Within the Villa Rica Elementary media center sits a very large, very loud telecenter roaring behind a closed door. This door sticks like crazy, so it’s one place I’ll only enter when I absolutely have to. Sometimes I run up on it and give it a good heave-ho. By doing so, however, I quickly learned how hard steel doors are, especially on the joints.
Once inside, the noise of the gigantic tower drowns out everything else. The room is one of the hottest places at VRE, literally. In fact, it’s like walking into a sauna room but without the luxuries of a day spa. In one corner of the room sits the school’s server. There are shelves of teacher materials and quite a collection of VHS tapes and DVDs. However, two-thirds of the AV room is taken up by our telecenter. This serves as the video distribution hub of the school. It is approximately 7 feet tall, 8 feet long, and 4 feet wide. This hub contains switches (e.g. KVM) and buttons, a control panel, a built-in workstation, and a column of VCR/DVD combos and DVD players stacked one on top of each other and labeled with the channel number they can be viewed on. We use two displays to run and monitor school-wide broadcasts. A 9-inch monitor provides a display of what is being shown, and a computer desktop monitor shows the telecenter administration panel we use to schedule programming. Cables run through the ceiling to our studio allow for live broadcasting of the morning announcements school-wide. After this is over, we hook a lap top into the telecenter on a different channel so we can run the scrolling announcements all day long.
Another use of our distribution center at VRE is the transmission of special programs to classrooms either live or after the fact. Students watched Obama’s inauguration and recent address to students. We recorded it, then broadcasted it to all classrooms the last 20 minutes of the day per the principal’s request.
Now, from what I’ve been told, each school in Carroll County is suppose to, in theory, have a video distribution center. I know Bay Springs Middle does. I’ve heard about other schools, but I haven’t confirmed this. I have also heard rumors that those who bring their own VCRs/DVD players from home run the risk of having them confiscated or having their wires cut by county tech specialists. Bringing such personal possessions is a big no-no around here.
Despite complaints of micromanaging, having such a system isn’t all that bad. One reason is because all the material to be viewed in the classroom is preapproved. When teachers bring personal videos, they still have to come to the media center to ask us to play it for them. When a teacher gives us a movie to play on the telecenter, however, they MUST donate it. County policy does not allow schools to play personal movies through the video distribution center, so we keep anything that comes our way even if it has the principal’s seal of approval. Requesting videos already on hand is easy. Telecenter software on teachers’ computers allows them to request movies remotely. Cataloged materials show up in the directory. The request comes to us in the media center and appears on the administration screen. We locate, insert, then cue up the movie, and give their classroom control over playback. The media center can control this if necessary, but it’s better to give control to the teachers. They choose the channel they use to view it as well; all we do is set it up.
Regarding Discovery Education Streaming (formerly United Streaming), I knew that each employee of the Carroll County School System was entitled to an account. I have an account and use it often both instructionally and personally. What I did not know was that through Georgia Public Broadcasting (Georgial Education Streaming) we were entitled to one as well. The media specialist held an inservice at the beginning of the year at the principal’s request to help teachers set up an account and learn the basic features for using this Discovery Education resource. Some teachers struggled with logging on while others were already incorporating this wonderful resource into lessons and units. I think a number of teachers use streaming technology in the classroom. I know we use it in the media center in our lessons as much as possible, partially because it’s cool, but also in hopes it will catch on. I think some teachers would use it if they knew how, and I believe there are still a few at my school who have no interest. However, with a library of more than 7000 videos and 58,000 video clips already aligned to Georgia Performance standards, I would strongly encourage teachers who are reluctant to come on board. The Teacher Center offers so much more than just videos. I hope those who want to use it but don’t know how will come to the professional development workshops or visit us in the media center for a lesson on Discovery Streaming 101.
Georgia Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). GPB education. Retrieved November 6, 2009, from http://www.gpb.org/education
Theresa,
I found your post very interesting. I have to admit that I don't really know the rules behind video distribution as far as videos brought from home go. I am sure the reasoning is very valid, but I am not sure I understand why materials from home must be donated even with principal approval. I know you said it was a county policy, and it could very well be a county policy where I teach as well (Paulding County). Your post has really gotten me thinking...I think I am going to talk to me media specialist about all of this tomorrow. :)
I think the software on your teacher computers is awesome. We do not have that, but it seems like it would make the process so much easier. I have to say that I have learned a lot about video distribution just by reading this post, and I also now have some questions for my media specialist. :)
Amanda
Thanks! I was kinda shocked by the rule about the video tapes too. Mr. Salley, our principal, approved a teacher to have Clifford played in her classroom via the telecenter (remember, no one has DVD players). Then when she brought it down, the media specialist said she was only able to play it if the teacher left it as a donation. The teacher wasn't too happy since it was her granddaughter's, but she shrugged it off and said she'd buy another one because she really needed it shown. We own it now. Kinda makes me think hmmm, there wasn't another plan or maybe she just really didn't need the video back that badly. I asked, and she said it was something Carroll County did, no personal videos via our distribution center. I don't know if it's a deterrent or way to maintain control just a little bit more. Similarly, teachers are not allowed to take videos out of the media center to play via their computers, we just don't check them out. I don't necessarily think this is the media specialist's ruling since she's pretty mellow. Given some of the things blocked and some of the rules on what we can and can't do, I have a feeling it is coming from the technology department at the county level. It makes better sense then.
Theresa,
Madison County High School also has a video ditribution system, but it is old and out of date. They also have MediaCast which is also a storage/distribution system of sorts. One cannot go to a central location and punch a button to turn in on in every classroon; however, everyone can access it at the same time but it would be through the teacher using their home computer.
Channel One News is sent out daily. The new principal wants to have a school news program starting next fall (2010-2011). They will probably broadcast through MediaCast. Movies, segments of video clips and programs from GPTV, Dicovery Channel, History Channel, and MSNBC can be accessed by demand.
The video distribution system is also used for school wide distribution, for example, recently the school softball team was featured on GPTV BA Prep Sports+. Unfortunately, it was broadcasted on a Thursday evening and then again over the weekend. The media center taped the program and then broadcast it through Channel One. It is now stored on MediaCast and can be accessed at any time by anyone in within the Madison County district.
Kristin
Theresa, we have a similar setup to yours with a Pico PCM5 stack unit audio-video modulator for video (VHS and DVD) and closed circuit TV from Comcast available for use. It doesn't seem to be as noisy or hot in there as you described yours, but I, too, was somewhat apprehensive when I first became media specialist and was trying to learn how to get the whole thing going. It was a learn-as-you-go route I took because the previous media specialist had let the system fall into disrepair, and the whole thing had not been used for at least two years. It took quite a few calls to our tech department and Comcast to get someone in to even look at the mess! (Each entity was SURE the other one had responsibility for getting the system up and running again!) Once the tech department got tired of my calls (apparently!) and got the cables hooked back up and going again, the teachers were thrilled to be able to access GPB and our VHS/DVD collection for team planning. Not all our classroom VHS/DVD players were working at the time either, so the closed circuit system was really wanted and needed.
Closed circuit seems to be a great way to share resources for older and younger students. Teachers of grades K-2 like to be able to show PBS programs like "Curious George" or "Clifford the Big Red Dog" during Bus Hall time from 7:15-7:50 each day. The teachers really have NO trouble getting kids to come in and watch these, and it makes a nice transition from breakfast room, bus, or car rider lane to the classroom. Sometimes grades 3-5 will request me to tape a program from GPB during a non-school time (if there are rights allowable for this taping) or play a program for them during the day from CSPAN, as we did earlier in the year when President Obama spoke to the nation's school children. It was much better to view the President's speech live on TV than via streaming video on the computer, which was a little choppy because of the heavy "traffic" on the web at that time. While our system is a bit old because we were the first school in the county to get a closed circuit system, it is now viable once again and used daily by all grade levels.
Our system has had quite a bit of trouble with Discovery Streaming prior to this school year, but we are gaining momentum with using that resource now. Our county has purchased its own server dedicated to Discovery Streaming, so it is much less a problem to download things than the way it was done last year. I have been downloading some of the programs to flashdrives or CDs for teachers to use when they need certain programs for the GPS as these come up in the curriculum. The teachers like to have the CDs handy for their students to use as centers with headphones. As you said, "with a library of more than 7,000 videos and 58,000 video clips already aligned to Georgia Performance Standards," it seems a wise use of FREE resources by using Discovery Streaming. My teachers always seem very appreciative and surprised there is really so much out there ready to use that already goes with their GPS and their lessons. Kids love videos, old time photos, and audio recordings of famous people they are studying. I hope to be able to do more with Discovery Streaming in upcoming mini-courses I am planning for the faculty. GPB, Discovery Streaming, and video distribution are great resources we have just begun to tap.