Blog 4: Video Distribution System & Georgia Public Broadcasting

I spoke with Amy Silvers who is the media specialist at Red Bud Elementary School in Gordon County. When I first asked Amy about our video distribution system, she let out a laugh and said, “Oh, ours is a dinosaur!” Although ours is old, it does still work but is rarely used. Our distribution system is typically used for instructional movies that whole grade levels need at the same time or occasionally a movie for a reward day or holiday.  We used to use it for the student recorded newscast each day but we no longer do those due to our classes starting at 7:40. Occasionally, we use our distribution system for cable programs but not very often. We get a free school service from Direct TV.  The channel has to be changed in the library. Our distribution system is pretty old and does not allow teachers to have any input or control. It must all be done through the library.  It also does not use digital transmitting over a data network.

With the increase of online digital resources, Amy said there is much less of a demand for this type of in school video distribution system. Our teachers often use Discovery Education and YouTube. Our system has a very strict online filter and has made YouTube a safe resource for teachers. I have been using Discovery Education’s online video streaming for several years. It has so many educational videos and resources that can be searched by grade level and subject. It provides activities for some of the videos, and I have found them to be engaging for the students. It is also wonderful for rainy day recesses. J It is ad free and you can feel confident that the content is appropriate.

When speaking with Amy about Georgia Public Broadcasting, she said she was not really sure how our teachers utilized it other than Discovery Education. So I took a look into some of the resources offered and found them to be very helpful! I liked how you can search the resources by level and by subject. 

Blog #3: Social Networking in School

    The question of social networks and should they be available in schools is a question that has been around since computers stared being used as and everyday tool in schools.   Social networks are a vital part of modern schools for teachers, students, and parents.   These sites help to reiterate what was taught that day.  In the case of a flipped classroom it can help the student better understand the lesson scheduled for the following day.  Both scenarios allow the parent to know exactly what the student has done for the day or what they will be doing the next.  My school system does utilize firewalls and filters to block websites deemed inappropriate.  As a paraprofessional and a long-term substitute, I have stumbled across some social networks that would be very beneficial in the classroom.  Once I return to school and attempt to show the videos or PowerPoint I get a notice in bold red letters stating "web page blocked."  As a result of the filtering, sites such as teachertube, YouTube, and even teacherlibrarian.org. are blocked and unable to be viewed in my school system.  The school system recently realized some beneficial sites were being block and  have made adjustments to allow teachertube to be viewed at school. 

     The main social network used in my school is Edmodo.  It allows teachers to post lessons, notes, assignments, and even timed quizzes for students to complete on their own time.  Included in Edmodo is a parent code, which allows parents to have access to the same information as their student.   In the media center we use Follett’s Destiny.   I have been using Destiny for the last 5 years and it recently had an update which made it and even better tool for student’s to research by allowing the media specialist to attach links they feel are resourceful and online resources like encyclopedia Britannica.  It makes surfing the web and looking for quality information easier for students and teachers without the worry of them stumbling onto unsuitable information.

     When it comes to motivating reading Destiny and MyOn they are excellent social networks.  They allow students to read and critique books so other students can decide if they want to read the book.  MyOn is strictly online and students are able to read at home on their personal devices at times that are convenient for them. As a media parapro, I was able to see what times of day students were logging in and to much of my surprise some were up at midnight reading.  

Resources 

AASL's second longitudinal survey reveals schools' acceptance of social networking tools. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2015.

Fiehn, B. (2008, September 1). Social Networking and Your Library OPAC! [Available Full-Text, Free]. Retrieved September 20, 2015.

School Library Journal published Gail Metz' article "Secure Social Networking" (July 2008, Vol. 54 Issue 7, p18)

Blog 1: Wikis

Personal Thoughts on Using Wikis in the Media Center

           
             The first thing that stood out to me from the readings when thinking how they could benefit the media center was that wikis promoted “Collaborative annotated bibliographies where students add summaries and critiques about course-related readings”. Wikis can be used most effectively for group projects promoting collaboration and student involvement and there is an accountability because you can see the work individual students put forth. They are also very user friendly and easy for students to learn how to navigate. I also think they are perfect for the media center because they are ad free and come with no software to install on computers.

            After viewing the Georgia school’s library wiki, I also realized that they can be beneficial in reminding students of operation hours, introducing parents and students or outsiders to the library staff, providing surveys for library improvement, featuring different books and allowing students to browse archives. Visiting the school wiki also showed me what an informative tool they can be. For example they can provide students with links from research tools and file sharing, after school events, etc. Another benefit of using wikis in the media center is the collaboration between media specialists they promote. We can share ideas and get tips on how to improve our media centers.

            Especially after reading the last article, Bowlan really opened my eyes to see that wikis can also “allow students to engage the novel beyond the pages of the book” because students can “discuss the book, share papers for peer feedback”.

How Can Wikis Be Used Most Effectively

          
             According to Information Week, it’s important to “make it relevant, encourage use, identify the leaders, change mistakes automatically, show the content provider, state goals and respect one’s peers”. These are the best guidelines that I have seen. I believe wikis are most effective when communicators are respecting one another, there is accountability and ideas are being shared in non-biased ways.

Drawbacks to Using Wikis

           
             One of the biggest drawbacks when using wikis is that students can delete each other’s work, maybe not purposely but accidently.  As in the article, Seven Things You Should Know About Wikis says, a potential to mischief exists because anyone can modify the content with internet access. The article also points out that an additional drawback is that structuring content can be a challenge and wikis can create a collaborate bias because these are only perspectives of a group.

            According to Schwartz, wikis don’t actually provide tools for project management because it neglects organization since everyone isn’t on the same page. He also says that wikis aren’t secure enough for sensitive information and that their ability to export and import information from external data sources are substandard.

Strong and Weak Points of Wikis

            
            As I said earlier, a strong point is that wikis are easy to use and they promote collaboration. I think it’s important that they are democratic, accessible to all. Wikis are a great way for students to work on projects and explore other’s opinions while defining their own thoughts. I would say the weak points are that anyone can edit and delete work, they can be biased or promote invalid information and perhaps stray from the goals of the wiki. I do believe if teachers and media specialists are monitoring the wikis, they can ensure that things don’t happen like bad language or offensive works. I also question plagiarism since anyone from the world can view the group’s work.

What Elements Promote Collaboration?

          
          Personally, I think that one way to move wikis from passive storage cabinets to active collaborative spaces, education wise, is to choose projects and topics students would be very interested in. If they are assigned a boring project, they are more out to research facts and stop at that. With fun wikis, I believe the collaboration and opinions are endless. I also think allowing students to share photos and videos makes the wikis more interesting and students would be more likely to share things they would like their peers to view. So to sum up my opinion, I think moving the wikis from passive to active is actually in the educator’s hands because they choose how engaging the topic is.

 Bibliography

            Schwartz, E. 2008. “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Wiki to Manage Your IT Projects”. Retrieved From: http://www.cio.com/article/2433907/project-management/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-using-a-wiki-to-manage-your-it-projects.html

            2005. “Wikis: Enabling Effective Knowledge Sharing Across the Organization. Retrieved From: http://www.informationweek.com/software/information-management/wikis-enabling-effective-knowledge-sharing-across-the-organization/d/d-id/1038866?