Can The Media Center Be Too Diverse?

Encouraging and supporting diversity through the media center means providing a place for students to come and research information on certain topics of interest to them. The media center should be a place where no matter what color, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic level, etc. you are, the information you need to find is readily available. However, there can be limitations to what kind of information to serve diverse audiences should be available. For example, parents may not want their children to have access to books about sex, abortion, drugs, etc. Since it is a school setting, certain topics can be viewed as “off limits” and should be considered when selecting materials to include in the collection. Perhaps a simple survey sent out to parents or posted online on the media center website would generate some discussion on the topic.

I do believe it is the media center’s responsibility to serve diverse audiences, but I do not think it happens everywhere all the time. Unfortunately, even though there is a small population of Asian students in my school, there are not many resources for them in the media center. On the other hand, at my school the media center sponsors the IMPACT Club which serves as a positive force in the school. They have collected can goods for needy families and sponsored a bookmark contest. Out of the top ten finalists, almost half came from students in the special education department. To me, that is an example of a media center being truly open to all of its patrons.

Technology can play a role in supporting diversity in the media center. For instance, having a designated location on the media center website to promote a different culture each month and having students volunteer to create the feature would encourage research into different cultures. The same could be accomplished in the actual media center. Also, sponsoring live web chats about different issues with an expert in the field leading the discussion could prove beneficial.

Overall, I think that the media center should encourage and support diversity in the school; however, I think that the level of support should be different in each community. As a future media specialist, I will want to learn the community and its beliefs and values before selecting certain materials or bringing in certain issues to the media center. With that being said, that does not mean I will not assist a student with questions about a certain topic. I may only be able to point them in the correct direction about finding information on the topic, even if it is not available in the media center.

So, can the media center be too diverse?

The Fears of Those Haunted by Copyright Law and Fair Use

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Have you every stood at the copy machine in the teacher workroom and thought should I really be making copies of this?  Or maybe seen teachers who “cut and pasted” workbook pages so the “do not reproduce” part was not visible on the copies?  In this day and age where people can sue over asinine things (such as hot coffee burning them), many educators are haunted by a fear of breaking copyright laws.   Some educators refuse to use any multimedia resources due to this fear.   Educators who do this do so to the detriment of those in their classrooms.  I must admit there was always a fear of what might happen in the back of mind when copying something from the Internet or using a song or video in the classroom.  My hope was that since it was for education hopefully I would be okay.  It wasn’t until I took a class with Dr. Cooper that I began to understand more about copyright and fair use. 

There are many myths surrounding fair use.  Educators have gotten together and put together the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education.  This publication helps clear up some of these myths.  One of these myths is that fair use should be avoided because it is too unclear for educators to understand.  This is not true.  The fair use provision of the Copyright Act is rather broad.  Fair use is regularly used in broadcast newscasts through various references.  Fair use is unique in each situation.  It is not a specific set of rules to follow but more about making the right decisions for your students.  One of our responsibilities is to teach our students to use information responsibly by developing critical thinking skills.  If we avoid using multimedia in the classroom, we are not teaching our students how to properly use copyrighted material.  Our students live in a virtual world.  Almost all the information they receive comes from the Internet.  We need to show them how to properly use this information.  As educators, we do not need to miss opportunities to meet the needs of our students.

I checked our school's Copyright Law's Compliance Information.   It states that Franklin County Schools will honor copyright for materials used in the school and provides addresses for websites with information on Copyright Law and Fair Use.  

On a personal note, I love music!  I cannot get anything accomplished without it.  I also use it in my classroom.  Sometimes I use it as part of the lesson, but mostly I have it playing quietly in the background when they are working independently.  I use the music that I have purchased through iTunes.  Every year I have students tell me how to get free music and that they cannot believe I have purchased so much when I could get it for free.  I use this as an opportunity to teach them about copyright laws.  I put them in the place of the artist and ask them how they would feel if they created something and then didn’t get paid for it.  Then I’ll take a student’s work and give it to someone else.  This really hits home!  If I want my students to learn to use copyrighted material responsibly, I have to be the one to teach them.  

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education. (2012).  Retrieved October 28, 2012 from http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education-0

Elementary School News

The best way to get to know about something such as the School News Show is to perform and interview.  On October 12, 2012, I interviewed the Media Specialist, David Milford at Roopville Elementary School about their School New Broadcast show.  The interview went as follows:

1. What content segments are included?

The program at RES is pretty simple.  The students recognize the day’s birthdays and lead the pledge, motto, and moment of silence.  An adult makes the daily announcements.  Announcements include items such as yearbook are on sale, the book fair is coming, Locks for Love, STAR readers, and Today in History tidbits.  These pieces of information are repeated on a scrolling powerpoint announcement that constantly scrolls during the lunch shifts.

2. How long is the broadcast?

Our instructional schedule limits it to 5 minutes.

3. When is the broadcast shown?

It takes place the first five minutes of the day.

4. Is the broadcast taped or live?

It is a live broadcast.  (Music for 5 minutes prior to the broadcast.)

5. Faculty member responsible for the broadcast?

David Milford___________position: Media Specialist___

6. Who writes the script?

There are printed pages for teachers to write announcements.  We also will include emailed submissions.  The student portion of the broadcast is fixed.  Rarely will their script change.

7. Who are the crew?

The 4^th and 5^th grade student council members make up a 3-person crews.  One is the on-air personality, one is on camera, the third maintains the cue cards.  They swap jobs daily and each crew works one week per month.

8. How is screen talent selected and trained?

Part of their student council contract includes information regarding the morning broadcast.  We stress the importance of leadership, attendance and punctuality.  At a previous school, any disciplinary infraction was grounds for dismissal from the crew or missing a number of rotations.  I’ve not had to address that yet at RES.

The “training” consists of about a 5 minute orientation for each crew member and then it’s “on the air.”  

9. How often does the screen talent and/or film crew change?

The crew changes weekly with each crew working a week each month.

10. What equipment is used?

The school is equipped with a video distribution system that allows us to broadcast from any classroom that has coax cable for the television.  Using this equipment, we can tie in with any VHS or digital camera and regular microphones.  We’re presently using a small Panasonic digital video camera and two low-impedence microphones.

11. Does the show follow a fixed or flexible format?

The student portion of the show is fixed.  There will be times when they will participate in scripts for special events.

12.   How do you think it could be improved?

 I’d like to move the program from classroom to classroom, highlighting some of the things going on in the featured rooms.  I’d also like to remove the adults from the “anchor” positions and let it be a total student broadcast. 

We are playing music from the School House Rock series before announcements at this time.  I’d like to be able to allow the students to view the video that accompanies the songs. 

Since we’re in an older building, we have some wiring challenges that create bad buzzes when we attempt to piggyback the video with the audio.  I foresee us working through that before the end of this year.

Our instructional day prohibits the broadcast from being longer than 5 minutes, but we’ll keep dreaming!

This Just In....Reporting Live from Schools

             The morning news show is recorded and broadcasted live each morning right after the 8:00 bell, which starts the school day at the elementary school where I currently teach.  There is a media cart located in one of the work rooms in the media center that the media specialist uses to upload and broadcast the news live using MediaCast.  Classes watch the news on their SMART Boards.  The shows are then uploaded to MediaCast for classes to view throughout the day as needed.  There are two news anchors for each show.  These students are fifth graders who have applied for the position and are selected by the media specialist.  There is a third fifth grader who is chosen to help run the PowerPoint and camera for the show.  The news crew works for two-week rotations.  According to the media specialist, all fifth graders who apply to be a part of the news crew have a chance to participate in at least one rotation. 

            The news shows follow the same basic format each day.  The news anchors begin by announcing the date, the specials week rotation number, as well as the lunch choices for the day.  Next, they invite members of a class to help recite the Pledge of Allegiance.  The media specialist keeps a list of classes and rotates through the list so that all classes have several opportunities to send a handful of students up to recite the Pledge.  After this, the anchors and all of the students in the school recite the Mission of our school system as well as the Vision of our school.  The rules of the cafeteria are then recited.  There are PowerPoint slides that are shown on the screens for students in the classrooms to read while reciting.  After this, student and staff birthdays are announced.  A segment of popular dance music is then played while all of the students in the school have a dance party for those students who have a birthday.  This lasts no more than a minute or two.  Next, the news anchors relay information about upcoming events and other news.  Members of the administration, leaders of clubs, or any other teachers who have announcements share information at this time as well.  Occasionally student sports teams will be featured or students who have completed a special project or accomplished a particular goal will have the opportunity to share their work.  Each news segment then ends with the news anchors reading aloud a trivia question of the week.  On Fridays, the media specialist announces the answer and a winner who has turned in a correct answer in the trivia box in the media center.  This student wins a special prize.  Each news segment ends with a positive closing related to the day of the week.  For example, the news anchors will end with “Have a Thunderous Thursday from the news crew,” on Thursdays.

            The media specialist types the information for the news each day on the news PowerPoint.  The news anchors read from this PowerPoint.  The only time the PowerPoint is shown in the broadcast is to show the Mission, Vision, and cafeteria rules. 

            One major issue with the news show that the media specialist identified is the issue of time.  There is not much time to rehearse with the fifth graders who are leading the show each morning.  The media specialist noted that she does encourage the news anchors to come to the media room as soon as they arrive at school and she works with them for as long as they can before they need to record the show.  Many teachers have also noted that they occasionally find it difficult to fit a news program into their schedule each day.  While many teachers show the news live each morning, some have schedules that will not permit this.  One solution to this has been to upload the videos immediately onto MediaCast so that they are viewable by teachers and students at any point during the day.

            While exploring the news shows on the Orenco Elementary and Eisenhower Middle School sites, I collected a number of ideas that I think would be great additions to a news show.  I love how the students at Orenco Elementary were featured in each episode and had the opportunity to share what they were learning in their classrooms.  They were well rehearsed and clearly proud of their work.  Allowing students to share this type of information provides them with an audience for their work besides their classmates, teachers, and parents.  I love that the Eisenhower Middle School news broadcasts included a note about events that occurred that particular day in history as well as current news events from around the world.  I also like the each news segment featured a different club or group from around the school.

            I think that news shows can be excellent additions to any school, particularly if they are created and presented by students.  I believe that it is important to have a structure for the show, but to be flexible enough to allow some variety in order to keep the show from becoming tedious and boring.  If students can generally predict what they will hear each and every morning, they are a lot less likely to listen to the show.  As a classroom teacher, I do see this as one flaw with the news show at my school.  Having students recite the Mission, Vision, and rules each morning does not seem to help with behavior or serve as any sort of motivation.  It bores the students and they often tune out at that point.  Other than this, I believe that our news show is exciting and engaging for students.  They especially love to see or hear themselves on the program.  It is a great way to provide a large number of students in the school an opportunity to shine.

Look Ma, I'm on TV (at school)!

Ok, we are live in 3, 2, 1...

Television and school usually do not mix, but there is a fun and exciting way to bring the world of television into the educational environment: School TV News. Most schools have a routine of morning announcements which include: the playing of the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance, moment of silent reflection, and announcements by the principal or student volunteer. In other words: BORING! Usually, this format contains no student participation, ownership, or creativity. No wonder students just ignore the announcements or talk over them.

The situation I just described above is what happens on a daily basis at my school from 11:40-11:45 during Extended Learning Time (ELT).  We also have afternoon announcements that include updates on after school activities or bus changes at the end of the school day. There have been numerous complaints at the length of the morning announcements as well as the fact that students simply are not paying them any attention.

I talked with my media specialist about these issues when I asked her about the concept of School TV News. Coincidentally, she had just sent out an e-mail to teachers about the media center creating an “announcements slideshow” to be viewed on classroom televisions during ELT starting next week. Essentially, any “long term” announcements, those that need to be repeated over the course of a week, will be included in the presentation. All other announcements will be made the traditional way. Teachers should e-mail any long term announcement to the media center to be placed on the daily presentation.

My media specialist stated at this point, since it is so early in development, a simple PowerPoint presentation is all she can do right now. Because the current broadcasting system can only run VHS and DVD, she had to purchase AVS converter software in order to convert the PowerPoint into NTSC format to run on the DVD player. She recommended the website avs4you.com to purchase any kind of AVS software because she was able to purchase the $199.00 software for $59.00 (Halloween sale)!

In the past, the Yearbook/Journalism Staff was responsible for filming the announcements as part of their grade. They would film the day before and the show would air the next morning. Unfortunately, right now there is a lack of time and manpower to create this kind of production once again.

Another possibility for school news is the school website. Being the webmaster, my media specialist stated that she has asked the Yearbook Staff for a school newspaper to post on the webpage, but has not received any feedback. She thinks this would be a great way to reach parents and community members.

After speaking with my media specialist and seeing how an elementary and middle school (Orenco Elementary and Eisenhower Middle) handle their School TV News, I have decided it is a huge undertaking. There is a lot of equipment to keep up with as well as software, editing/mixing stations, and a whole crew of students with very specific jobs. However, I believe that a School TV News broadcast would provide several students the hands-on activities they long for at school as well as a creative outlet.

Students today are all about connecting to what is going on in the lives of their friends, at school, extracurricular activities, etc. They also like to have a say in something that happens at their school. Having a student-run newscast to creatively present that information would be well worth the time and effort. Plus, they get to be on TV!

Social Networking and the Media Center - No-No or Instructional Tool?

Social networking at school is a controversial topic. Almost everyone I know has a Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest account. These are three of the main sites that come to mind when thinking about social networking. Most school systems have these sites blocked. I know my school does. But what about other social networking sites that are more school "appropriate?" I'm a member of many social networking sites that I didn't even consider social networking! Crazy I know! 

Blogger is a social network community that I am using as we speak! I also have my own Reading Diva blog my reading class has used for the past few years to discuss the books they are reading. This is a great instructional tool for students to share that thoughts about any school related topic. My school does not block this site for which I am very grateful.

deviantART is a social networking site for the art community. I used to access this site with my reading class. It was interesting to see people's drawings for the characters in books we were reading. Because of the word "deviant" in the title our filter blocks this site, which is a shame. Students would love to sketch their favorite characters and compare them to those we could find on this site. Any of you artist or would-love-to-be-artist (like myself) should really check out this site.

Shelfari by Amazon is another social networking site of which I'm a member. I love this site because it lets you keep up with the books you are reading and what you're friends are reading. It displays what you've read, are reading, and plan to read on a book shelf. You can share your shelf on other social networking sites like Facebook. My blog has a link to and an icon of my shelf on my homepage. As I've been looking through media center webpages, I've noticed some of them also have Shelfari shelves. This is a great way to get students to share what they are reading with others. Another site similar to this that you may be a member of is goodreads. LibraryThing is also similar to these. I just chose Shelfari because I'm a frequent Amazon customer (I can't get enough of the smile on the box)!  None of these sites are blocked by my school. 

Until reading over the material provided by Dr. Cooper, I had never heard of Ning. This is a site for individuals to create their own social networks. The one Dr. Cooper shared was TeacherLibrarianNing. This is a great network that we should all join. Ning does have a monthly fee of $24.95 for as many as 10,000 members. This could be an inexpensive way to safely include a social networking site for the entire school. Administrators would feel much more safe with a site the school created rather than using Facebook. 

Wattpad has taken over my sixteen-year old daughter's time. She loves to read and this site allows her to search for the types of stories and read them for free. Most are short-stories written by budding artists. What a great way to get our students to share their writing with the world. Many authors, such as Amanda Hocking, got started by posting their short stories online and a publisher snatched her up! Her story can encourage our students to pursue their dreams of writing. I'm not sure if Wattpad is blocked at my school. Some of the stories have adult-related themes. I have to monitor what my daughter reads. Because of this aspect, it may not be appropriate to use with middle or elementary school students. 

I didn't share much research-based information this week. Mostly because this is a subject I am very opinionated about - actually I'm pretty opinionated about most subjects! We are teaching our students to be collaborators and share their ideas with others. Social networking is a great way to do it. Most of out students have Twitter or Facebook accounts. Why not use these to keep them engaged with instruction? I had a student Facebook account that I used outside of school to create groups for my classes and conduct discussions on books and math related topics. Because RESA leads discussions each year on the dangers of Facebook, I deleted my student account and rarely use my adult account. This is unfortunate, because I was able to keep up with previous students to keep them interested in discussing what they're reading. I'm not sure what you're thoughts are on social networking or your school's policies, but if we want to reach our students, we have to meet them on their interest level. Social networking is a great tool to do this!



  

Media Centers on the Web

            While reading the articles and viewing a number of different media center websites in preparing to this post, I kept a running list of all of the wonderful ideas I encountered.  First of all, it immediately became clear that fewer and fewer websites provide just basic information such as the media specialist’s name and contact information, important dates, hours of operation, and links to outside resources.  Media websites have the potential to be very interactive and to provide a wealth of information not only for students and teachers, but also for parents and other members of the community.  It is my opinion, though, that we should not go too wild and crazy with our websites.  In a sense, simple is better, and a lot of information can be made available if it is well organized and easy to locate.  Media specialists also need to make sure that they design a site is maintainable.  You can have the most awesome looking website in the world, but if it is not kept current, than the number of visitors will dwindle and it won’t be seen as a valuable resource within the school.

            One idea I had while reading and viewing websites was to have two faces or views of the same site, one for students and the other for teachers and/or parents.  I did not see an example of this, but I can imagine it would be possible to create.  I got this idea while thinking about many webquests and the fact that they can be viewed as a student but then when the Teacher link is clicked, the same categories are available, but with information for the teacher.  I think that students would respond positively to a side of the site that is designed with them in mind and that teachers/parents would appreciate a side that met their needs.  It seemed to me, while viewing many sites that the site creators were often trying to strike a balance between being kid-friendly and having a more strict professional side for adults.  While students and adults may view the media page for some of the same resources, often their needs may be quite different. 

            I also like the idea of the media web site having a connection to a blog where students can write about what they are reading.  Through this blog they could hold book discussions as well as write book reviews and recommendations.  These pieces could also be recorded and posted using audio or video formats.  Assigning a group of students to help maintain this blog would be a great project and opportunity for leadership.  Blogging could be one of many ways students can show their voice within the media page.

            Another idea for a media web site would be to include a virtual library tour or orientation of the media center.  A narrated power point, like the one we are creating for this course could be attached or embedded into a site in order to provide information to parents or new students as well as reminders for current students.

            I love the idea of including Google Doc forms or something similar in media web pages.  The North Elementary School  media page has a link to a Google Doc where users can request new materials and books for the media center.  This form makes it easy not only for users make requests, but it is also a great way for these requests to be organized and kept in one place for the media specialist.  The Barrow Elementary School media center page  has a Google Docs section where users can offer suggestions for the media center as well as note what they really enjoy about the program.  Having forms linked or embedded in a website makes it easy for users to comment or share their thoughts without having to find a separate form or generate their own written or electronic note.  I can imagine that with this form, a media center like the one at Barrow Elementary would get more feedback because it is quick, easily available, and anonymous.

            One last idea for a media center website that I would like to mention is the connections made to social networking sites.  Many of the sites I viewed had a link where you could follow them on Twitter or Facebook, for example.  I think that these resources are a great way for parents and older students to keep up with news and updates in the media center.  I know that I check Facebook on my cell phone at least a couple of times a day and would love to see updates for a media center posted directly to my newsfeed. 

            Above all, it is important for media specialists to create a website that works for their students, teachers, parents, and community.  It is essential to design websites based on the interests and needs of the stakeholders.  At the same time it is important to seek feedback on the website and its features.  Aspects of the site that are rarely used can and should be updated or even replaced.  With careful thought and consideration, a great media site can be an asset to a wonderful program.

School Library Media Center Web Pages

Creating a School Library Media Center Web Page

As a school library Media Specialist, you have been given the task to build a web page for your school library media center .   The first thought that comes to mind is “Where do I start?”   In order to build a good, usable website for your school library, you need to think in two very different ways.   First, you need to think like a librarian. What do your patrons need, and how can you best serve them?  Second, you need to think like a web designer. Since most of us are not web designer this is the most daunting part of the task.  (Walbert, 2012)  Start with what you know and build the page from there.  The web page should be an extension of your media center.   Keep it simple and meet the needs of your users. 

How to get started?

Start your research by browsing the internet for existing pages and look for items that appeal to you.  Make note of the things that you do and don’t like and components that you might like to include on your web page.  Take a look at the font, images and other content included on their pages.  What things are users friendly and what are not?  Overall, make sure the page that you envision is useful to your media center and to the user who visit the site.  For this blog, I have browsed several media center web pages.  Most are very simple and to the point which is all you need.  If you try to get “too fancy” with your web page design you may make the page unfriendly to many users by using colors or images that make not be universally  accessible. 

What to include on your web page

There is no set formula as what to include on you web page but I believe a few very important topics include:

• School and LMC Mission and Policies

• Calendar – including upcoming school and library events

• Media Specialist, teacher, and student podcasts including booktalks

• Online catalogs for not only your school LMC but also other libraries your students might use

• Reference resources and assistance

• Curriculum connections

• Literacy connections

• General information about your LMC

Web Page Do’s and Don’ts

Web Page Do’s

Do advertise your LMC website!

Do make your web page visually appealing to the user.

Do provide information relevant to your media center.

Do be user friendly!

Do make your web page fun and interesting. 

Web Page Don’ts

Don’t make the page look overcrowded.

Don’t make the webpage difficult to navigate.

Don’t have a page that is too busy and confusing to the user.

Don’t have only a list of boring topics on your web page.  Make it interactive.

For more information on building a school library media center webpages, please visit the following sources.

Baumbach, D., Brewer, S., Renfroe, M.   (2004, September). What should be on a school library

webpage?. Retrieved from http://motherofgeeks.com/SLMC website article.pdf

Walbert, D. (n.d.). Best practices in school library website design. Retrieved from

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/969

Warlick, D. (2005, January/February). Building website that work for your media center. Retrieved from

http://medt7477fall2012.weebly.com/uploads/7/5/8/9/7589068/warlick_lmc_websites.pdf

Wikis in the Media Center

What’s a Wiki?

A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed by anyone with Internet access and modified by anyone who is a member.  When Wikipedia first came on the scene, I was warned against using it as a reliable source in my education classes and to avoid it at all costs.  I was terrified of Wikipedia!  If my professors were warning me so strongly against using it, then surely wikis were to be avoided at all costs.  I was extremely misinformed and have since learned the error of my ways.  According to Chad Boeninger (2007), “a wiki is a flexible tool that libraries may use to promote internal communication, provide a virtual space for group collaboration, or create dynamic content for the user population.”  Sounds like a fantastic tool right?  Lets explore wikis some more.

Internal Communication

Media specialists are the information experts of the school.  They are to lead professional development and communicate with all stakeholders regularly.  Wikis are a great way to accomplish this.  Media specialists can lead professional development without ever meeting face-to-face.  This allows 24/7 professional development opportunities.  Because wikis are Internet-based stakeholders can access the wiki from their computers, phones, or tablets at any time.  Topics within the wiki can easily be sorted and searched without having to look through tons of emails.  Everyone in education wants fewer emails! 

Collaboration

Collaboration is key in education.  Educase Learning Initiative (2005) states, “Wikis offer a powerful yet flexible collaborative communication tool for developing content-specific Web sites.”  It is difficult for all stakeholders to find time to meet and collaborate.  Wikis are the perfect solution of time management issues.  Unlike a blog where individuals can make comments on others ideas, wikis allow everyone in the group the ability to edit and modify the content as needed.  Once again the 24/7 access to the wiki allows for collaboration anytime.  

Create Dynamic Content

Wikis are ideal for use in the media center.  Media specialists are to work with teachers to create unique research opportunities based on content they are covering in class.  In other words, the media specialist is supposed to be teaching in each classroom along with the teacher regularly.  There is no way one person can accomplish this.  However, wikis allow the media specialist to be in every classroom every day.  Through the creation of a content-specific wiki, the media specialist can provide links to resources for both the teacher and the students.  It will be time consuming in the beginning, but once the wiki is created it is just a matter of updating and maintaining the content. 

Drawbacks to Wikis

As with most things, there are some bad that go along with the good.  Because users can edit and modify content on a wiki, there is always the risk for inappropriate content to be posted.  This can be time-consuming when you have to peruse the wiki often to track down inappropriate content.  However, this comes with teaching students to become responsible users and producers of information.  We have to provide them with the opportunities if we are to teach them.  Another drawback comes with feeling a sense of giving up control.  We use a wiki at our school and many have mentioned they do not like the idea of giving students so much control over something that can be viewed by everyone.  Once again, we have to educate our students to use the wiki responsibly and can set consequences for those who don’t.  According to Educase Learning Initiative (2005), “Another shortcoming of a wiki is that is represents the collective perspective of the groups that uses it – a wiki has a collective bias.”  The positives of using a wiki far outweigh these few negatives. 

Be Gentle

With all things technological, many educators must be sold.  Last year, our school purchased a subscription to PBWorks (http://pbworks.com/education) to use as a collaboration tool for teachers, administrators, and students.  It has been met with much negativity.  Many of our teachers feel it is just one more thing on their plates and cannot see the wiki’s value.  When we enter the media center, we cannot forget these things.  It would be easy to give up on something that so many seem to be against.  However, we must continue to find new ideas to share with students and teachers.  We live in a technological world that is going to keep changing.  Media specialists must stay optimistic and make all decisions based on the academic success of the school.  We need to find an inner-circle of teachers to win over who will spread the word of all the great things we can do for them.  This will help us gently work our way into working effectively with all stakeholders and demonstrate the necessity of our position. 

References

Boeninger, C.F.  (2007).  The wonderful world of wikis: Applications for libraries.  In Courtney, N. (ed.), Library 2.0 and beyond (25-33).  Westport: Libraries Unlimited.

Educase.  (2005).  “Seven things you should know about wikis.” Retrieved October 7, 2012 from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf 

What's In a Wiki?

Hang Ten Dude!

The word “wiki” arrives on the Internet shoreline riding a surfboard, fresh off a huge swell in the Pacific Ocean.  Wiki has come all the way from Hawaii, where its origins are alliterative and mean “quick”. He joins the ranks of others in the land of Internet vocabulary such as podcast and blog.

Wikis are basically web pages that can be accessed and edited by many users at once in real time. It is especially popular because users do not have to download any software or learn a new program-they only need an Internet connection and a web browser.

While wikis can make communication and collaboration easier for some users, this type of open editing can pose harm. For instance, users can accidentally delete content or a random user can change information on a wiki at any time. Certain safety features such as making a wiki public, but not editable for everyone, is a step that can ensure the security and authority of the wiki.

Educational Uses/Media Center Uses

Even though wikis have been available since the mid-1990s, they have not been in the educational spotlight for many years. In their initial creation, wikis were more catered to business meeting agendas and minutes, presentations, etc. However, considering the origins of the wiki, it is hard to keep the island out of the ol’ island boy, and soon more casual uses for wikis were being implemented.

Students can complete group projects using wikis as it promotes equal collaboration efforts on each student’s part. Teachers can easily access the wiki at any point to give feedback instantly, evaluate for understanding, and assess informally. I can see where creating wikis, much like creating podcasts or blogs, can actually motivate students to really focus on their work because it seems so much more “public” than simply turning in a piece of paper only a teacher will read. By requiring “wiki work” in a classroom setting, students will be exposed to the skills necessary to be successful in the world of technology and the Internet.

The media center should serve as the technical hub in any school, and a media center wiki is the appropriate vehicle to provide easy access to students, teachers, parents, etc. Media center wikis such as the Apalachee High School Media Center’s Wiki allows users to browse several links pertaining to the services provided via the media center such as GALILEO, World Cat, GA Pines, etc. One feature I found to be particularly interesting was the Title Shots bar on the left side of the wiki which showcases a few books from the library’s collection. It is powered by Library Thing and would encourage students to click on a book to explore it further then go check it out.  Students and teachers are also invited to join the wiki and add helpful links or showcase great work.

Coming Soon: Literary Circles for Macbeth

I have created a handful of wikis over the last year or so, but I have never thought about how to utilize them in my classroom. However, after reading about the educational uses of wikis, I had an epiphany. My current English Literature Honors classes are reading Macbeth and employing the use of literary circles. It has been a chore getting all of their notes together and making copies for distribution, let alone disheartening to see when one group member does not hold up his or her end of the bargain (as is with all group work settings). So, I am going to translate their work in literary circles to a wiki format. I will update my post in a few days to reflect on this change. Wish me luck!


Update on Literary Circles:
Overall, the students were surprised at how easy Wikispaces and the concept of a wiki was to grasp. I was met with a lot of grumbles at first, but it turned out rather well considering this was an idea I sprung on them kind of last minute. There were a couple of students who did not quite understand how to join a wiki that was already created by their group, but I'll just call that a learning curve. All in all this is an assignment I want to try again in the future.

Podcasting in Schools

There are a number of ways that podcasting can be used in schools in both classrooms and the media center.  Many media specialists, teachers, students, book authors, and others involved in the education of children have created podcasts that are readily available online.  A quick Google search yields a number of these podcasts that students would find enjoyable and beneficial to listen to.  Teachers, media specialists, and students can locate podcasts related to topics that are studied by in the classroom, children’s books they may want to read, news from their favorite authors, among many other subjects.  Students are able to listen to the podcasts online or even download them to their computer, ipod, cell phone, or other electronic device.

The use of podcasting in schools does not stop with listening to those that are already created.  Podcasts are actually very easy to make and can serve a wide variety of purposes in the school setting.  All you need is a computer or other electronic device capable of recording audio, free computer software for recoding such as Audacity, and a microphone. 

One way that media specialists can use podcasting in the media center is to record booktalks that can easily be archived and accessed by students.  Nancy Keane has a wonderful site were she has stored many short book talks she has created.  The booktalks serve as a method for hooking students into books.  Recording booktalks in a podcast provides as way for the booktalks to be kept for years and allows students access to booktalks they may not have been present to hear at the live recording.

The media specialist can also use podcasts to share news in the media center.  They can be used to announce upcoming events, promote author visits, share new technology and materials, or even as a way to review rules and procedures.  Short reminders or lessons related information literacy may also be delivered through podcasts.  With permission of the speaker(s), live events can be recorded and posted for those who were unable to attend.   Media specilaists may even choose to deliver some professional development through the use of podcasts so that teachers can review it on their own time and as often as needed.

Students can also create their own podcasts in school.  The students at Willowdale Elementary School have created a variety of podcasts on many different topics, which are archived on their site, Radio WillowWeb.  Each episode has a specific theme and within that theme students have shared pieces such as new vocabulary words, poetry, fun facts, as well as jokes and riddles.  Students can use podcasts in a number of different ways such as sharing what they have learned in the classroom, teaching other students how to complete a task, creating their own book talks or reviews, presenting their writing, and announcing school news.

I do have some personal experience with podcasting in schools.  While completing my student teaching back in 2006, I created a Social Studies Unit for fourth graders on Westward Expansion.  One of the projects that I assigned the students was to create a radio show as though they were broadcasting from the trail as they made their way out west as pioneers.  The students reported on topics such as what they were eating, how their family was doing, as well as their struggles and successes.   They based their stories on accounts of real pioneers.  The students created podcasts for each episode.  The Social Studies Professor at Furman University that I was working with at the time, as well as another teacher and I co-wrote an article about our experience with this project, which was published in Social Education in 2007.  I have since used this project as a base and created similar projects in the classroom.  I can attest to the excitement students demonstrate when creating a podcast and the great value in such a project.  When creating podcasts, it has been my experience that students have a stronger desire to revise their work and to get it just right before podcasting than they would if they were just turning in a piece of writing to their teacher.  It gives them motivation to create their best work and provides them with an audience outside the walls of their classroom or even their school.