School TV News Production

School TV News Production

            An undeniable truth:  there are people who are very comfortable with technology and there are people who are extremely daunted by technology (and wish it would just go away).  And then there are those of us who fall somewhere in the middle, like myself.  The thought of leading production on a school television news program presents itself as an exciting challenge with endless possibilities to those who embrace and excel with technology.  To others, the thought produces sweaty palms and possible nausea.  For me, in the middle, it is a challenge, but one I know I can meet, although with some trepidation.

            Dr. Cooper has provided us with two outstanding examples of student produced news.  The first is Pleasant Grove Elementary (http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/pges/knn).  Through their gifted program, they produce a weekly news program similar to a weekly news magazine.  The second is Southern Columbia Area High School whose goal is to deliver a professional newscast fashioned on real television station news broadcasts (http://www.scasd.us/ms/kelchner/tigernews/index.html).   The Southern Columbia Area High School news program is produced daily by twenty-five students.   These students give time before and after school, during lunch and during study halls.  Both of these examples show students excelling in this endeavor.

I teach in an elementary school and we currently do not produce any type of news production.  Our “news” consists of our assistant principal reading morning announcements.  Perusing the two examples above, however, has inspired me to pursue possible production within my school.  As I ponder this, I have compiled a list of things to consider.

1.  As the media specialist, be accommodating.  Whoever produces the news, whether it is you, a gifted class, technology class, or some other entity, provide support, equipment, facilities, and most of all encouragement.

2.  It’s ok to start small and slow if necessary.  Take baby steps and build the production over time.  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

3.  Today’s students ARE comfortable with technology, even if you are not.  It is their news production, let them run with it and just facilitate!

Social Networking and the Media Center

In the mind of the average teenager, libraries might seem passé.  After reading Barbara Fein’s article, I noted her ways that “social media” could be incorporated to promote the media program.  There are numerous ways!  Book reviews, book ratings and sharing research lists are just a few; she suggests linking these to the patron catalog.  Blogs, links to profiles of high-interest people or events and contests are all ways to invite students to the media center networking site and drive them to keep coming back.  In one of my previous classes, we discussed the (philosophical) idea of the whole school becoming the media center.  Social networking would be one facet of the total marketing and promotional plan for the media center.

Facebook, Twitter and  MySpace.  Judging from all the statistical information that is available about the high number of users, most people love social networking sites.  But how do we use social networking in the Media Center?  I read Barbara Fiehn’s article with great interest; especially since I have used Delicious, Library Thing and Follette’s Destiny, three applications that she mentioned in her article.  I identified with the media specialists who showed “hesitation based on lack of knowledge of how this will really work in their schools”.  The Library 2.0 And Beyond text offers excellent ways to get started; ways that I plan to use in my media center.   Courtney’s suggestions are as follows:

Step 1: Explore social media.  Set up an account and learn your way around.  Find out how it works.

Step 2: Set the ground rules.  Who “owns” and maintains the media center presence to the community of users?  How often and when will it be updated?  Who will monitor, approve “friends” and advertise to users?

Step 3: Add content.  Create something that will have value, like photos, link to high-interest events, and cool sites, based on the school’s community. Celebrate the media center.

Step 4:  Advertise.   Invite others to become “friends”.  Offer training sessions; publicize in a newsletter, flyers and posters.

Step 5: Update regularly.  As the community grows, content will need to be continually inviting and interesting.  Add photos, video and invite comments.  Use it as an assessment tool by adding an informal survey about the media center.

Step 6: Have fun with it!  This is a chance to show off your personality, present a modern image of the media center, and encourage conversations with users.

In conclusion, media specialist should view social networking in the media center with excitement.  Social networking within the media center offers new opportunities to reach the school community. Learning new technologies and employing them to interest patrons is one of the most important facets of our job.

Media Center Webpage

It is important for the media center to have a well put together webpage for students, teachers, and parents to use.  Useful information that might be on a webpage might be information about reading events that might be held in the media center, Accelerated Reader information (if the school participates), references for library skills, etc.  A school in Troup County School System, Berta Wethersbee, has a lot of the characteristics that are important for a media center webpage to have.  Berta's media center page is sectioned by "for parents", "for students", and "for faculty".  This helps to better navigate the website so the user does not have to sift through things that do not pertain to them.  This media center webpage also gives information on the different reference sources and what they are used for. 

The media center webpage should also be user friendly and easy to navigate.  No one will visit a webpage where they cannot find what they are looking for.  Berta’s webpage seemed to be pretty user friendly by having the parent, student, and faculty tabs.  When a webpage has tabs to take you to another page, the webpage creator should be sure to make them open in a new window.  This keeps from having to hit the back button or try to find the webpage again. 

I like to see resources on a media center webpage.  There are so many tools that could be included when designing the webpage.  For example, a high school webpage might include information on MLA format, a middle school webpage might include resources that might be used for research papers, and an elementary school webpage might include interactive activities on media skills.  Most of the media center webpages that I have looked at have information about Accelerated Reader, but that is all!  There are so many more things that can be put on the webpage.  The media center could also have a link on the webpage that goes to the Scholastic book orders webpage.  Parents could use this link in order to purchase their child or their child’s teacher books. 

Glenwood Academy, in Atlanta, has a great media center webpage.  They have a link for student resources which then goes to a menu where the student can choose to go to various places, such as the media center blog, listen to podcasts, and use other various tools.  I am glad to see a LMS embrace blogs and podcasts.  Gardner Newman Middle School, in Troup County, has a media center webpage on glogster.  There are so many new technologies and media that can be used other than a traditional webpage. 

Blogs or wikis would be more useful media center webpages than the traditional webpage.  They would allow for students to contribute to giving information.  Glenwood Academy’s blog contained poetry that the students had written.  The media specialist could also post a blog and the students could comment on it.  This might be a way for students to earn extra credit.  The students could respond to posts on the blog.  Using a blog or wiki would make the webpage more interactive.  It would also allow for the webpage to be changed more easily, while continuing to have the older information available.  There are definitely MANY possibilities to having a great media center webpage!

Britney Keith

Wikis

A WIKI is basically a web page housed on the Internet that contains information that can be used by many users simultaneously.  The information and organization of a Wiki can be updated or changed by the users.  Wikis are usually created and used as a collaboration tool.  Personally, I’ve used Wikis as Pathfinders, Web Quests and as a collaboration tool.  I’ve seen them used as school web pages, media center and departmental pages.  And, of course, there’s Wikipedia. You may have already used Wikipedia often to obtain information.  You may not have realized, though, that it is a collaboration tool that can be accessed and edited by anyone.

The applications of a Wiki for the media center are boundless.  A Wiki can be set up almost like a web page that allows access for all different kinds of lessons, resources, links, forms, blogs, activities and information.  In this respect it can also be used as a collaboration tool, allowing teachers and other stakeholders to update and edit.  Some might view this ability to edit in a negative light, by not wanting others to change certain materials.  There are ways to limit the users allowed to make edits.

One interesting area that I’ve read about recently is that textbooks are showing up as Wikis.  There are many benefits to this.  This saves the expense of printing books that soon become outdated.  Wiki textbooks can be accessed 24/7 by parents and students.  Student backpacks can also be lightened greatly if students are accessing their texts electronically at home.  One other aspect that I recently heard about on a documentary about school textbooks is that it may be possible for teachers to be able to pick and chose which parts of textbooks are used for certain learnings.  For example, in a Wiki containing numerous textbooks from different publishers, certain chapters from one might be used one week; other chapters from another the next.