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.