Diverse Students and Technology

There are so many ways that technology can meet the needs of diverse students. The media specialist has the opportunity to introduce many different technologies and there uses to both teachers and students. Ebooks and other books on line can be used with students who have learning disabilites and with students who are visually impaired. There are also benefits to using the many software programs that are available to students. These programs can be used with students who are performing both above and below grade level. So many of the programs and technologies that are available can be geared to specific learners and specific needs. Also, the use of video and movie maker make it easier to reach your divers populations because, again, it cna be geared to specific needs, grade levels, etc.
Our school has a growing hispanic population so programs that are geared to the hispanic population is also very useful.

Technology and Diversity

The diversity of learning needs in today’s general education classroom and media center continues to grow, including students with disabilities and those who are English-learners. Students with disabilities can benefit from a number of features that are built into existing technology available in the media center and many classrooms such as PowerPoint, Windows Movie Maker, and Kidspiration/Inspiration. These Software and web-based resources allow teachers and media specialists to gather video clips, pictures, maps, audio clips, and other means of presenting information. They can also provide students with advance organizers, such as outlines, study guides, "while you read" questions, and diagrams which present overviews of new material to be studied.

By the same token, English Learners can benefit from web resources which provide background information, interactivity, and relevant instruction, and multi-media presentations. The non-judgmental nature of the computer allows most students to make errors without embarrassment and can provide immediate feedback and correction. This can be as simple as writing in Microsoft Word with the spell-check turned on, or using an English language tutorial, such as the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/?ok). You can customize their Learning English site with a choice of 26 different native speaker's languages. The Voice of America Special English(http://www.manythings.org/e/voa.html) site is one of many that have word lists and quizzes.

Media, Technology & Diversity

The school I currently work at is a very diverse school. Many races and ethnic groups are represented in a single classroom. Based on the backgrounds of their home life or their culture, they sometimes view learning in different ways. A media specialist can be useful to the classroom teacher by introducing a variety of materials available for the visual learner to the kinesthetic learner. A more recent style of learning includes music which can be developed through technology. Ideas from music as a background noise during student learning or allowing the student to create a musical presentation for an assignment are ideas that the media specialist may assist a classroom teacher to help her meet the diverse needs of the students. As always, the media specialist must be open to lifelong learning as technology and the way schools are run are changing every day.

Ebooks/Digital Storytelling

Wow! It's exciting to see all that is available to us. I'm not sure that this would be considered an "e-books," but at the school where I am employed we have a subscription to "Tumblebooks." This site has bookbooks that are read to students, or students may read it themselves. It also has quizzes with many of hte stories. We also have a subscription to "Sylvan- Dell Books" which works much the same way. All of the classrooms have access to this. E-books are not used in the media center. At this point, no one at our school is using digital storytelling, though it sounds great. It seems to be a innovative way for students to do book reports and such, but Time constraints and the responsibilty of covering the curriculum oten takes precedence over learning new technologies. It is something I would like to dive into a little deeper and see how it could be used in the media center

E-books For All!

An e-book is the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. Such documents are usually read on personal computers or even cell phones. Such technology is not only easy to access and convenient to the user, but it may be just the thing to promote reading among our students at all age levels. E-books have many positive attributes for both users and media centers alike. For example, clicking is easier than page-turning. You can customize the viewing experience (enlarge font size and style, change orientation on device, modify screen contrast). There is also technology available that allows the user to change to audible and have text read to them. E-books offer the potential to add multimedia (graphics, audio, and video) and hyperlinks to other information. When using e-books, book marking, highlighting and annotating capabilities are available.

There are advantages for media specialists and libraries as well. E-Texts can be modified for various reading ages, degree of violence, amount of offensive language, etc. They require less library space, shelf reading, inventory time, weeding, repair and replacement. E-books are even environmentally friendly because they save trees and paper and avoid pollution (caused by inks, dyes, coloring).

Technology Training in Schools- Hensley

Our School has an advantage in the use of technology. Each classroom has an ActivBoard to use when teaching. Over the last few years, I've seen the staff's technology awareness and knowledge grow. One reason that I feel that this has occurred is the fact that there are training sessions and people available to assist with technological needs. Our county's technology department offers monthly and often bi-monthly technology instruction. There are always a wide variety of topics and the topics are geared to different levels. These classes are not mandatory, but there is usually a pretty good turn out because the classes address needs that are relevent to our teachers. WE also have trainings on occasion for new programs that are being implemented in the school and/or county. These trainings are usually mandatory, but they are beneficial. These trainings are usually, filled with lots of information and are sometimes overwhelming.
The only problem that I see with the trainings is that they are always at the end of the day, and sometimes people just want to leave as soon as they can. I'm not sure what the alternatives would be to this situation.
If I were in charge of technology training within the school, one thing that I feel I would change would be that I would send out surveys to see what the needs of staff are. I might also make it a requirement that at teachers attend at least one training session throughout the year.

Technology Training

About two years ago our media specialists and area lead teachers had a faculty meeting for this very subject. I still have the handout they gave us during the meeting (in fact I have it in front of me right now). The heading was Promoting Engagment Using Technology. In fact, I actually just typed it into a Word document and put on the school web site at http://stu.westga.edu/~mperkin2/Promoting%20Engagement%20Using%20Technology.doc. This was the one meeting that stands out in my four years at this school that was really worth while. I don't always remember the website (unless I go back to this sheet which I keep handy) but I remember them going through them in our faculty meeting and quickly introducing us to all of them. I also remember that day in the meeting that we (the teachers present) said things like, "We'll never remember this." But it was my first introduction to GPB.org and if you read my last blog, I can't live without it! I have also used the webquest site and now that I am looking at it, I think I will visit the virtual manipulatives site.

The media specialists and the area lead teachers had a productive meeting for many reasons. This was something useful that teachers need for instruction. They also carefully organized them on a sheet of paper so we could quickly grab it when we needed it. And last, they did not stand around with a lot of talk and jabber. They got right to the point in the meeting showing us and getting us to go to the web sites while they showed us. It was very informal and at the time sort of overwhelming, but in hind sight, I hope that one day I will give technology training that is this memorable and useful to my co-workers.

Technology and Staff Development

Clearly at my school, neither technological abilities among faculty members nor technology related staff development are not where they should be. Typically, our current staff development involves three or four one-shot “sit and get” sessions spread across the year, each on a different topic than the one before, that are attended by most or all educators in the organization. A “one size fits all” model is used, meaning that there is relatively little differentiation between, say, music teachers and math teachers and industrial arts teachers. Rarely is there follow-up. Rarely is there sustained, focused conversation about a specific learning issue over time. The end result, of course, is that most school staff development practices have little to no meaningful impact on instructional practice and/or student learning outcomes.

There need to be means by which teachers can tap into their technological needs whenever necessary based on individual needs. I think that a media specialist can find great benefit in using such tools like blogs, podcasts and wikis. These web-based tools can allow time flexibility which may finally to provide the type of professional development that can allow ongoing participation with a group with similar concerns and interests and can also allow the users to go back as often as possibly to refresh their memories on how to use the technology in question.

Video Distribution, School News via TV and GPB Resources

Well first of all I can't tell you how much I have used GPB.org in the last four years of my new teacher experience. Short video clips aid in the teaching of very difficult physics concepts. Biology through the eyes of Georgia Public Broadcasting looks like the most exciting world to live in. It offers accompanying sheets for students to use while viewing or after viewing that help to analyze and summarize the topic. I do not use it all the time as students would grow tired of it. I have on occasion used it when I am going to be absent. It is an easy way for a substitute to give a lesson without necessarily knowing the content.

As for school TV news, we used to have it at my high school. It was the highlight of Friday at school for the students. They would scream, "Turn the TV on." Because the "student" news team might feature the basketball team, the step team or lots of shots around campus. It was always done in good humor and really impressive to me that teens could put together such a fun, informative five-minute show about their campus. It really seemed to bond this very big school.

Also at my high school, the media specialist can make videos for teacher of programs in the public TV domain. This is not used very often in high schools but it is an option. She runs what is viewed on all the TVs in the school through her output system. She can send something via the TV to a particular room if it is requested. This part of the media specialist's job sounds very exciting to me.

Good News!

The Video Productions program at my school is instrumental in providing valuable time management and leadership skills while honing the creativity of its students in a variety of group and individual projects. In the Video Production II. class, students apply advanced TV and film production techniques to produce a wide variety of programming genres including: a daily 7-minute broadcast newscast, a long-form documentary, short films, animations, and various multi-camera live and live-to-tape programs that are broadcast to the district’s educational television channel. This program appears to be the ultimate “hands-on” experience for students with a genuine interest in technology and broadcast journalism.

The news broadcast usually features announcements submitted by teachers, club leaders, and organization sponsors. There’s also a weather report and a couple of student interest segments. On occasion, a segment is presented on a topic relevant to the time of year like, most recently, the election. Although, I don’t always agree with or understand the logic behind some of the humor incorporated in their performances, it appears that it appeals to the students and provides valuable and rewarding opportunities for those who create it.

Video Distribution Systems- Hensley

I had a difficult time scheduling a meeting with our VERY BUSY media specialist, but I was able to squeeze in an interview with her somewhere between when she was making lesson plans, collaborating with teachers, teaching students, shelving books, doing book orders, making a technology training aid, and various other tasks. When I finally got a chance to sit down and talk to ME this is what I discovered...
We don't do TV News, we did about five years ago and the equipment was torn up and deemed unrepairable. The media specialist that launched the TV News left shortly after the equipment became unusable (but that was not the reason she left). The media specialist that followed did not repair or replace the equipment due to the expense, small budget, and her discomfort with the technology. When we did do the tv broadcast, students presented the news and operated the cameras. They were chosen based on their application, teacher recommendation, and personality. The broadcast started out well, and then , because of lack of supervision, declined.
Presently, we have announcements each morning. The announcements are presented by one of the physical education teachers. He or She welcomes students, we recite the Pledge of Allegience, and have a moment of quiet reflection. The lunch menu is given, birthdays are announced, and updates or other things are briefly covered. The announcements last about 5 minutes. Basically, it is the same person all year who does the announcements, unless the usual speaker is absent. I would eventually like to hanle morning announcements. I would like to involve students in the delivery. We do not have "channel 1." We do have two closed circuit channels available so that videos/dvds cna be shown in all rooms at once. This is generally used when a grade level is showing a video/dvd that correlates with a standard or theme that is being taught. It is used to show book fair videos around book fair time.
Lastly, a great number of our teachers use United Streaming in their classrooms. The teachers use the videos during and after lessons to help teach the standards or to aid in instruction. All of our classrooms have ActivBoards (similar to SmartBoards) in the classroom which is great when showing the videos to the entire class at once.

Social Networking

I have reflected on this three times before posting! It seems to be the most simple but the most complex of all Library 2.0 issues. It is "old" in that we all have networked all our lives. It is "new" in that if you do not network; you might be out of touch with the world. Networks can include many aspects of your life. Some use social networking in the old sense where you are nice to people you do not know in case you might need them in the future. Others use social networking when they need to keep peace in the family. Current day social networkers use it as a tool to gain information, to make friends (even to go to eharmony and date) and to learn. I was born in the early 60s. If I allow myself to drift back to that time, there would be no technology component but yet there was networking going on then. We have entered the 21st century. We are forward thinkers. We have achieved such things as going to the moon, attempting to conquer world hunger, the list goes on and on...Here is the chasm. Can we leap into a world of My Space, Facebook, blogs, and message boards, etc? Can I allow my son to go to My Space? There is a part of me that says 'no'. But there is a part of me that is intrigued by this new world just like the early astronauts. We can not bury our heads in the sand! We must move on.

Social Netwrking in Schools?

Is social networking good for education? Traditional academic institutions have generally resisted the influence and increasingly pervasive presence of social networking activities in the life of their students, but recently, the same institutions have had to look with new eyes at all of the aspects and consequences of this new modes of technological socialization sweeping the younger generations. There has been explosive growth in creative and authoring activities by students on social networking sites in recent years. With words, music, photos and videos, students are expressing themselves by creating, manipulating and sharing content online.

Social networking could play a positive role in students’ lives and they recognize opportunities for using it in education — at a time when teachers now routinely assign homework that requires Internet use to complete. While social networking seems omnipresent in the lives of most teens and “tweens” outside of school, most school districts are cautious about its use in school.

Most schools have rules against social networking activities. There are ways that educators could strike the appropriate balance between protecting their students and providing a 21st century education. They can explore social networking sites. It’s important for teachers and media specialists to see and try out the kinds of creative communications and collaboration tools that students are using — so that their perceptions and decisions about these tools are based on real experiences.

They can also find ways to harness the educational value of social networking. Some schools and educators are experimenting successfully with chat rooms, instant messaging, blogs, wikis and more for after-school homework help, review sessions and collaborative projects, for example. These activities appeal to students — even students who are reluctant to participate in the classroom. One particular site I came across online is The Schools United: http://www.theschoolsunited.com/community/. This website provides a safe school networking site fro schools and students throughout the world. It allows the sharing of blogs, videos, photos, etc.

Social Networking

I think that social networking can be beneficial in the school setting, if they are used properly. During one of my courses this summer, I was introduced to FLickr and Library thing. I though that both of those sites were good social networking sites. I could see the benefits of Librarything more than flickr. Librarything could be used to have students, teachers, and media specialist review books. I can also see this being used more by students in middle and highschool. Again, some of the social networking tools can be an asset to schools if use appropriately and not as a "chat" area.
The filters on our schools computers will sometimes block some of the social networking sites. For example, Last Friday, I was able to go to the Wiki page and upload my powerpoint, when I attempted to get into the Wiki on Monday, I was blocked. The reason given "dating/ social..." I had to have administration unblock site for me. No one, that I am aware of, uses social networking within our school. Our lead media specialist recently set up a wiki for all media specialist in the county to post lesson plans and other information onto.
As stated above, I think that social networking could be used in the media center to review books. The reviews could be completed by students, teachers, and media specialists. Social networking could also be a way to offer tutorials and helpful hints for homework. Library thing could be used in conjunction with or in place of book reports.
I believe that social networking could have positive benefits in schools. But, I feel that students and adults should be trained on how to use social networking tools... and how to use them safely.

Web Pages- Do's and Don'ts

I must say that I really enjoy looking at different websites and finding all sorts of information. It has been so helpful to me to google a topic and find information that I can include in media lessons. With college and a beginning a new career in the media center, I don't always have time to come up with my own ideas and plans...so I've borrowed a great deal this year. I really like looking at the websites and finding information that is helpful. What I don't like is going to websites and thinking that I've found the perfect link only to find out that the link is no longer available. I also find it hard to use websites that have too muh on the home page, especially a lot of advertisements.
I am including a list of what I feel should be the Do's and Don'ts for websites, of course everybody's views are different.
Do...
1. Make website attractive, open, and usable.
2. Keep links updated.
3. Include a search tool.
4. Make it user friendly.
5. Consider you audience and make age appropriate.

Don't
1. Make page cluttered.
2. Include too many advertisements.
3. Use terms that younger audiences will not understand.
4. Leave links on site that are no longer available.
5. Make site just a list of links.

When my plate is not so full, I intend to create a website for the media center. At this time, I just link onto the schools website and someone else puts the information on that I give her. My goal is to learn how to create a website and how to do it well. Hopefully, I can meet that goal after summer semester!

What's Your Flavor?

I used this title because that is the way it seems. I am going to go out on a limb as a newbie and say that there just can't be a right or a wrong when it comes to creating a web page. Just like it is said there is someone for everyone. There is a reader for any web page. While it is true that it must be interesting or eye catching, that is the beauty of the web. You can sit and read for a while and if you don't like it, you just move on. I was viewing the pages suggested by Dr. Bennett and I really thought the North Elementary site was just to busy and (forgive me) but boring while I really got into the Creekview one and wasted too much time searching around. But I tend to like the happy smiles and seeing peoples pictures. The more studious type person might rather see the list of programs right up front. I have also noted a big difference in the age of the school. Obviously if you are an elementary planner of a web page you would not be dry and over the children's head. I have even noticed a high school site that entices the students to join a poetry club at the end of the school year with a beach theme. After talking with the media specialist she says it really does draw them in because they are dreaming of the beach and summer reading. It's also a different take as they sit out on beach towels during lunch in beach clothes reading related poetry. The pictures on the media web page from the poetry site remind me of the pictures in Dr. Bennetts example of Creekview. You can actually see people having fun through the web site.

As some of us media specialist are older, we must learn how to link to their interests. I for one, do not watch TV. I have decided that I will have to turn it on once in a while to see the latest, greatest show or actor/actress. I will have to learn to use more bold colors, instead of my neutral look. It would be wise to engage the students help. They are usually more savy than adults and know what other teens want to see. Sooner or later after working with and viewing many other sites, I am sure I will get the knack of it-by then another technology may be looming around the corner.

Web Page Design Does and Don'ts

It is easy to make a bad web page. It's also easy to make a very nice, clean, professional-looking web page even if you don't have much design experience. Often the difference, even for beginning designers, is simply a matter of eliminating certain features that are guaranteed to make a page look amateurish. In the school setting, web pages can be very useful tools for media specialists. However, when creating a school library media center webpage, there are some key does and don’ts:

Do…

• use a background does not interrupt the text
• have text is big enough to read, but not too big
• make good use of graphic elements (photos, subheads, pull quotes) to break up large areas of text
• utilize navigation buttons and bars provide the visitor with a clue as to where they are, what page of the site they are currently on
• have pages that download quickly

Don’t…

• use navigation buttons and bars are difficult to understand and use
• have Text that stretches all the way across the page
• keep links that don't work anymore on the web page
• include junky or obtrusive advertising
• use unclear navigation; over complex navigation
  

One of my biggest pet peeves with web pages is obtrusive advertisements. I’ve visited some sites that have more ads than space for the actual page’s content. If at all possible, this should be avoided. A site that is user-friendly, devoid of overwhelming ads, contains useful information, and easy to navigate for both I and students keep me coming back!

Wiki Readings

I am truly just learning about wikis in this class. I have had exposure to blogs and podcast but wikis are totally new to me. It seems that they can be simple or complex but useful in either case. I can see this being one of those things in the future that evolves into everyday use and we will look back and say, “Remember life before wikis?”

In the article “Seven Things you Should Know about Wikis” (which I felt was well written for the layman such as myself), it stressed how wikis are used in higher education more for collaboration. I really think this is what my school system needs. They stress collaboration to the point that you want to scream. Of course, I understand why but right here is their answer. We are a county with a lot of computers and they could easily make it a requirement to do this county wide and really connect the schools. It is a big step. I could see being afraid to be the first in high schools to do this. I am not in special education but it looks like it might really be a wonderful answer for the communication that goes on between the general education teacher, the special education teacher and the case manager. Again that would take some planning and implementing, neither of which it appears those folks have time to do.

Another thought while reading this was that it just would not work at a school such as the one I teach at. There are too many students who would deliberately screw up someone else’s work. I am doing a class project and I have heard more than one kid say that they are not going to bring their part of the project in on purpose. This also brings to mind another point made in that article which is that there is a responsibility to monitor the wiki. Again in my high school setting, I could see some deliberate attempts to use it improperly.

Last, I am a reader of a local radio stations news page. I noticed a couple of months ago when their format changed. I noticed that people were able to comment but after having this class I realize that it is a form of wiki. People are able to make comments and respond to others and I am sure it is monitored. It is really exciting to recognize the changes in the world around us. As I get older I promise myself not to stick my head in the sand and just let the world go by. Looks like technology is the thing to focus on in the future.

Wikis: The Media Specialist's Best Friend

Media specialists are required to be more and savvier when it comes to technology. Their responsibilities encompass everything from repairing overhead projectors to administrating an entire library's automated system. Of course, these responsibilities are in addition to working with students on research and information literacy, making book selections, and collaborating with classroom teachers on curriculum. Now more than ever tools such as wikis are of interest to media specialists for many reasons.

Wikis, in particular, encourage group social interaction and collaboration, but what exactly does that mean? I believe this refers to students being given an environment filled with opportunities to not only create content in new ways but also to share information, communicate differently, collaborate easily with the rest of the world, and self-publish. Media specialists can use this platform to assist teachers with implementing student projects and with the use of the wiki; the projects have the potential to be cross-curricular. Wikis can also be used by the SLMS to share information with students, staff, and parents about new acquisitions and upcoming programs and activities. Finally, the wiki can be used for book discussions. Podcasts of recent book talks can be posted on the wikispace for students to see and for teachers use in their classroom instruction.

WWW: Wonderful World of Wikis

Being new to the use of wikis, I was intrigued by the initial use. After the readings and viewing of the example wikis I am even more amazed at the various ways that they can be used in education. The idea of using wikis as student portfolios and science fair projects were two that really stood out to me.
The media center would be an excellent way introduce wikis to the staff and share ideas for the media center. I like the idea of teachers and media specialist creating pathfinders and having them posted on the wiki. I believe that teachers and media specialist have the opportunity for more collaboration by posting on the wiki since each person can add, edit, or modify contents.
Wikis are also a great way to communicate with other educators in the same field. The combination of pathfinders and wikis makes for an excellent research guide...especially if there are several contributorsOur county's media specialists have just started a Wiki within the last two weeks and I am looking forward to using this to aid in my instructional needs as well as communicating with other media specialists. I was excited to see that one of the wikis that I looked had links to how to find books and anther wiki highlighted things that are happening int he library. I would like to use the wiki to show teachers and students that the media center is not just a place to get books, but that it can be an exciting place to be.
To me, the most effective way that I see wikis being used today, is for collaboration with classroom teachers and with those in the same field as myself. The main drawback that I see to wikis is the fact the others have the ability to change and sometimes add things that may not be appropriate or suitable. Of course this can be avoided if only group members have the authoriztion to modify the content of the wiki. This can also be avoided by checking wiki regularly to see if anything negative has been posted.
I am genuinally excited about learning more about wikis and eventually linking it to our school's website.

Hypothetical Media Specialist Situation

Let's say you are a media specialist at a school and a teacher approaches you and asked that you help introduce pod casting in the classroom. Although you may know little about pod casting, there is no reason to let on to your lack of experience. If you have ever been a first year teacher you will remember the margin of knowledge from the first time you taught until years later. The more you teach; the more you learn. You have no choice. This is why education is going more toward a student-centered classroom. If you put a student on the spot and say that he/she is to present a topic, they will do all they can to keep from embarrassing themselves in front of their peers. Using this train of thought, a media specialist might then decide to take this opportunity to offer a class on pod casting to the teachers at your school and even perhaps the surrounding schools in your district ('doesn't hurt to get brownie points while you are at it!).

You will be able to find ample resources on the web and in textbooks to assist you in creating a lesson that you present to your school or district. You could also use this as an opportunity to collaborate with teachers in their content areas. This past summer I volunteered for my field experience and was invited into a classroom where a nervous student presented a PowerPoint about the origins of their families. The student stood in front of the room and talked as a PowerPoint passed by. A podcast reduces the anxiety of a presentation and allows the presenter to fine tune the contents. There are also many group projects that can be used in science classes. Students learn more because they are having fun with technology. The media specialist could then offer to post it on the school's media page for future use by the teacher to engage students to a subject area. It may also be useful for teachers to get students caught up who are absent for medical reasons, as well as, a tool to communicate to parents about the expectations of the class. More and more, parents are too busy to get to the school to meet the teacher. A podcast may give a more personal touch to the teacher-parent relationship. Just as the first pod casting was only in audio format and now has moved to much more, pod casting in our schools is sure to grow exponentially in the future. Who knows what our children will be doing as adults on the Internet?

Podcasting and Learning

To be honest, before enrolling in this class, I was familiar with the term "podcasting," but that is where the familiarity ended. Our tech department offers what is called "mini-t's" where many different technology topics are addressed. Last year, there was a training on podcasting...I now wish that I had taken that class. I agree with the authors of the materials that I read, in that this is a fun way to learn. In a world where almost everything that we do revolves around technology, I can see how podcasting would and does keep students engaged and learning.
I found the ideas/projects in Kristen Fontichiaro's "Podcastin101" to be beneficial in suggesting the many and varied ways that podcasts can be used in the classroom. I particularly enjoyed viewing some of the podcasts that were available online. I could hear the enthusiasm in students voices as they read, talked, and/or discussed their projects. Using the podcasts to assess students learning is a great way for the teacher to evaluate his/her teaching as well as student learning.

WHAT WOULD I DO????
If a teacher approached me about podcasting, I would tell him/her that podcasting is new to me, but I am very interested in learning more about it. I would do some research, and I would also do a school-wide survey to see if any other teachers are interested. If there was a significant number of interested teachers, I would ask out tech department if it would be possible to set up a group training one afternoon. If there was low interest I would ask for training for the interested party and myself. I feel that once the two of us were able to create some podcasts and show other teachers how their classes could benefit from podcasting, interest would grow. I am interested in increasing student learning and knowledge. I'm also excited to find innovative and different ways to encourage learning and participation and that is why I would be interested in helping this teacher (and myself) learn more about podcasting.
I agree with Fontichiaro in that project should start small. I believe that an excellent starting point would be with booktalks. I intend to begin creating some booktalks for the media center and including them on our school web page. This would be a great tool in interesting students in books. I can also envision students doing book reports using podcasting. As teachers become more familiar with podcasting, they could use them in instruction. I feel that it would be beneficial for teachers to record tutorials for lessons and post them to the school website. Students who have difficulty with homework assignments could go to these podcasts for additional help (and parents,too). It might even be helpful to have students record tutorials.
The possibilities for using podcast in schools, media centers, and classrooms is endless and exciting.

Podcasting for Educators

As a SLMS, it is often our task to be current on new technologies in order to be of good service to our school community and clientele. Podcasting, an increasingly popular way to create MP3 and MP4 audio files, allows teachers and students to record, and broadcast a variety of materials on the web. In order to be of assistance to the teachers at my school, I try to find out as much about this subject and begin to compile information, sites, and links to useful tools online that help the teachers at my school to begin to create podcast lessons and/ or projects for their classes.

After reading the chapter on podcasting, I Library 2.0, a myriad of ideas began to swirl around in my head about podcasting. I immediately began thinking about how I could use podcasting in my own foreign language classroom. One such use could be to improve pronunciation. If a school doesn’t have a language lab (like mine) and software for technical pronunciation the teacher can create a fast and flexible practice method for groups or individuals in the computer lab. Using a free program such as Audacity, the teacher records or provides a commercial pronunciation segment and posts it to a student access file. Students can then access the file, listen and record their own file. They can toggle back and forth between their recording and the teacher or commercial sample to refine their listening and pronunciation. They can re-record their own speech until they are satisfied with the result then save the final recording in MP3 format and put it in a computer file "drop box" for the teacher to review with each student later.