Terrorized by Technology

Terror
 : a very strong feeling of fear

: something that causes very strong feelings of fear : something that is terrifying

 (merriam-webster.com)

An email comes through just as your planning time is beginning. "Teachers, please assemble in the media center for your training on the newest gadget ". A sudden fear overtakes you! Technology training again? I still have not learned how to use Microsoft Office. 

Picture taken from http://www.joannejacobs.com/2014/03/teachers-get-tech-but-not-training/

Technology is everywhere. From the development of the wheel in Prehistoric times to our modern Smartphones, technology has made life easier. I began my teaching career in 2001, during the era of no online gradebooks, no computers in the classrooms, no digital projectors or document cameras. Now, I can not imagine teaching without these tools. If technology promises to improve our teaching, become more efficient with our instructional day, and improve instruction to our students, why are many teachers afraid of it? In January 2013, PBS/Learning Media conducted a survey of 503 teachers. The teachers ranged all content areas and grade levels PK-12. Overwhelming, the teachers surveyed agreed that technology makes their work day more productive and allows for students to be reached in many different modalities. The technology is not the problem, the training is. 

There is often a mismatch between technology training and the teachers the training is supposed to serve. Just as students come to the classroom with varied experiences and background knowledge, so do teachers. I love science and technology. For me, technology is just the application of my favorite subject, science. I enjoy reading about new discoveries in the field that I can use to help my students become college or career ready. Becoming technologically literate is an important skill needed for students to have productive and successful careers in the increasingly globally connected world. There several barriers that make technology training difficult and not well received:

1. Equipment and software are kept current, but the technology training is done in a haphazard way. My school received 100 new Chromebooks for testing but the grade levels that are testing using the new Chromebooks are still waiting for training. The Georgia Milestones are only three weeks away. I think paper-pencil testing maybe be best in this situation.

2. Like any new skill, practice is always necessary.Teachers are not given an appropriate amount of time to practice with new software or hardware and are expected to remember how an application works 6 months after the actual training. Teachers who are truly effective in the classroom usually have little or no spare time, and they are often not paid for the time they must put into learning new technologies. 

3. We forget some people just don't naturally like technology. I write code for fun and am becoming a Google certified teacher just for fun. It is beyond me why anyone would want to teach language arts instead of science (well, not really. Language is cool too!) Well, some people just don't see the thrill of technology and find its use stressful.

The way to combat those issues is to provide relevant, timely, technology that focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the staff. Every year at my school, the media specialist sends out a survey asking teachers what training opportunities would they like to embark on. In a technology rich district such as Clayton, there is a lot to be trained on. From I-pads, Interwrite Pads (our digital classroom suite), Thinkgate, Turning Point, Edmodo, ExploreLearning, the technology training department is kept pretty busy. With my school's small size however, the county technology department often forgets about us. My school has decided to set up a technology team in house to provide support for new software and hardware that comes out and provide additional training after the spotly county training. Having colleagues that have "beta tested" various programs and hardware is helpful in building a professional learning community. Although the media specialist is often seen as the "tech guru" in the school, all teachers can become gurus as well. There is a wonderful website that offers lessons on many Web 2.0 tools used in schools today: 

 http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/ These videos could be used to supplement training and also provide refresher courses for teachers who need them. 

Technology Training.....Be the Best Coach YOU Can Be!!!

Technology Training

INTRO

Technology training for educators today is almost as important to have as a daily meal for sustenance!  Our kids are technology gurus and if we aren’t teaching them with the newest, trendiest technology available, then we are doing a disservice to them.

 

THE CURRENT STATE OF TECHNOLOGY USE AT MY SCHOOL

When I reflect on the current state of technology use at my school by our faculty members, I would have to say that about 60% of the staff use innovative technologies on a regular basis within their classrooms.  The 40% are the teachers from the Stone Age still using the same project from 10 years ago!  While we could definitely provide more technology training, we have provided some that teachers just aren’t using.  I think the main reason they aren’t using it is because nobody is checking to see if they are using it.  We have a major issue with monitoring in our district overall, not just for PL.  Sometimes, teachers need someone to look over their shoulder to get them on board with new things that they are resistant to try.  One thing that our school did within the last month was to have a team from the Schlechty Center to come conduct walk-throughs with us.  Each teacher got a chance to go into classrooms and ask/observe what the students were doing.  We found that students wanted more hands-on assignments instead of worksheets and that some of them were simply bored due to lack of engagement.  From this experience, the leadership team and the design team at our school has been working on professional development opportunities for the faculty that includes additional training in different areas of technology and exploration of what TRUE ENGAGEMENT looks like.

ISTE STANDARDS OVERVIEW

ISTE provides standards that coaches should abide by.  Coaching teachers as a library media specialist is just one of the many hats that we wear in the media center.  Listed below is a basic summary of each standards that coaches should keep in mind when coaching others:

·         Visionary Leadership – Technology coaches should share a vision for comprehensive use of technology that will foster excellence and transformational change within the instructional environment.

·         Teaching, learning and assessments – Technology coaches should provide assistance to teachers in using technology to assess students, provide differentiation for students as well as rigorous and relevant experiences that will also keep students engaged.

·         Digital age learning environments – In order to maximize student learning, technology coaches will not only help to create digital age learning environments, but provide continuous support to ensure fidelity of their use.

·         Professional development and program evaluation – Technology coaches will develop professional learning opportunities built around technology use.  Thereafter, they will use evaluation tools to gauge the impact of the professional development on instructional practices and student learning.

·         Digital citizenship – Technology coaches will promote and “BE” the face of digital citizenship by creating opportunities for all students to achieve and have access to digital tools no matter their age, cultural background etc.  This will in turn promote local and global interaction with larger communities.

·         Content knowledge and professional growth – Technology coaches will be exhibit professional skills in the areas of pedagogical and technological areas, content knowledge of a variety of subject areas as well as adult learning and leadership.  Technology coaches will continuously seek learning opportunities to deepen their knowledge and expertise in these areas as well.

MEDIA SPECIALIST’S JOB AS A TECHNOLOGY COACH

In the summary of the ISTE Technology coaching standards mentioned above, the roles that media specialist are prevalent throughout.  As a future media specialist, I will make it a top priority of mine to ensure that my leadership vision for technology use to be innovative and relevant throughout the school building is crystal clear to my principal, faculty and staff.  I am a big user to “to-do” list and so on my monthly list will be a task to research the latest new websites, digital tools, e-assessment tools etc. to provide a new one to my staff.  Actually monthly may be a bit much, so I will say bi-monthly which will give the staff time to try it out as well as time for us to collaborate on what they liked and had trouble with in using the new tool.  Another way to stay informed is to search for free webinars.  I am learning that webinars are one of the latest outlets to stay informed on new technology and digital tools out there!  One of the ultimate goals of a media specialist should be to be a resource to the teachers at their school.  I know that it takes time to become a GREAT media specialist, but I really want professional technology in the area of technology to be one of my main duties to the faculty and staff at whatever school I am blessed to become a media specialist at.  My mentor which was the media specialist that I interviewed said that she trains teachers on things that come down from the board basically.  And my media specialist at my school never provides professional development!  She is retiring this year and states that she is overwhelmed with inventory.  I say that every experience is a learning experience whether you learn best practices on things you should do or things you shouldn't!  Having said that, when I become a media specialist I will try to keep my originally stated goal in mind when I feel overwhelmed and try to seek help from others (volunteers) so that I am able to keep my main focus on finding and training teachers on different technology resources and tools to keep their lessons engaging.

Copyright & Mulitmedia

Renee Hobbs, a communication professor at Temple University said it best when she said, "In an increasingly copyrighted world, Fair use makes it possible to develop critical thinking and communication skills that are essential for participation in 21st century life."  But what is Fair Use?  There are 4 factors to consider when looking at Fair Use -

     1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial or nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
     2. The nature of the copyrighted work
     3. The amount of substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
     4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

A famous myth about Fair Use is that Fair Use is too unclear and complicated for users; its better left to lawyers and administrators.  This myth is rampant throughout many school systems because teachers aren't fully aware of how Fair Use work.  Fair Use has such a broad spectrum on its use that teachers should educate themselves and their students.  Does that mean that all work can be used freely, of course not, but the limitations set by Fair Use allows educators to use copyrighted work when the situation falls into the right guideline.  A rule of thumb that can be followed is that if copyright material is used outside a marketplace (for money), such as in a classroom, would receive special consideration under the Fair Use doctrine.  

At my school, the media center has a section on their webpage that students can refer to when they have copyright questions.  Our media specialist has listed an easy guide to use when students or teachers have questions about Copyright and/or Fair Use.  Copyright will always be at the forefront of schools and work created by students.  Educators need to be aware of how to best equip their students with knowledge about copyright and fair use.



Ugarte, Melissa (Producer). "Fair Use for Media Literacy Education." Video retrieved from www.centerforsocialmedia.org/medialiteracy 

U.S. Copyright Office. Fair Use. June 2012. Retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html

Hobbs, Renee, Jaszi, Peter, & Aufderheide, Particia. "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Eduaction."  Retrieved from http://mediaeducationlab.com/sites/mediaeducationlab.com/files/CodeofBestPracticesinFairUse_0.pdf

Roll camera!…Slate!....and action!

                                         

Schools across America have been trying to incorporate technology into the curriculum. What better way to spice up the morning announcements using cameras, computers, green screens, slide shows, and music?

Benefits

School TV News programs have been popping up in schools for many years. Many advocates of school news programs have expressed a growth in the school community, student involvement, increased critical thinking, and growth of leadership among students. Students are meeting a variety of Common Core Standards, such as, writing, reading, listening, and speaking standards.

Sample Shows

Orenco Elementary in Hillsboro, Oregon, has created over 250 broadcasts for their school’s live, student-produced television production, known as Orca Live. Currently posted on their school’s website are their four latest seasons. Upon viewing the September session from Season 8 (2011 – 2012), I noticed the following:

           

• ·      The video was published until School Tube
• ·      The beginning of the news school they introduced the new teachers
• ·      Welcomed substitute teachers that were in the building
• ·      Listed all the birthdays
• ·      Provided various facts about different schools around the world
• ·      Highlighted the custodian
• ·      Focused on the Number 8 (since it was season 8)
• ·      Drew names of students to pass out reward
• ·      Used a variety of props during the session

This session lasted an average of eleven minutes.

I then watched the September session from Season 11 (2014 – 2015) to look for updates. I noticed the following:

• ·      Again listed birthday and weather
• ·      All about the number eleven
• ·      Spotlight on new teachers – provided facts, interview questions
• ·      2 students as anchors with additional students throughout the news
• ·      Use of a green screen
• ·      Props but through the use of technology

This session lasted an average of thirteen minutes.

I watched another session to determine when the school had switched to the use of a green screen. It appeared to be around Season 10. During this time I saw that the school was hosting their final show of the season and they had all 12 students representing. When I first watched the two news shows I couldn’t believe how long they lasted! I thought that 10 – 13 minutes each day was a long news show. I then realized that they only did one about twice a month.

Be sure to check out Orenco’s school website to watch their news cast shows and see if you can get any additional tips for your own news show!

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

Staffing

As noted in Orenco’s staffing production, they average about 12 students on the production team. At my work, fifth grade students are recommended to the media specialist based upon behavior and grades. The media specialist then conducts several try-outs to determine who will make it to the team.

Students that are a part of the staff learn so many valuable skills; communication skills, research skills, script writing, and most importantly responsibility. Students have to make sure they are on time for each recording, plan their research, meet deadlines, and assist others.

Other news broadcasts may include:

• ·      Pledge
• ·      School rules
• ·      Lunch choices
• ·      Critical Verb of the week
• ·      College/University of the week (even in Elementary schools)
• ·      Trivia
• ·      Any other up and coming news

As one can assess hosting a news show requires background knowledge on various technology, equipment, script writing, and directing. News shows can be a lot of work and take up a lot of time, but the benefits to hosting a news production out weigh the cons.

Fair Use Mythbusters!

One of my favorite shows to watch is Myth Busters. I feel like we should have a Myth Busters dedicated to Media Centers -- with a portion of the segment going towards copyright/fair use myths.

The myth that even I have used as an excuse in the past is this:

"If I'm not making any money off of it, it's fair use! (And if I'm making money off it, it's not!)"

The reason I think that this myth prevails is because educators most likely do not mean to steal others ideas. Copying another teacher's ideas is the highest form of flattery that we tend to pay each other. The problem occurs when you copy another one's idea to use in your own classroom with a specific amount of students one day. The lesson goes so swell that you decide to share it with your grade-level. Your grade-level teachers take the idea and use it in their classroom. Your grade-level ends up with such success that you are required to share at the next faculty meeting what you have done. Pretty soon, you are being asked to present at District and State wide conferences.

Somewhere between your classroom and the presentations at conferences with hundreds of teachers, the fair use law has been broken!

The hard thing about fair use is that it is NOT objective. It is a very SUBJECTIVE matter that depends more on a teachers intent and reach with the item being used. I cannot sit and tell you a certain amount of words or parts of a work would be considered under the Fair Use law. However, if the reach of the work found goes beyond the immediate scope of your teaching, then you are breaking the Fair Use law. Whether you financially benefit from it or not.

On second thought, this Myth Busters episode would be pretty boring because there are no explosions involved. However, making sure we understand the myths around Fair Use can make everyone a better user of copyrighted materials.

 School News!!

Every school has some sort of announcement system.  In many schools it is the school library media specialist who is given the task of producing the morning news and announcements.  Possible variations include:

• intercom announcements
• daily email or newsletter
• close-circuit television show 

With each of these options archival and retrieval choices come into play. Each of these formats can be viewed at a later time by parents, teachers and student. This creates an opportunity to bring traffic to our media center web page, which in turn, can educate our stakeholders on our resources and collaborative activies. The news can be posted on the school or media center youtube.com

account.  Another option, is to use Schooltube.com which is recommended by AASL.

• The Seattle Public School District has its own cable channel and airs the news at scheduled times as well as a live feed.  Seattle Public Schools Media Operations Center
• Tenafly High School has an amazing library media webpage where users can access the webcast through online streaming.   http://www.librarymedia.net/

The content will usually have some standard features such as the pledge of allegiance, lunch menu, or student birthdays. Interest can be added by including special guests , quotes, math problem 'competitions', character education, joke of the week, and student skits. etc.
As the school media specialist we can use this additional role to advertise and advocate the media center.

• new books added to the collection or can be checked out
• an interesting website or research tool
• highlight class activities that incorporate media literacy 
• author interviews and book talks 
• award prizes for most books read

Managing and being in charge of producing the school and student news also gives us the opportunity to collaborate with teachers in writing of news stories and scripts.  Finding Story Ideas

• Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your friends are talking about.
• Watch or read your daily school morning announcements.
• Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers, magazines, or any online news or television source.
• Think of a youth angle to a current local or national news story.
• Research a subject that interests you and ask yourself, what you would like to know more about.
• Talk to people, your friends, teachers, principals, community members, and parents to find out what is important to them.
• Check out videos online, such as SchoolTube.com, to see what other students are producing. (Goble, 2013)

Points to consider-- copyright for any images or music that is used within the webcast or newscast.

 

 Morning News Builds School Community 
This article gives great ideas for school news program content.

Lights! Camera! Action! Student news coming your way.

This article demonstrates how a school news show can be student brain powered. "It was about critical thinking skills, decision making, empowerment, ownership, community, and, of course, vision." (Bencivenga, 2006)

For the  media specialist that want to upgrade the production quality School Video News 
is a free online publication that covers all aspects of televised news production for K-12.


Another aspect to producing televised news is the use of the experience as a technology teaching tool if not a full blown production class.

Lights! Camera! Action! Technology Integration Through Television Production
Detailed article with steps documenting pre-poduction process through post-production. Websites included for weather, current events and world news.

Citations:

Image. (2005).Gwynneth Anne Bronwynn Jones.
Image. (2103). Beatrice Daily Sun. 

Bencivenga, Anthony. (2006, August 30). Lights! Camera! Action! Student News Coming Your Way. Edutopia. Retrieved February 16, 2015 from  http://www.edutopia.org/lights-camera-student-news-coming-your-way

Goble, Don. ( 2012, Jan. 13) "Finding Stories Ideas and Successfully Preparing for your Student Television Show." Digital Media Resources. Retrieved Feb. 17, 2015 online from http://www.jeadigitalmedia.org/2012/01/23/finding-story-ideas-and-successfully-preparing-for-your-student-television-show/

Social Media in Schools: Can we all be friends?

Social Networking sites and schools: Can we just be friends?

          

I love Edmodo!!

A screenshot of my Edmodo page

A screenshot of my YouTube page (Royal Knight Science)

Schools can be friends with social media. Here are four reasons why:

Reason #1 - It is now a connected and social world. 

The top 5 social media sites combined have nearly 2 BILLION users! Social media and smartphone growth are both expected to grow at strong double-digit rates for the next several years (remember the lines for the newest Iphone? I was there) Colleges and universities are not immune. The boom of online universities are proof to the growth of popularity of an online presence. While there are certainly lots of ways to waste time with social media ( I am thinking about you, Pinterest), nobody is arguing that social media cannot be used to engage students in interesting new ways and provide varied learning opportunities.

Reason #2 - The privacy concerns and safety of social media do not outweigh the benefits. 

I read this interesting fact about the United States Library of Congress: the Library of Congress has archived every tweet from Twitter. That is 200 billion tweets and counting! What you say and write on social media does live forever. Privacy and safety concerns are going to be there regardless of whether or not social media is taught or used in schools. If social media is used and taught in schools, school media specialists could instruct students on how to maintain privacy and be safe online. Cyber bullies are no match for an informed populace.

Reason #3 - Social media is a not a waste of time. 

When computers first came out, people thought that they would be a waste of time. Who would have  imagined all of the awesome programs that would be written and creative ways they could be used to enhance our lives. Sure you can waste time on a computer and find more than your share of inappropriate websites unsuitable for viewing by school age children, but it is hard to argue that computers are not a valuable teaching tool and most schools have computer training for students as part of their core curriculum. Clayton County provides laptops to all of its teachers and has placed at least two desktop computers in every classroom grades K-12.  

Imagine the possibilities social media brings to the classroom. Assignments can be shared via links, entire classrooms can be part of the same Edmodo group, and study groups are a Google+ Hangout away. Instagram could be used to document a class field trip and an active Twitter feed will allow students and parents to connect with the classroom in an engaging way. Students and teachers could connect with others across the world using Skype, bringing a new meaning to pen pals. The same way computers are not used to play video games in classrooms, using social networking sites in classrooms will not be a waste of time if it is overseen constructively.

Reason #4 – Teaching students how to use social networking sites effectively is preparing students for the future. 

Schools are places where they are taught the skills and knowledge to be compete globally and succeed in an interconnected world. Students need to be comfortable using technology and schools can provide access to technology that students may not have access to at home. 

The world is a social place. Technology has allowed information to travel the span of the world in mere seconds.  Adolescents enjoy the social nature of many sites such as Twitter, Snapchat, and OooVoo to name a few. Adolescents enjoy a tech saturated life: many have access to the internet at home, either through traditional means, such as computers or laptops, or through cell phones. Why shouldn’t students enjoy access to social networking sites at school? In my county, social networking sites are firewalled and blocked although the county occasionally allows the use of YouTube in the classroom. In 2014, Edmodo (a Facebook like site connecting students, teachers, and other stakeholders) became the big push in Clayton County Schools. I have embraced the seeming loosening of the technology ropes with glee. I use Edmodo to connect with my students, send out alerts, and grade assignments. My Edmodo page is the digital face of my classroom. I have tried to use Twitter in my classroom but most students do not want to follow a teacher and I often forgot to update my feed. My overprotective nature does not allow me to use Instagram; I do not want my student’s faces on the internet. But I do see the uses of a class or school Instagram page. Technology is not going anywhere and it is important that schools and teachers grow and develop with the times. Stagnation limits intellectual growth and development and denying the use of social media limits the production of global citizens.