Diversity and the Media Center

After personally reflecting on diversity in the media center, I spoke with my middle school media specialist to gain her perspective about diversity. Our conversation quickly turned to the collection available to our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. I believe that the collection of materials is a great place to begin the diversity of the media center. Selecting books to suit 6th graders as well as more mature 8th graders is often a difficult task. In this way, the collection begins to appeal to different ages, genders, cultures, languages, and special needs.

Since the collection can be accessed digitally and the books can be tagged with multiple genres, the technology begins to lead students to books that they may not have considered reading. As the collection grows, hopefully our perspectives as teacher and media specialist will grow to continue to serve the diverse population of students at our school. My media specialist and I work together to read and discussion items that may benefit the 8th graders. Because I work closely with my 8th grade students and what they are reading, I can provide a unique insight as to the diverse needs of these students.

Seeing technology helping the diverse population has been a challenge, to say the least, at my school. With very limited access to student computers, much of the technologies used comes from the teacher computer being linked to the TV. In one computer keyboarding class, the teacher uses a Wii as a smartboard. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see his demonstration, but it is something that I am interested in. Many of the colleagues at my school are not tech savvy and it seems as though technology is something to "add-on" to the lesson, not to be used for learning. I hope to continue my investigations of diversity and the media center in the future so that our school can dive even further into the diversity at our school.

Books and Storytelling: Digitized

After reviewing the sites and the readings about digital storytelling and eBooks, I can't help but shake my head. I loved the idea of using these with my students; however, my school tragically lacks computers for students to use. I felt like I kept saying, "Wow! That is cool! I could see my students participating in that assignment." Then in the next thought I would have to tell myself to prepare to drastically modify these cool digital assignments. When I asked the media specialist if we had any eBooks in circulation, she basically said no. She did tell me that we have 65 eBooks within the Follett system; however, these books are all on a high school level and do not meet the needs of our middle school students. Again, a let down.
Then I thought back to a couple of things that I did back in the fall, and I knew I had to share them with you. As part of my multimedia class, one of our assignments was to create an original eBook. I chose to create a book about my husband, aka RJ the Clown and I incorporated several of the kindergarten sight words my son had to memorize. I took all of the photos in the eBook and I created the original rhymes that went with each slide. You may download this file here. After reflecting on the eBook assignment, I immediately thought about the digital storytelling project from my digital photography class. Since we lack student computers, I worked with my gifted students who all had access to digital cameras and either PowerPoint or Movie Maker. After discussing good pictures and how to take a great photo, the students created a story about themselves and included truisms or quotes to go with each original photo. I showed them my example, which you can find on my wiki.
Although my examples are slightly different from the readings and the assignment we are currently working on, I still feel as though these eBooks and digital stories are very beneficial to all who participate in them. I know my students raved about the digital storytelling assignment for a few weeks after they were completed. I guess I will continue to find ways to incorporate these types of assignments with my students even though computers may be in short supply.

Digital Information: eBooks, eReaders, eLibrarians?

Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is a powerful medium for teaching, learning, and sharing. The inherent creative work makes it interesting to students. Digital storytelling can tap into so many levels of learning.

The planning that is involved requires intense integration of so many thought processes. Teachers and SLMSs can get students to do some tough thinking just by offering students the opportunity to create a short two to three minute video. And students will think this is an opportunity rather than an assignment.

Creating a file of audio, images, and videos for students to use, significantly increases productivity in a project such as this. The problem that encountered was that my students wanted better or different images than I had in the package. I was constantly fielding questions about why they could only use the images that I provided. After a detailed discussion of copyright issues, students were a bit more understanding; however, I did have several students who went home to find more images. After further research on my part, I did allow students to use these additional images as long as they were used legally, and then I added those to my files. Teachers are always going to encounter students who have a desperate need to have a project that is different from or "better" than other students' projects.

Digital storytelling is a winner in the classroom because it differentiates itself. Creative students are going to push harder and create elaborate stories, while other students will work just as hard, but create something completely different.

Another bonus that I found when I used this project with my students this fall is that since I provided the images to the students, I knew which images would appear again and again. As we watched the completed videos in class, these images appeared and reappeared. This information about Georgia's history was getting ground into their brains due to the repetition. Repetition works in advertising; think of digital storytelling as advertising that creates permanent learning.

eReaders

This is an exciting time to be a reader, but the SLMS's job gets more and more complicated as new devices and gadgets are released. The librarian must be constantly on his or her toes to keep up with the changing technology of books and reading.

These trendy devices for reading books in digital formats allow readers a new and convenient way to read. The idea of textbooks presented on eReaders is intriguing to students, especially college students like me. Currently, I have a textbook that has a plethora of supplemental multimedia materials, but I have to go online to access these, yet the book itself is a traditional, hardbound textbook. I can imagine how amazing it would be to have some type of eReader with the textbook downloaded to it, and then having instant access to all the multimedia materials as well. I would love to be able to write in the margins of my textbook with a stylus. There is so much that can be done to improve the experience of reading and learning.

We are on the cusp of a tremendous change in the way that we read, learn, and take in information. The new iPad looks amazing. I think I want one.

Even my parents' generation is embracing this newest technology. For Christmas this year, my mother requested a Kindle. She carries it with her anywhere and everywhere. The ease of purchasing new books startled her at first. She said that purchasing books is so easy that it could be dangerous for an avid reader such as she. So far, every book that she has wanted to read has been available.

For the naysayers out there, have a bit of a laugh as you watch this video about the massive technological change from the "scroll" to the "book."

Le Book

eBooks

Sadly, our school does not yet have eBooks or eReaders, but I remain hopeful that this is a technology that is just on the horizon for Cartersville Middle School.

I stumbled upon Project Gutenberg several years ago when I needed additional copies of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for a literature unit. At this point, I embarked on an insane mission to find a book from the public domain and have my gifted language arts students annotate it with links to images, definitions, maps, and anything else they could think of that would make reading this book enjoyable and accessible.

I decided to have the students annotate Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow because it has such a rich vocabulary base. As with most projects that I take on, I probably bit off more than I could chew, but the result was "cool" if nothing else. And I cannot express to you how much I learned in this process.

We read the book in class over the period of one week, and then I assigned groups of students a section of the novel to reread, research, consider, and annotate. After a week of work on this, all the groups came together to join their sections to create a new "book." The result was good. For a time it was available on the Web because I had begged a tech friend to host it on his website. Since he has moved on to other endeavors, the book is no longer available on the web, but I have all of their work saved. The other problem with the project now is that several of the links are broken due to the ever changing nature of the Internet.

My students' annotation of a work of classic literature allowed them to understand the story on a new and deeper level. The words that they hyper linked to an online dictionary had to be linked to the most appropriate definition for that word. They had to search for maps of the Hudson River, Sleepy Hollow, and the Tappan Zee. They were able to find some great images of these places as well. All this research helped the students to make real world connections to a book which was written almost 200 years ago. The technology and research skills that they employed and refined gave them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Project Gutenberg provides an invaluable resource for teachers. If you have never investigated it, you really must do so to understand the enormity of what this means to our schools and students.

eLibrarians

It is imperative that a school library media specialist keeps up with technology and with the world itself. The notion that librarians are staid and old-fashioned people is bunk. The reality is that librarians must be lively, curious, and TRENDY to stay in step with technology, society, and all the people who make up our schools. In essence, the librarian is really the coolest person in the school!

Training Teachers in Technology

Our school is filled with solid, knowledgeable teachers; however, we could all use a bit of training in the area of technology. Technology changes and improves so quickly that staff development in technology will probably remain a major focus in the coming years.

Types of training
There are several methods for delivering staff development, specifically technology training, to faculty and staff. Three basic models come to mind. There is the formal training that is provided to the faculty by trained professionals. This can be an expensive method. There is the more casual in-house training or redelivery model, where one or a few are trained and then these go back to the school and train or redeliver the information that they learned to the others. Then, there is the very cost effective method of sharing tech tips. This is quite informal, quite inexpensive, and quite effective. Tech tips can be simple printed directions for using a specific piece of equipment or posted on an e-mail discussion board. They are often short cuts or helpful hints that almost anyone can share.

Formal training
Our school provides an integration of all three of these basic models for keeping teachers up to date on the latest technologies. The last real "technology" training that was provided to me as a language arts teacher by my school was two years ago. It was provided by a local ETTC. This was a one-day session to share podcasting with teachers so that they could utilize the new podcasting cart that had been purchased for the school. The training was rich, rigorous, hands-on, and fun.

In-house training
Recently, the math department received some training from our in-house math coach on the use of the new Student Response System (clickers). I would say that even after this training, the teachers felt a bit confused and fuzzy in the actual use of the system. I think the reason for this was that the training was not long enough or in-depth enough to share the real potential of this new technology.

Tech tips
Occasionally, our technology director at the system level will send out a general e-mail detailing how to complete some simple task like recording an outgoing message on the phone system that we purchased 18 months ago, or how to update the forms that are available on our e-mail system. These are usually detailed screen shots or numbered steps which I think have been hugely successful. They are quick and almost "dummy" proof. They are there when a teacher needs them. Teachers can capitalize on them or not. Tech tips are practically free and can be offered by anyone, but they can not train teachers how to use large systems such as Student Response Systems.

Barriers
The ultimate barrier to training is time rather than a lack of motivation or interest. Teachers just barely have enough time to accomplish the goals that their schools and school systems set for them. Teachers want to provide solid instruction, good feedback and formative assessment to students, and plan interesting, interactive lessons. Then there is paperwork and reports to complete, and communication with parents and community members to engage in. Although these responsibilities ring in their ears, teachers do want to learn and grow.

The use of technology can help teachers do their jobs efficiently, but it does take a small investment of their time to learn new interfaces and software. Showing teachers that their investment of time in learning new technologies can and will eventually make their tasks simpler.

A plan
In my perfect school, I would restructure my school's current Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Currently, every teacher is assigned to a PLC based on his or her subject area. These PLCs meet one day per week for an entire planning period. The teachers have no say in what they wish to learn in PLCs; they are taught in formal classes by their assigned coach. We have three coaches: a literacy coach who meets with the language arts department and ESOL teachers, a math coach who meets with the math teachers, and a lead teacher who meets with all social studies, science, and explo/elective teachers. The focus of these classes is driven by the coaches without input from the teachers.

I dream of a school that offers several types of PLCs- content, technology, theory and practice, or whatever the teachers note that they NEED. Then I would have teachers sign up for their choice of PLC in 9 week segments. This would allow a teacher to engage in several units of professional learning over the course of a school year.

The benefits would be huge because teachers would be more engaged in these PLCs, and this structure acknowledges that teachers often know what they need to learn. It would also even out the class sizes in the PLCs. Some PLCs have only 3 participants and some have 15 participants.

Dos and Don'ts for technology training
As I read the two chapters and recalled some of the most and least beneficial training that I have attended, I kept a list of things to remember when creating training for teachers. Access to this document is provided here.

Do's and Don'ts

Technology Training

When contemplating the technology skills of the faculty at my school, it is from one end of the spectrum to the other. There are a handful of teachers who are at the advanced level of technology use with students and incorporating in daily lessons. Then, we have those teachers who are lucky to even turn on the computer much less enter grades into Gradebook and take attendance. The vast majority of our faculty is in the middle. I have found most are proficient in using the laptop for lesson plans, grades, and attendance but are reluctant to use the technology with the student or integrated into a lesson. These are interested in using the technology with students but just do not know how to implement it effectively. Although I believe most could do it but are scared to step out of the comfort zone.

Currently, staff development is provided after school in large group settings that are lectures. Being one of those teachers who detest the after school staff development, I rarely understand (or care) what is being lectured. Fortunately, I can usually figure out something but not all teachers are that way. Therefore, my opinion is that staff development should not be done after school, in large groups or as a lecture. In my experience, teachers would benefit more from small group, hands-on settings (even if they had to be after school). I am fortunate to have an incredible principal who understands that we (teachers) do not pay attention very well after school and he has begun scheduling staff development during half-day trainings. It does cost our school money for the substitutes to cover classes but he knows we are more likely to pay attention and use what we are being taught. Teachers are a lot like our students. We learn better in small groups and with hands-on activities. If we are teaching about a new technology program like EasyTeach, it is more beneficial for teachers to have his/her laptop available to create a file for use in the classroom. Then teachers have something to take back to the classroom and implement.

As a media specialist, I would work closely with the principal to determine how to complete technology training during the school day with half-day training sessions. Teachers would be asked to bring their county-issued laptops and ideas for a lesson they would to include technology. Along with incentives for participating in class, teachers would receive an incentive for completing a lesson to do with his/her class and another incentive for providing feedback to the media specialist about the implementation of the lesson. Teachers need to know that the trainer or person responsible for setting up the training is interested in the implementation not just attendance to the training. Attending the training is a waste of time if there is no implementation. Which happens far too often in my opinion.

Another way I would like to implement technology training is through independent modules based on the needs of teachers. I would ask faculty to rate their use of various pieces of technology. From that, I would create independent modules with podcasts for faculty to facilitate themselves. Of course, I would be available for assistance as needed. This allows the faculty to work through a module that is useful for them. Teaching the entire faculty about Microsoft Office 2007 may be useless to about 80% of the staff. But 20% of the staff may need assistance. These independent modules allow teachers to differentiate their own technology learning.

DO’s: quick tip sheet (1 page), incentives (before, during and after staff development), skills assessment of faculty, hands-on, small groups

DON’Ts: training after school (if possible), lectures, large groups

I was shocked to read an article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/22/technology/22EDUCATION.html) in which “NEA recommends that schools devote 40 percent of their technology budgets to teacher training” although, only 17% was used in 1999-2000 the articles states. Also, in this article there is a reference to buying equipment because it is easier to show where the money went. I think this is so true. Teachers are worried about test scores that we don’t always think about using the technology to get us there. I believe now is the time we stop spending so much money on the equipment and begin spending the money teaching teachers how to effectively use the equipment we have effectively.

Twitter Me This...

Click
at the computer
on the site
inside their lives
without truly knowing them
Click, click
to my favorites, sifting
through the updates
beyond the screen, reaching out
for a connection
Click, click, click
between you and me
among millions
of other people
TWEET!
Let's TWUG it out!

In the spring of 2009, I shared this poem about social networking with my students, and at the time many of the students did not know much about Twitter. What they did know was Facebook and MySpace. I overheard many conversations about who posted what on Facebook or MySpace. Several students spoke of the number of "friends" they had on Facebook, and since I had only recently joined Facebook, much of the remainder of their conversations about the social networks they used were unfamiliar to me.

Consequently, at the end of the 2009 school year, I began to ponder how I could use social media in my classroom. I created a class wiki and had big plans for it (see "to wiki or not to wiki"), but I still kept thinking about how I could incorporate Twitter with my students and parents. I could think of a myriad of ways to use it in my classroom, but how would I use it being a media specialist?

I didn't have to look very far. http://schs.stvrain.k12.co.us/imc_index.html
Phil Goerner uses Twitter to broadcast news headlines from magazines in the library and images of new book covers. He also uses Twitter for his professional growth. By joining with educational technologists, professors, and other librarians, Goerner can "tweet" about good resources, cool links, Web 2.0 tools, book references, and conference events. In doing so, Goerner is encouraging the entire school community to read, read, read! In the future, I would like to use Goerner's model as a springboard for incorporating social networks in the media center.

In the Newsroom...

So, when I started this, I thought my school did a pretty good job of presenting “Knightly News” (We are home of the Knights). After viewing the Kids News Network and Tiger News, my school could definitely “step up” production. These two groups did phenomenal jobs incorporating commercials, accuracy, editing, sharing and professionalism.

Currently, our news program is not supervised by our media specialist. Our math coach and special education consultative are the ones who are responsible for the broadcast. Fifth grade students are selected by their teachers based on academics and behavior. Students who do not show up on time or are misbehaving during the broadcast are placed on “probation” for a month to determine their dedication to the job. Students have jobs and rotate: anchor, CD player, camera, and teacher laptop. The teacher laptop is used as a teleprompter. On the laptop is a PowerPoint that includes what the students are saying. This includes the introduction of anchors, day and date, pledge, moment of silence, mission statement, school motto, vision statement, character education word and definition, the daily weather, thought for the day, lunch menu, faculty/staff birthdays and special announcements.

While these students do a great job at what they are chosen to do, I believe there is room for our newscast to grow. I believe each grade levels gifted students could create character education “commercials” to share. We are fortunate to have a large gifted program and believe these students would maximize their learning by sharing with others. I believe that weekly each class in the school should have the opportunity to present what they have learned or are learning with the remainder of the school. Another opportunity I would like to offer is a monthly or bi-monthly guest reader, preferably community leaders, parents or teacher/administrators who are dressed as a character of a book.

While I know that these changes will not happen over night or in one school year, I do look forward to implementing these when I become a media specialist and plan on working with the team this year to add to the newscast.

Video Distribution

Recently we added a new feature to our teachers' computers. Our school system purchased eyeTV which connects our cable to our teachers' desktop computers, so they can air TV programs on their Smart Boards or project the TV through their mounted projectors. This has rid our classrooms of old, clunky televisions from the 1980s which is great news to our teachers.

The actual gadget looks like a USB flash drive with a co-axle cable connector on the other end. It works well because it is so easy to use. The only "problem" that we have experienced so far is that the device is a bit bulky and bumps into other USB devices that are plugged into the computer's ports. Also, since it is a USB connection, and it remains plugged in all the time, it reduces the number of available ports for teachers to use on their computers.

This now serves as our video distribution system. Channels 3 and 4 can be utilized to show in-house productions, videos, or DVDs. This year, our book fair video will be played in a continuous loop all day, so teachers can tune in and share the promotional video with students. Teachers can use this to show student and teacher made iMovies, PowerPoint Presentations, and booktalks.

A benefit to eyeTV is the recording capability. Programs can be recorded quite simply with the software and hardware provided. The recordings are in digital format, so storage is simple. Installing the devices was almost flawless because if one can attach a USB device to a computer port, one could easily install eveTV.

Teachers are allowed a good deal of latitude in regard to what and when to use the video distribution system. Teachers can sign up in the Media Center for their team/subject/grade level to show a movie over the system. It should be planned 48 hours in advance and in lessons plans. If a motion picture, it must be approved by our principal, must be included in lesson plans, and should relate to specific standard. We only show G and PG. In 8th grade a PG-13 movie may be shown but parent permission must be obtained in writing ahead of time.

Georgia Public Broadcasting probably offers more than our teachers realize. The 8th grade social studies teachers use it often because of its standards based content contained in Georgia Stories. We use several of the teaching guides provided as well as the broadcasts that they provide. Teachers request shows to be taped and then shown when requested (within copyright guidelines). Also, teachers use the GPB website as a resource.

Video distribution has improved greatly in our middle school in the past five years. New teachers might not realize how much easier to use this system has become, but those seasoned veterans remember the nightmares that video distribution could cause back in the old days.

Social Networking Creates BETTER Behavior?

Do we really need to even consider social networking sites in our classrooms and media centers when the majority of these popular sites are blocked or filtered in our schools? Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube are all blocked from the computers at my school. However, we do have access to TeacherTube and class wikis. When approved and sanctioned by the teachers and administrators wikis can be unblocked to facilitate their use in the classroom and media center, but initially wiki sites are blocked.

Social networking is more than just Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter; it is any technology that allows for readers to comment or contribute. Think of Amazon.com. This commercial site sells and promotes a variety of books, electronics, music, movies, and more, and as part of its marketing plan, the site allows customers to write reviews and rank products. This would be considered a social networking site because it allows readers to contribute to the the web content. In our media centers, many of the cataloging programs offer students and teachers the opportunity to rank books and write reviews as well.

According to Edutopia's article "How To Use Social Networking Technology," Fran Smith explains that social networking is an avenue to teach our students how to present themselves to the world,

The idea that we are the stories we tell has never been more important. Schools have always taught kids how to present themselves -- that's why we did oral presentations in the classroom. Now we need to teach them to present themselves electronically. That's why it's so scary to lock these technologies out.

This makes sense to me. Social networking is not going away, so we can help students realize that they are always on stage, especially when they are posting on websites. We should teach students that social networking is a powerful medium for learning and sharing information, and it is quite rewarding as well.

I learned quite a bit from BJ Fogg, a professor at Stanford University, who teaches a graduate seminar on Persuasive Technology in the Learning, Design, and Technology Program. He refers to social networks as persuasive technologies. I had not really considered them persuasive in the past. I suppose that I only considered advertising media as persuasive technology, until now.

The most salient point that Dr. Fogg makes is that social networking creates better behavior in people because social networks create persistent identities that never go away and can never really be erased or deleted. In doing so, the person has a reputation to protect, so the person is more careful with his or her posts. See his "Open Office Hours" video; this link to Stanford University's Facebook page is the third in a series. The video is almost 5 minutes long, but I feel that this is a valuable and persuasive resource for all of us who worry about social networking issues in our classrooms.

From Dr. Fogg, I learned that the major impetus for teaching students how to use social networking sites is that their identities are the same as their reputations. I can almost agree with Dr. Fogg, but so many of our students are children. Although, I do see the benefit of teaching adolescents about reputations and persistent identities. Since adolescents are at a critical period in their social and emotional development, it seems that middle school and high school aged students do need specific and direct instruction about using social networking web sites in a mature manner.

Many of our most creative students are going to gravitate toward social networking sites in their personal lives because these sites are intrinsically rewarding to teens. Think of the power of using these sites in our classrooms to tap into some of that creative energy! If only I could get my students to throw themselves into their study of literature, writing, and grammar with the same fervor that they use when they post on Facebook and MySpace...Ah, yes, but I am dreaming, again.

Media Center Web Pages

Several things need to be considered when creating media center web page. First and foremost is the intended audience. The information needs to communicated with the audience in mind. Therefore, using “teacher jargon” would not be expected on any web page unless the page itself was for teachers. Second, the page needs to be visually appealing. The audience will be drawn to a colorful and organized page. Third, links need to be useful and easy to use. The fact is the media specialist will not be with every person to explain something if needed.

When I visit media center web pages, I look for the simplicity and usefulness of the tools located there. One of the most important links should be parent resources. I have found that many parents want to help but do not know how. If we link resources for parents we may find we have better results. The parent will then not feel inferior or “stupid” for not knowing how to help their child.

The use of Web 2.0 tools is fast approaching some schools and not thought of in others. I would like to see all media centers begin using venues of contact through social media as Creekview High School has with their “Unquiet Library” (https://sites.google.com/site/theunquietlibrary/social-media-presence). Our students are such collaborative beings these days that we need to allow them to use their collaboration to further their knowledge in and out of the school building.

Not sure if this is happening in other areas but our school system has a “pre-fab” web page already created. It is not visually appealing regardless of what you add to it. It is a dull grey background. I hope that in the near future this discarded and other options come available. This “pre-fab” web page allows for no creativity of the one creating the page. To be said nicely "I abhore our school web page for this very reason."

When I become a media specialist and am responsible for creating and maintaining a web page, there are several things I will want to include beyond the basics. Of course, a parent resource section as I have previously mentioned, special honors for students with achievements in reading, a teacher resource section for highlighting new technologies in my local building as well as new technologies being used elsewhere, Web Quests, calendar/schedule of author visits and special visitors and possibly a blog that will highlight students’ favorite books and allows them to give a response as to why it is a favorite. I am still contemplating a wiki or blog. My concern with the wiki is that others can edit the information and I want to prevent others work from being deleted or changed if even by accident. With the blog, editing cannot happen just new information posted. I look forward to the day when I am responsible for creating this.

To Wiki or not to Wiki?

That is the question I asked myself this time last year. When I began my EDS program at the University of West Georgia in January 2009, I began to hear a lot of talk about Web 2.0 tools. I thought to myself what is Web 2.0 and why have I not heard this term before now? Needless to say, I was excited to begin learning about the great open source tools available on the Internet. Among the many Web 2.0 tools available, I have heard others refer to wikis time and time again.

The first wiki I was introduced to was Educational Wikis. http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/
This wiki offers educators a place to discuss the use of wikis, and it offers an index of numerous educational wikis. As I scrolled through the vast index of wikis and began to investigate how other educators were using wikis, I began to form a plan of how to use a wiki in my classroom. I knew I needed more experience with using wikis, so I continued to examine other wikis and other wiki sites in order to continue my plan. Over the summer, I investigated sites such as http://www.wetpaint.com/ and http://pbworks.com/. I decided what I liked and didn't like about the different wiki sites available. I choose wikispaces for my class wiki. http://lms8esmith.wikispaces.com/
I had big ideas for using my class wiki; I wanted not only to post homework and other class materials but I also wanted to begin a page for discussing great books. As school began and I explained the wiki to my students, I realized that all my dreaming of using the wiki might not turn out as I had hoped.

Then came my digital photography class at UWG. This class required us to work in groups in order to comment on photos and to give feedback to everyone. Since I volunteered to be the leader, I was thrust into the wonderful world of wikis! Our group decided to use a wiki as a way of collaborating on the projects for our class. I volunteered to set up the wiki so that I could gain more insight into creating and using them. Here is the link to our photography wiki. http://thesnapshots.wikispaces.com/
I learned how to upload files and pictures, and I learned that maybe I needed to change the plan I had for my own class wiki. I tucked that information away in the back of my mind. As the end of the photography class approached, I had to decide how to publish my e-portfolio. Since I had gotten so used to using the wiki, I decided to use it as my e-portfolio. http://eportfolio-esmith.wikispaces.com/
Then I began to think about how I could incorporate something like this with my own students. I began talking with other colleagues, and the majority of them were not excited; however, I mentioned it to the media specialist, and she was all ears! She and I have had numerous conversations about how we could use wikis at our school. Along with using the wikis as class pages and portfolios, we discussed using a wiki to help the grade levels with research. This idea is still in its infant stages, but seeing the wiki from Decatur High and Apalachee High gives me hope that our work on a research wiki will come to fruition.

As I think about the plans I have for becoming a media specialist in the near future, I have big dreams of using wikis to collaborate with teachers, students, and parents. I have bookmarked several wikis of interest, and there is even a wiki dedicated to Web 2.0 tools! How cool is that! http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/
I love the view I have from my wikis. What are you waiting for? Let's wiki this!

Podcasting

So, here is the truth…I know little about podcasting. I have become very knowledgeable about finding and listening to podcasts but know little about creating one. The very idea of creating something like Radio WilloWeb is extremely exciting. The students creating podcasts on Radio WilloWeb had spectacular oral communication skills. In order for podcasting to be productive for students and an effective teaching tool, there must be a great deal of planning and organization on the teacher’s part. Along with oral communication, the students learn about the writing process and how to edit to provide greater detail in the information being shared with others.

As the media specialist, I would refer the teacher to Podcasting 101, an excellent resource for beginning podcasters. This outlines what a podcast is, how to access them, and how to create a podcast. Also, I, as the media specialist, would take advantage of ways to incorporate podcasts into the media center. This would allow the teacher and me to learn about effective ways to use the podcasts in all areas. Another resource for the teacher would be the School Computing Wiki-Podcasting section (http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Podcasts). This outlines the rationale of podcasting and one of the most important to me “increased student motivation”. Student motivation is the driving force behind successful students. So, if the students are feeling empowered and successful then they will typically learn more.

Podcasting could potentially lead to highly effective and useful media centers. The media specialist could create mini-lessons on using various resources including reference books, finding non-fiction and fiction books, looking up resources in OPAC, etc. Podcasts could also be recorded for the news room or even planned for a class in case of an absence. Podcasts could also be useful for the teachers to learn new software or programs the media specialist may find beneficial. Planning staff-development that incorporated podcasts for the teachers to refer to once they return to the classroom. Let’s be honest few teachers pay attention in an afternoon training session on new software or equipment. The podcasts would allow the teacher to access the podcast on his/her own time to learn and practice the new software or equipment.

Schedule

Jeri-Lyn will blog about--
video distribution
social networking
technology training
ebooks and digital storytelling

Emily will blog about--
wikis--March 8
social networking & media center
ebooks and digital storytelling
technology, diversity, and the media center

Andrea will blog about--
podcasting--March 1
media center web pages
school tv news
technology training