Technology Specialist vs Media Specialist

We are all aware of the overwhelming consumption of technology that is taking place in the 21^st century. Students have adapted to this lifestyle as well as many forms of instruction. Technology has proven to have benefits to learning capabilities – to overall engage and help instruction to stick in one’s memory. There’s such a vast amount of options, programs, applications, software, etc. that learning opportunities are endless. There is literally no excuse for basic and non-interactive technology based learning, especially when so many resources are available. The fact of the matter is that for most schools within the US, the government and local communities ensure that schools are provided with funds to improve and grow resources in order to aid in instruction. The goal is for students to grow and learn in a way that is beneficial for themselves and society. So, why not engage, improve, inspire, and teach through a system that has proven to enhance literacy development, impact language acquisition, motivate students and enhance self-esteem – that’s technology. However, if teachers have limited scope and training of technology and/or the knowledge to incorporate technology into their lesson, then students will miss out on such great benefits. Teachers dedicate most of their time in a classroom, instructing students for most of the day. When students leave for the day or when teachers have their planning blocks, teachers can then focus on lesson planning, strategy development and data/grade analysis. Is there really enough time for teacher to seek out new technology opportunities that will compliment their classroom instruction perfectly? My opinion is, no. However, if teachers can’t, who will? And more importantly, who will inspire, advise and train teachers?

Technology Specialist

School districts are now dedicating more time and energy into the integration of technology. There is a whole department of technology specialist in many schools that focus directly on training and assisting teachers and staff with technology focused instruction. Atlanta Public Schools employs Educational Technology Specialist, who has the sole responsibility to explore, learn and teach teachers across the district new resources to compliment instruction.  From my experience, technology specialist travel to their assigned schools upon request or when there is a required training for all employees. Teachers and staff have the ability to request one-on-one time for any technology need. However, I personally do not feel like teachers use the specialist enough. The International Society for Technology in Education has standards for coaches to reference and use. Every coach should read, consider and reinforce these standards. The focus is detailed in a way that it covers all angels – that’s are very important in education. The four standards covered by the ISTE Standards are, (1) Visionary leadership, (2) Teaching, learning, and assessment, (3) Digital age learning environments (4) Professional development and program evaluation, (5) Digital Citizenship, and (6) Content knowledge and professional growth are all expanded and broken down strategically (ISTE, 2015).  Click here for the ISTE Standards for Coaches

Media Specialist

Media Specialists are next in line – or depending on the media specialist and his/her technology knowledge and capabilities, they are on the same level in many cases. Media specialists are expected to follow some of the same standards as coaches. I have noticed that teachers automatically go to media specialist for technology issues or reference. Their duties include training and exploring resources to incorporate into the library’s resources. Media specialist also has the flexibility to attend webinars, go to trainings or search for new resources to compliment various lessons. In my opinion, media specialist can be more resourceful than technology specialist because they actually work in the school; they know the students and the staff; and they are familiar with the schools data. Media specialists are accessible immediately and they regularly attend grade level meetings. During lesson planning and weekly professional development, media specialists have the opportunity to introduce and incorporate technology.

Overall, technology focus is very effective when used in the right way. Training is very necessary and having the support available is imperative. I agree with the standards and will definitely add it as a reference when considering my position when incorporating technology.

ISTE Standards for Coaches. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-coaches

Team 7 Blog 6 Technology Training Angie Wood

Summary of  ISTE Standards for Coaches/White Paper  Three case studies were conducted and these three areas were reviewed and tested. 1,  Professional Development  an dhow it could impact teacher outcomes with higher scores on standardized test for students.  These activities made connections with standards, instruction, and technology.  They realized that time had to be taken to understand the technology and use it to the maximum potential.  That for the technology to increase the students assessment scores it had to be a long duration and ongoing as it connected teaching, learning, and technology.   2.  Instructional Coaching  These leaders have to take in the Big 4 framework and use all four principles to help teachers.  a. Classroom management b. Content planning c. Instruction d. Assessment for learning.   The Instructional coaches are there to guide he teachers through the manuals, checklist and hold one on one or small group meetings to help the teachers collaborate, prepare, model, observe and also provide feedback to the teachers. I really think this is an important role to have.  The IC should be able explain and model to the teachers then allow them to take the information back into the classroom.  I think the IC should go to a classroom and teach the lesson with the technology they are exploring as a model to the teachers.  As the teachers take the information back to their own personal classroom they can then as the IC to observe and give ideas of how they can refine the process of making each lesson better with the technology available.   They also suggested having a online support area and a face-to-face support group.  Which is a very good idea.  Many times  the teacher must continue with her teaching and lesson plans when the technology chooses not to work or the internet is down etc but the students are there and waiting.  I think it is most important to make sure it is up and working before the students come in and also to have a plan b in place in case it doesn't work.  Technology is GREAT when it works! Having all this in place will help the teacher be less stressed. 3. Peer Coaching is where teachers are trained to help their colleagues as they integrate technology into their classrooms.  The main focus is collaboration.  They can strengthen each other and help improve on learning as they share activities and talk among them selves sharing what they already know will work and trying new things as they engage in instructional strategies.     They have to understand that best practices need to be looked at as they integrate technology into their teaching and into the students lives.  They have to asses, set goals, prepare, implement activities, and analyze then debrief.   The most important factor that was found here is again "teachers work and benefit from new technology as they see their coach model a technology rich lesson."   The ISTE  list 10 tips for leveraging technology, coaching and community in this link:
file:///C:/Users/pc/Downloads/Coaching_Whitepaper_digital.pdf
1, Learning with technology is more important than learning about technology - "Increase skills"
2. Relevance wins - "Keep knowledge relevant with teachers own needs"
3. Keep Millennial in mind - "Give younger teachers learning experiences"
4. Relationships matter - "Build trust in teachers"
5. Be Inclusive - "Don't work on your own"
6. Trust the Process - "long term plans "
7. Share your progress - "teachers are implementing what they are learning"
8. Make the most of your time - "work with in the budget and use what you have"
9. Take technology mainstream - "PD can benefit from the integration of technology together you are better."
10. Leverage the World  -  "Don't reinvent the wheel"

I used the ISTE standards for teachers, students, and administrators and was excited to see that they a have it broken down for coaches too.  I considered the Media Specialist in between a teacher and an administrator. It is good to see helps for the coaches as well and that all the ISTE standards link together.

Last year the school that I volunteered at had a wonderful Media Specialist that help "Tech tips" three times a month.  He would demonstrate something new and how to use it in the classroom for about thirty minutes after school. He would also come and visit a teachers classroom and show the class how to use the technology.  He was a great asset to the teachers and the school.

I would follow suit and use my mentors suggestions of holding thirty minute "Tech tips" during the school year and always being available to help the teachers with something new by allowing time to demonstrate it at a faculty meeting for about 5 minutes or schedule a time in their classroom.  I also think that the Computer lab/technology specialist in the school should work closely with the Media Specialist and collaborate these skills.  He or She can teach the students how to use a certain type of technology in their classroom and once the teacher gets training from the media specialist then the students and teacher will be on the same page and it will go smoother in the teachers classroom once she or he implements the new form of technology as an instructional piece.

The media specialist must: Have a vision and look for ways to support technology to the students, teach implementation, and help manage the process from school to classroom. They must engage learning and coach teachers by model and implementation using differentiation, creativity, higher order thinking skills and help teachers and students produce products that link to education and improve instructional practice. The media specialist can create a variety of learning environments whether in the media center, classroom, one on one, or in a faculty meeting. They must help troubleshoot issues with the technology and help teachers feel confident about their use of technology in the classroom.  They can have a needs assessment as they design, develop and implement technology.  There needs to be an evaluation tool that allows the faculty to see if the technology is being used and effective in the classroom with the teachers and students.


Jeremy's take on staff development is that he is there to help the teachers as much as he can with new technology and help them learn and be comfortable using it in their classroom.  He is also there to support them in any new endeavors they see and what to explore.  He is continuing to support the kids with learning as they come to the media center and collaborates with the computer lab manager how and when they need to work together and get the students on one page. His goal is to make learning fun and by doing so the students will soak in as much as possible and do well on their assessments. The teachers will feel confident knowing they have someone they can turn to in time of need when new technology comes in or there is a problem with making theirs work.

Team 7 MEDT 7477 Spring - School TV News - Shanda Schaefer

School TV News

Upon reviewing the two websites suggested by Dr. Cooper I quickly realized our school needed to “up our game” when it comes to our school news.  Currently at McEver Arts Academy we use a closed circuit cable system, a PowerPoint presentation including the pledge and screenshots of our school mission statement, and a video that includes sound for our introduction.  Our school news can be improved in so many areas.  One thing I really enjoyed when watching the Eisenhower Middle School broadcast and would like to start using is teacher and staff interviews.  This can be interviews about a favorite book, upcoming activities, inviting students to join a club, etc.  I think this provides a more inviting and personal message to the students.  I would also be interested in how to produce the school news broadcast through SchoolTube.  Currently, we do not record our broadcast.  It is fed live through our closed circuit cable system which gives way to many blunders and technical difficulties when something should happen to mess up.  If we were able to prerecord these broadcast some of these things might be edited or fixed. 

The school news at my school is rather scripted and boring.  In more detail, the news crew includes four 4^th and 5^th graders that put in a rather simple application asking why they should be on the McEver News Crew.  The media specialist will then take all applicants and place them on a schedule for the year.  All applicants will get to participate unless behavioral issues arise.  The rotation for the crew is usually on a 4-5 week basis unless there are holidays involved.  One person operates the laptop and mixer and one person operates the camera.  The other 2 students are the anchors that announce the date, weather, school mission statement, lunch choices and pledge.  The pledge concludes our broadcast unless we have a special announcement from the principal, student council, or the school nurse.  Unfortunately, that’s where the only excitement really comes into our broadcast and it is usual only 2-3 times a week. 

Researching and exploring different ways to improve our school news broadcasting needs to be the next steps for our school.  Some ideas that I have found with my current research is using a green screen to show live backgrounds, including a list of birthdays in an exciting way, discussing poplar topics in the local news today, etc.  Students are similar to an adult news broadcast audience, they need attention grabbing topics, graphics, and themes.  I would be interested in meeting with our schools technology committee (which is made up of myself and teachers) and drafting a list of new and improved ideas for our schools news with the teachers input.  I would then possibly conduct a survey of the students, asking what topics they would like to hear about on "their" news broadcast. 

As it appears now, the news at my school has taken a backseat to a lot of other priorities and it is time for a much needed update.  How would you rate your schools current news broadcast?

Orenco  Elementary in Hillsboro, Oregon, (http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/orenco/Home/tabid/2559/Default.aspx)

Eisenhower Middle School, Wyckoff, New Jersey's ETV (https://www.youtube.com/user/ETVEisenhower/videos).

Lights, Camera, Action: The Lowdown on the School TV News

Let's face it...at some point or another, some of us, in our childhood days, have always dreamed of being in front of the camera. Well, students at Orenco Elementary School, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, are making dreams a reality! Orenco Elementary has an amazing set called Orca Live. Their presentation is phenomenal. In the opening credits there are a series of screenshots that display the children in their respective roles. After the credits are over, the news anchors get right down to business. They introduce themselves, give the date, welcome substitutes, extend birthday wishes, and lunch schedules with menu, just to name a few. There are a lot of cool graphics that are used throughout the presentation. I really like how they transition to different segments throughout the show. The show that I watched was from February 9, 2015. It was approximately 24 minutes and 27 seconds long. The segment was a bit long and with my school schedule, there is no way we would be able to accommodate something of that magnitude. 

I was unable to access the website for Eisenhower Middle School:

Currently, we aren't producing a morning news show this school year; however, we did last year. The morning news show was done Monday through Friday from 8:00-8:15 or longer for whatever reason. We used a student broadcast system along with Adobe Visual Communicator 3, to display the script to the anchors. The student body is able to view the show live from the mounted televisions
or projectors in the classrooms. Teachers are able to access the show via Video Furnace, also known as Furnace, to display on the projectors. Our show consisted of the following content:

I. Welcome: Give date, time, weather report,

II. Lunch menu

III. Inspirational Quote of the Day

IV. Word of the Day: includes definition and example of using it in a sentence

V. Announcements: from various clubs, teachers/staff

VI. Closing with Raider Rap.

Through Furnace, teachers are able to stream live t.v. from pre-approved channels available via Comcast. Those channels are:

• PBS,
• CSPAN,
• DSC,
• WEATH,
• CNN,
• TLC,
• HISTORY,
• NGC,
• SCIENCE, and
• HISTORY.

The show is produced by the Morning News Crew and Library Media Technology Specialist. At the beginning of the school year, I solicit talent by having the Principal make a general announcement over the intercom. I also display posters around the school as well. I came up with an application for interested individuals to fill out. All applicants must have a teacher recommendation in order to be considered. I have a couple of retired teachers that come and volunteer in the media center on occasion. So, when it's time to weed through applications, I get them to help. At the time, I was working without a clerk so my volunteers were instrumental in holding auditions while I ran the media center. We would pick two students and two alternates (for each position, such as anchor, camera operator,etc.) from each grade level (6-8). The same students would perform their duties all year but they would rotate every week by grade level. A constant problem that we've had is that students and/or staff would wait until the last minute to bring us announcements and birthday shout-outs. I always required 24 hour notice so that I could type them ahead of time into the visual communicator so that the kids would have enough time to practice. In order to solve the issue, I had to just turn people away that refused to comply with the rules. 

MEDT 7477 Blog 3 Social Networking and School Library Media Centers

MEDT 7447 BLOG 3 
Social Networking and school library media centers
posted by:  Angie Wood

Social networking sites are used by educators, the work force, law enforcement, and businesses alike.  Law enforcement agencies are using social networking sites to catch and prosecute criminals.  School systems are using Facebook for collaboration and a learning tool because students are already familiar with the platform it is built on and the knowledge to use it.   In one classroom, Facebook was used to gather pictures from student’s personal Facebook pages and then cut and paste the photos into a power point presentation.  There is also video and URL plus other texts presented in this platform that students use because of the easy and familiar ways to download, upload, and share information.   In a college setting it can allow students to ask questions to an instructor that they might not ask in person.  This is one 2.0 web tool that can allow shyer students to voice their questions and thoughts to the class.  Although it could open up more student to student and teacher to student communications teachers in k - 12 setting are strongly discouraged to be friend fellow students via Facebook.   Web CT, Blackboard, or interfaces like Course Den are web tools that college campuses use where students are more likely to post their educated comments.  The AASL reports that social networking tools/technology is becoming more and more vital in a student education.  These web tools help with group collaboration and discussions are becoming more evident in the learning process.  Schools are accepting it as part of the 21st century learners     there is a place for social networking when used in the right way.  Many schools do filter out the social networking sites due to language and photos that could be present in them.   The middle school that I work at allows Facebook to filter into their school.  This was a huge help as my class built an "All about me" power point during the first couple of weeks of school the students could go in to their Facebook and save photos for their project.  This was a very helpful tool.   I can see it also as a big drama queen playing field.  It can be distracting because students have their cell phones and can ready post at any time or reply to post at any time.  This is where the user agreement policy would have to go into effect for a school and its district. This policy would also state that the teacher has the right to decide if the students will be using their devices and what for.   The policy would state that if the student does not use the device properly and in accordance with the teachers and school rules then the device would be taken up and the student would not get it back till the end of the year.    
     On Destiny there is Destiny Quest and this allows students to use it similar to the way someone uses Facebook.  Here again just like with web pages the school system would need the media center specialist to monitor this type of social networking because drama would show up in a heartbeat and students would be getting their feelings hurt, fighting, or just messing up while using Facebook.  With Destiny Quest it is the first social networking site tied to a OPAC interface system.    In Destiny the media specialist and or teachers can post book titles and start blogs about these books. The students can also post reviews of books as Destiny promotes safe social networking. It is k-12 user friendly for students and teachers alike. In an article from EditLib, author Michelle Ritger states nine reasons to use Destiny Quest and get your students logged into it. I have listed them below which helps explain the use of the social networking in the library. Here is the link: http://www.editlib.org/p/36929/ 

9. Users can see what they have checked out and when items are due back to the library. 

8. Users can renew their own books; I have it set to one renewal per item.

7. Users can create their own virtual shelves and keep track of What I Am Reading, What I Have Read, and What I Want To Read (especially handy for those users who read voraciously, like me.

6. Users can put books on hold that they want to read but are checked out to someone else.

5. Users can notify me of items to purchase for the library that we don’t already own.

4. Users can rate the books they’ve read and write book reviews which other users can see.

3. Users can create a network of “friends” within the system which allows them to recommend books to each other and have online discussions about books with their “friends.”                  

2. Because logging in to Destiny Quest uses the power of social media to create a personal experience around the library collection, students are excited about books and love using the library.

1. Students are excited about books and love using the library.

I think Destiny Quest is a great tool to get your students involved in.  It is not currently used at the middle school I work at but I have seen it in action in an elementary school and it works great!  Take the first step and get the students set up and the teachers trained and start social media explosion in your school.

References

Cheasty- Ritger, M. (2011). Using Destiny Quest to Teach Social Networking. In M. Koehler & P. Mishra (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (p. 3843). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Blog 2 Media Center Web Pages

I believe that Web Pages are still the way to go when it comes to the media center. While I switched from a web page to a blog in my classroom I think that the web page fits the needs of the media better than blogs or wikis. While in my classroom I want to interact with my students and them to interact with each other I do not feel this is the primary purpose for a media center web outlet. While I don't think that the web page should be dumped I do think that blogs and wikis can and should be incorporated into the web pages. This can be done in a variety ways for a variety of reasons. This way interaction can still take place but it is not at the fore front and the focus is still on the main resources and current events.

I like the web page because I like a familiar home screen each time you go to it. This home screen should be aesthetically pleasing as well as easy to navigate. With the target audience of the web page being students and parents there need to be tabs to the resources that they will use on a regular basis. There should also be a page dedicated to what's going on in the media center at that time as well as upcoming events etc. My number 1 pet peeve when it comes to web pages are links that are not linked to anything. All links need to work and go to the correct location. If a web page is difficult to use or if people are constantly having issues with the web site they are not going to frequent the web page therefore not using the resources and not receiving vital information.

I feel like web pages are more formal than wikis and blogs and I like the formality of them. I like the communication that blogs and wikis allow as long as approval is gained before posts are posted. It is tricky because you can't  just let people post without approval on a public school blog.

Simplicity is important when creating a web page, you don't want so much going on that users can focus or find the information they are looking for.  Web pages are also not something to be set up and not maintained. In order for a web site to be useful it needs to be monitored and updated frequently. Links should be checked frequently and information needs to be accurate.

Top Pet Peeves

1. Links not working
2. Not asthetically please
3. Confusing to Navigate
4. Cluttered pages
5. Inconsistent Formatting
6. Some pages should open in new windows automatically and don't 

Media Center Web Page Must Haves 

1. Destiny
2. Events
3. Book Recommendations
4. Students Book Reviews/Recommendations (Could feature one student at a time or this could be where the blog is incorporated into the webpage)
5. Resources
6. Teacher Resources
7. Policies
8. Student Spotlight
9. Galileo

To me our current media center page is not an ideal page. Here is the link Waycross Middle School Media Center Link  This page is cluttered with just links to me and not the most useful, informative or aesthetically pleasing. 

This is a link to my blog which the more I think about it a blog could work well. There are so many methods to deliver information to people it is hard to choose what is most appropriate. While on this blog we have not begun to us it as a communication took for kids I am open to suggestions on how to make this more interactive. 

My Blog for a Blog Example

My view on what I thought I liked more may have changed as I typed the entry. #technology #everchanging 

MEDT 7477 Spring 2015 Blog 2 MC Web Pages S. Schaefer Team 7

The Media Center’s web page can be an essential part to the Media Centers success.  When a media specialist begins to design a web page there are many things and resources to consider. I have made a list of basic items that should be included and some that should not.  I correlated this list of personal opinions from reviewing other schools webpages and my experiences while on these pages.

Top 5 “Basics” for Media Center Web Page

1.       Housekeeping items – Hours, staff, upcoming events, etc.

2.       Procedures

3.       Link to School’s look up/check out system

4.       School specific Resources and Reference materials

5.       Communication area such as an email or drop box. 

Top 5 “No No’s” for Media Center Web Page

1.       Website not up to date

2.       Error message or no page when a link is clicked on

3.       Irrelevant resources - grade appropriate

4.       Overwhelming or not user family structure

5.       Information not related to the Media Center

Students, teachers, and parents, can become easily frustrated when a schools media center webpage is not accurate, not up-to-date, or too “busy” to locate information.  Being a first year media specialist I was clueless about what the students and teachers wanted on “their” media center webpage.  I surveyed the teachers and questioned random students and found out exactly what I needed to know.  The answer I received the most was, “I would like everything to be in one place and easy to find”.  I began to research ways to organize and structure a web page to meet those needs and I came across a program called Symbaloo.  I was able to find someone in my county that was familiar with creating Symbaloo’s so I quickly learned and created one for my school.  I have received very rewarding comments about our Media Center web page and have noticed an increased use of the site.  Check it out!  McEver Arts Academy Media Center

I was also able to include the school symbaloo on the media centers Destiny cataloging front page.  The Destiny cataloging page also has a short cut added throughout our network so that it appears on every computers desktop when the students or teachers log on.

                                                                                                    Destiny 

This being on the desktop of every computer in the school has been extremely efficient and used on a daily basis in the classroom.  Symbaloo has proven to be a wonderful resource for our school and a great addition to our media center web page.

When designing a webpage such as a schools media center page for public use I do not feel a blog or wiki would be very appropriate.  Accurate information needs to be provided for these types of pages with information that is current and useful.  Given public access can change the entire purpose of the page or its direction.  With the new technologies of today, web pages do not have to be the same boring thing.  There are so many new and fun ideas to be incorporated and constructed.  Therefore it is imperative to have the right person for the job when it comes to creating a successful web page.