to new ideas. We would start out slow by learning one particular skill such as recording our voices and playing them back to see how we could improve the quality of the sound. Later, we could add music and/or sound effects. Then, I think we would try podcasting in the teacher's classroom with the students. We could have the students record the morning announcements or a short book report. Once other teachers have seen what podcasting can do, they may enthusiatically join in as well. The more teachers that begin to use podcasting with their students, the more creative ideas will be developed and implemented within the school. Some useful ways to include podcasting in the school could be:

Students recording their own voice while reading and then playing the audio back to check for fluency and pronunciation.

Students becoming an important historical person and recording a narration telling about a significant historical event involving their person. The student could even pretend to be that person by using first person point of view.

Student doing a recording that explains and narrates their science project.

Students reporting on a current news event.

Two students having a debate about a particular topic. One could take the pro side and the other the con side.

There are many valid and varied possibilities for using podcasting in education. This technology is an exciting new tool that can be used to challenge and enrich the student, the teacher, and the media specialist.

Podcasting and the Media Specialist

If I were in a media specialist’s position I would be thrilled with this proposition from a teacher. Given that podcasting is a relatively new technology and schools tend to be 10 to 15 years behind technologically, I would be highly impressed that a teacher would want to take the initiative to bring this novel approach into the classroom. I have not had a great deal of experience with podcasting or the technology needed to create such media, but I would want to help bring his classroom to the forefront of this new form of communication.

The best way to describe my role would be as a research assistant. I would be doing some of the footwork to find tutorials and software. I would make this information accessible to the teacher, and I would assist him in using the new software. I also would make suggestions that may help scaffold both of us into the process of podcasting. For instance I might suggest that we start off trying to create podcasts in audio format only. There is free audio editing software available on the web. Audacity, available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ is a great tool that can import or record audio files as well as edit, manipulate, layer, and much more. Its website has a wiki and tutorials for help, and all of the software and information is free. After we became proficient at creating and uploading audio podcasts, then we could move into the visual realm. We could begin to use software such as Camtasia and similar programs.

My entire role in this would be to help find and scaffold information, tools, and techniques that the teacher needed to get this idea off the ground. The teacher and students would provide the content and design choices. Together we could create something that few schools are currently doing. I would also want to provide follow-up and future support. I would want this teacher and others to continue this program into the future. I would also want to design in-services and teacher trainings so that this program could go school wide and for more than just one year. This is a dream situation for me, if I were a media specialist because the teacher is showing initiative and drive in pushing the limits of what he is doing in technology and in giving his students a critically literate understanding of technology.

let's go home peaches!!

Hi Peaches,

I hope this works. Hope we are going home soon.

Karen