Media Mavens

WRAM, School TV News of Mt. Carmel Elementary in Douglasville, Georgia, is broadcast daily. Linda Crews, Media Specialist at Mt. Carmel, was happy to share information about WRAM in a recent interview. Fifth grade gifted students prepare scripts, interviews, and announcements for the 4-5 minute broadcast each morning. Students are responsible for writing, editing, and presenting ideas for the group to consider. Mrs. Crews is the producer for the news program, oversees the writing, is general manager, and is in charge of other production segments. The media clerk takes over for Mrs. Crews when Linda has to be absent. The WRAM news team is comprised of students as two anchors, a camera person, and a director. Teams change every nine weeks with one or two members who continue on to serve from the previous term but who take on different jobs in the new term. Nine week rotations are done from a pool of candidates who have a desire to be on the WRAM team and are willing to take a training session before each term. Mrs. Crews said students are very eager to be on the WRAM news team.

Each afternoon at 2:00 PM the broadcast team meets with Mrs. Crews to discuss upcoming events, schedule interviews and other news segments for the next day. Scripts are written during that time to be rehearsed the next morning at 7:30 AM. If there is time, the first run-through is video-taped for the team to review. The broadcast is live over closed circuit TV throughout the school at 8:00 AM. Interviews with teachers or other students are conducted live with questions prepared the day before. On Fridays, there is an extended broadcast that includes Ram awards for the week—attendance, PE, Art, Music, etc. Recognition is given to students throughout the school for exemplary behavior or academic achievement.

A typical broadcast for Monday through Thursday will include the Pledge of Allegiance, Moment of Silence, the breakfast and lunch menus, announcements, short interview of a teacher or student, or book review. If there is time, a joke, vocabulary word, or quotation is given, as well. Fridays’ extended broadcasts will usually include the daily broadcast material, as well as the inclusion of staff members who do the awards. Students take their copy from a laptop at eye level that runs a Power Point of their broadcast material to be read aloud. Student teams had experimented with anchors reading from papers on the table, but they weren’t making eye contact enough, so a change was made to reading copy from the laptop. Since Mt. Carmel has been doing School TV News for many years, the entire process is smooth, and all students know what they are supposed to do to remain on the news team.

The WRAM School TV news production serves all in the school. Students talk to students on topics that interest them. Instead of reading announcements, adults can check in late students, or get new students settled before the school day begins. Other adults oversee the production, but students do the writing, editing, and read the copy on their own. This activity successfully promotes student responsibility and school pride in the broadcast. Students are motivated to do their best and work diligently to get accurate material out to the school community. WRAM School TV News has certainly achieved its goals for students at Mt. Carmel Elementary!

When learning about school news broadcasting this week, I realized that I would have to interview someone because my own school does not have a school news program. I had the good fortune of interviewing George Webber, a media specialist, from Barnett Shoals Elementary School in Clarke County.

At Barnett Shoals, the school news is broadcasted everyday in the morning. It is a "webcast" live to all classrooms on the school district intranet. It is filmed using digital video cameras, microphones, a cd player for music, and a computer to show graphics (e.g. PowerPoint slide, and also short clips such as the pledge of allegiance). The audio and video are mixed on equipment and then "encoded" on an expensive machine that "webcasts" the program.

This year, the new principal desired a short announcements program (no features). The students do the following: Welcome, Intro Pledge, Moment of Silence, Lunch, Birthdays, the BEAR call (behavior motto that stands for be responsible, engage in learning, always follow directions, and respect myself and others), and sign off. The principal comes on for a few short morning announcements before the BEAR call. The broadcast teams also make additional content shows using the studio equipment; these they call "BEAR-TV Extra." For example, they have made a jeopardy type game "Who Am I/Biography" for Michael Jackson.

The students run the show, and the media specialist supervises and runs the "encoder" computer that webcasts the signal. Students create the PowerPoint and video or photograph school events and the pledge of allegiance. They also operate the equipment. They are having a fundraiser right now that they coordinated and put together (a bake sale) to raise a little money for some new cords/plugs and "junk".

Three teams are rotated on a weekly basis. This year, there are five kids on a team. All of them are fifth graders. Mr. Webber and the fifth graders train the upcoming fourth graders in the spring on how to work the program and run it independently for at least a week. Students are recommended by their teacher, and they ask. A student can ask a teacher to recommend him/her. Students are interviewed and must take home a "responsibility" agreement and a form for parents to sign. Students can rotate around the jobs in the studio if they wish, and they usually do. They must have meeting or exceeding grades (no needs improvement allowed).

The concept of social networking is far from being a new idea. Rather, what is new is the online format. Perhaps you've heard the adage "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Following this theory, each person knows a collective body of individuals. The primary level is comprised of family, friends, and coworkers. Secondary groups of contacts, friends of family, friends of friends, and friends of colleagues then emerges. As more levels are added, the complexity of social linking continues to grow.


It was J. A. Barnes, not Tom over at MySpace, who coined the phrase “social networking” in 1954 and the topic has been studied by experts from a wide range of social disciplines ever since. At the heart of social networking theory is the belief that connections are nodes on a map. The value and strength of the relationships are measured by their levels of integration. Therefore, a strong network is characterized by associations who share common beliefs and ideas, whereas a weak social network is described as having limited interconnectedness amongst group members. It has been argued that everyone in the world can be reached through a short chain of fewer than six acquaintances. This hypothesis, commonly known as “Six Degrees of Separation” was developed and tested by social psychologist Stanley Milgram in the late 1960s (Mathews, 2007, p. 76).

Fast forward forty years. Social networking takes place all around us. However, the setting is now the World Wide Web. Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and LiveJournal are but a few of the most popular. People use Nings to form communities for schools, businesses, or just because. Take for instance the novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. There are countless communities for fans to come together to discuss characters, plot, and conflict. Teachers, media specialists, and school administrators are starting to catch on to this trend. The Teacher Librarian Network is one example of a network for media specialists from all over to communicate in one place. Another example, SMART Board Revolution, is a great place to ask questions and share ideas. Sounds great, right? In theory, yes, but a large number of school districts still block these helpful resources, although slowly but surely schools are coming around.

In general, members on social networking sites can create and share profiles, connect with one another, join groups, send messages or announcements, chat, upload photos, write entries, and search for even more people they know. It is important to set privacy controls to protect one’s identity (Mathews, 2007, p. 79). It is also important not to provide too much information (TMI) because being an open book can lead to trouble if one is not careful. This is especially true with students. The knee jerk reaction is to simply block access to these sites. But that’s not solving any problems. Students still access MySpace and Facebook on their mobile devices, and an alarming number of teens have accounts they access at home or at friends’ houses. That is why it is important to educate students on proper online behavior.

It is a known fact that online predators lurk in the dark corners of the Internet waiting for the vulnerable and the naïve as evidenced by Dateline NBC’s program “To Catch a Predator.” But there are pedophiles walking our streets, living in our neighborhoods (see the National Sex Offender Registry) and these sickos prey on children in real life too. We teach our children not to talk to or take gifts from strangers, not to open the door when mom’s not home, and never to tell strangers personal information that could place them in danger. Why should the Internet be any different? The risks are still very real, and we need to prepare them even if they never log onto a social networking site at school. It is almost a sure bet that those curious enough will find a way somewhere, somehow to get online and see what the hype is all about.

As for the risk of accessing adult content, parents and teachers have to be mindful of that anyhow. Sex can sell just about anything these days, and you can even find innuendos in children’s programs/movies. We can turn off our radios and TVs and walk around the mall blindfolded if we care to filter everyday life the same way schools filter the Internet. Depending on the purpose of the group, there is little or no risk in accessing Web sites designed for school purposes anyhow, especially when memberships are moderated. Using online networks in a classroom setting holds a lot of potential, and it therefore seems counterproductive not to use them to enrich learning. Students connecting with other students on a large project promote global relations and those who visit a site to discuss math, science, or other subjects can “talk” with other people near and far through posting and responding. Not to mention that blogging and posting on an online forum improves written communication skills. Moreover, social networking may also motivate reluctant students.

So what are schools to do about the social networking debate? Well, there has to be some filtering, I think we can all agree, and that is based on better judgment. And while it is true that not all social networks are appropriate for classroom settings, I believe that if used properly, social networking can enhance projects and help form new connections. School districts can use networking to communicate information to parents and businesses. Currently, most of this is accomplished via school Web pages. These require that a Webmaster keep information current whereas networks are updated collectively. Software for school sites usually cost a great deal of money. Social networks, like most Web 2.0 resources, are open-source and FREE. It is my hope that in the next five years that school districts will start allowing social networking in the classroom because once they move past the stigma, they really are awesome tools.

Mathews, B. S. (2007). Online social networking. In Courtney, N. (Ed.). Library 2.0 and beyond (pp. 75-78). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

“It's about the next 20 years. Twenties and Thirties it was the role of government, Fifties and Sixties it was civil rights. The next two decades it's gonna be privacy. I'm talking about the Internet. I'm talking about cell phones. I'm talking about health records… in a country born on the right to be free, what could be more fundamental than that?”

For some reason, whenever I think of social networking, I think of this quote by Sam Seaborn (aka Rob Lowe) on The West Wing. It just so happens, that this quote is from the first season of this show – one of my all-time favorites – which premiered in 1999. So this quote is ten years old.

“Sam” was pretty insightful for a fictional character.

When I think about social networking in schools, privacy is my primary concern. Doug Johnson, in his article Staying Safe on the Read-Write Web says, “To put it simply, the danger to kids in Web 2.0 comes not from what they may find online, but from what they may put online for others to find” (Johnson, 2008).

We threaten our own privacy, and maybe our own safety, by what we put on the web.

I’m not saying I’m against social networking, far from it! But of all the Web 2.0 tools I’ve learned about over the last year, when it comes to student safety, this one worries me the most.

It doesn’t, however, appear to be worrying students. According to a 2007 study released by the National School Boards Association (NSBA), 96% of the students questioned admitted to using some form of social networking. From there, 81% of the students said they used specific social networking sites in the last three months, and 71% claim they use social networking tools weekly. More than half of these students, however, admit that they discuss projects, homework, or a topic they learned in class while networking (National School Boards Association [NSBA], 2007). So it’s not all predators and perverts.

In fact, according to the NSBA study, the dangers are not as high as we might expect. Of the students surveyed:
• 20% have seen unsuitable images on social networking sites
• 18% of students saw improper language on social networking sites
• 7% of students say someone asked them for personal information
• 7% of students have “cyberbullied”
• 4% of students have had uncomfortable conversations
• 3% of students have had repeated attempts at communication from unwanted strangers
• 2% of students had online strangers try to meet them, or set up a meeting
• .08% of students have actually met someone without their parents’ permission (NSBA, 2007).

I used a lot of these facts in my Internet filtering paper, but they focus heavily on social networking, so they seemed important for this blog as well.

What these facts show is that students know and use social networking. What we have to do is make sure they know how to use social networking safely.

There are so many sites available to teach teens how to use the Internet and yes, even social networking sites safely. One of these, StaySafe.org has 11 tips for social networking safety. In a nutshell, they are:
1. Be careful when clicking on links that you see on social networking pages or that your friends send you on these pages.
2. Be aware of the information you put on the web. People could use your family members’ names, birthdates, hometown, and other information to guess your passwords.
3. Invitations and messages are not always what they seem. Someone could be using your friend’s ID or email to gain your information. Check out suspicious invitations.
4. Don’t let your social networking site have access to your email address book.
5. Don’t log on to your social networking site from a link. Type the address or use a bookmark you created.
6. Know the people you befriend on social networking sites. Strangers could be trying to steal your information.
7. Investigate a social networking site before joining. Know the privacy policies and personal safeguards.
8. What happens on the web stays on the web. But in this case, it isn’t private, nor is it temporary. A photograph you post tomorrow could still be out there ten years from now when you are job-hunting. Be aware of what you post.
9. Just because you can download it, doesn’t mean you should. Downloadable applications are not always safe and computers should be protected before downloading applications.
10. Be cautious when using social networking sites at work.
11. Discuss social networking with your children before allowing them to join (Microsoft, 2009).

I’ll admit, I was wary of joining Facebook. I’ve never been on MySpace, and I don’t have time to “tweet.” But I see enormous educational possibilities for sites like Delicious and its grouping of links, and Flickr and the ability to store photographs. I believe both of these sites would be fun for classroom projects. I can even see teachers creating online scavenger hunts with Delicious.

And, I have found Facebook very beneficial. Besides enjoying catching up with my friends, I have received potential job openings from some of my former elementary school teachers. I have used the site to ask friends and relatives who are already educators, questions about Web 2.0 tools and school policies. I’m even friends with one of my UWG professors, and I’ve sought her advice on a wide range of topics.

More than any of the other Web 2.0 tools, I do see the dangers in social networking. But at the same time, those dangers can evaporate when we are educated and aware. We have to protect our own privacy; no one is going to do it for us. Know the fundamentals.

Sam Seaborn would be proud!


Johnson, D. (2008). Staying safe on the read-write web [Electronic version]. Library Media Connection, 26(6), 48-52.

Microsoft. (2009). 11 tips for social networking safety. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from http://www.microsoft.com/protect/parents/social/socialnet.aspx

National School Boards Association. (2007). Creating & connecting//Research and guidelines on online social – and educational – networking [PDF document]. Retrieved July 17, 2009, from http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf

Sam Seaborn. (2004). BartlettforAmerica.org. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/char/sam_q.html

Back in the day, quiet librarians stayed in their room in the middle of the school. Their shelves were neat. Their books were in order. When students ventured into the library, the librarian was there to keep boys out of the National Geographic magazines and shush the girls who were giggling in the reference section. Occasionally, the librarian would send a short note or “Library Letter” advising a teacher of students’ overdue books. Once a year librarians would come out of their darkened room to the school assembly to award certificates or gold stars to quiet students who followed the library rules and read the most books.

Zoom ahead to the 21st century. Modern media centers are alive with people, activity, technology, and NOISE! Our school media specialists have become drum majors in the “No Child Left Behind” parade. These multi-taskers keep technology updated, manage the many print and nonprint resources, collaborate with teachers and parents, promote literacy, and work to get students involved with media and with each other. Online media centers are popping up all over the Internet as media specialists expand their students’ learning experiences into the World Wide Web.

Virtual Media Centers! What should our school media web sites look like? What should they include?

Since the 1990s those who have wanted to attract buyers to their products have relied on web designers to create eye-catching online displays. These ads and web sites pop with visual and audio features to grab their audience’s attention. Can educational sites compete in this arena?

As media specialists, we know our “buyers” are students and teachers who are used to the immediacy of the Internet. They want to be able to have information at their fingertips NOW. As seasoned Net users, students and teachers want to get the news, research and look for information on a hobby or interest, and find an answer to a question (Warlick, 2005). As media specialists who are not paid web designers, we do want to draw attention to our features and help our patrons find what they are seeking. Jamie McKenzie (2008) in his “Eighteen Tenets for Web Pages” suggests ways we can create interest but get our readers to what they want. Three of his suggestions are below.

(1) Take a minimalist approach to page design. “Less is More.” Avoid too many pictures and images that slow download time and waste bandwidth.

(2) Provide visitors with enough information to make wise choices. Thumbnail sketches to a few good sites with appropriate links are better than mega lists that are not well researched. This will keep some white space on your site and point your reader to information that you can be sure is suitable to the learning situation.

(3) Maintain consistent formats and avoid a hodge podge of random designs. “Showboating” different fonts, graphics, and designs can keep your audience from getting to needed information.

Walbert (2006) seconds all of the above and adds that web accessibility must be open to all, including those with disabilities. We must consider those who are visually impaired, color-blind, or deaf. We can not assume that all will be able to get our message in sound bytes or slick illustrations. Color can not be relied upon as the lone marker of special content, and fonts with “tails” can hinder reading for far-sighted individuals. Walbert suggests the use of blogs as a cheap/free way to interact with the audience. Blogging builds the website into an open-ended discussion of educational issues, entertainment, and source of shared information. Each member of the community has equal access to voice opinions on books, media, and issues. Each blog entry makes the content new again.

Jurkowski (2006) found that websites should reflect the age of targeted users by adding these features:

· Library news

· Databases

· Career/college information

· Fun sites

· News and current events

· Online magazines

· Accelerated Reader information

· Book clubs

· Parent volunteers

· Special library events

As a media webmaster, I also offer these suggestions:

· Photos of the physical media center

· Photos of students in media events

· Links to award-winning books and authors’ sites

· Student book talks—written and audio

· Interviews with teachers and staff on books they like

· Top ten books circulated through the month (Destiny will get you these statistics)

· Links to books read aloud online (most have read along book pages)
--beginning readers:
http://www.mightybook.com/ http://kids.aol.com/KOL/1/KOLJrStories
BookHive at http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/zingertales/default.asp?storyID=3
--English and Spanish readers:
http://kids.nypl.org/reading/Childrensebooks.cfm
--mP3s to download and read along
http://www.free-books.org/
--Screen Actors’ Guild BookPals site
http://www.bookpals.net/

· Information on GALILEO (where to get password)

· Information on netTrekker (school and home use)

What should our school media center web sites look like? What should they include? Our media sites should reflect the interests and goals of our students and teachers. We should include enough material to keep our users interested but point them to more information elsewhere. We should include interactive sites that invite dialog and showcase ingenuity and integrity in the information we place there. We must be aware that our users vary in interests, physical abilities, and educational needs. Our websites should spark users’ curiosity to ask for more and then fan the flames of interest to look for more. Unlike the restricted paper notes of the “Library Letter,” our media center web sites reach out to infinite cyberspace to bring instant information to our users in ways never imagined by our mothers (or fathers)!

References
Jurkowski, O. (2006). Technology and the school library. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow
Press, Inc.

McKenzie, J. (2008). Design tenets for web pages. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from
http://www.fromnowon.org

Walbert, D. (2006). Best practices in school library website design. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/paes/969

Warlick, D. (2005). Building web sites that work for your media center [PDF]. Retrieved
October 17, 2009, from
http://staging.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/v33/warlick.pdf

WORK, SCHOOL, HOME, CHILDREN, BALLET LESSONS, SOCCER GAMES, PIANO PRACTICE, CHURCH FUNCTIONS...
If you are like me, you are always on the run--busy doing so many things it makes your head spin! So when I can find something that makes my life easier and a little less hectic, I am ecstatic. That's why I feel technology is an essential tool that should be used whenever possible. It makes life a little easier. And we all like that, right?? So, why not take advantage of technology as it relates to school media centers? Why are there so many school media centers that do not implement a web page to communicate vital information that students, teachers, and parents, can use? Instead of students and teachers having to look at several different locations and websites to find the information they need, they could go directly to the media center site for help. For instance, have you ever been looking for a phone number in the phone book and you just can't seem to find the one you are looking for? I know I have. However, the convenience of being able to just type the name in on the Web and have it pop up right before my eyes is brilliant! I no longer need to look through hundreds of names in the local phone book to find the one I need. I can access the number I need at one central location, the Internet White Pages, and find the name quicker and more conveniently. The same idea applies to having a media center web page for your school. On this media center web page, information such as hours of operation, media center phone number, links to books (Caldecott, Newbery, New York Bestseller List, etc.), and the American Library Association (ALA) can all be included on the center's home page. Additionally, information of events happening at the school's media center, such as book fairs, contests, Dr. Seuss day celebrations, Reading Bowl try-outs, and book talks can all be posted for the school community to view. Volunteer sign-up sheets can be posted on the media center's web page to encourage parental involvement in the school media center's activities.
The possibilities are endless!

As media specialists, we want to encourage patrons to use the media center and all the amenities it offers. We want them to be information literate and tech-savvy. I believe that having a media center web page encourages information literacy and technological knowledge through use of the links and web page itself. Additionally, it will provide information that patrons may not have known was available. Most of all, it will be a convenient way for the media specialist to communicate with students, teachers, and parents. I believe that a media center web page is a must have for all schools! I think of it as a one stop shop for all things media! So, if you are a media specialist, what are you waiting for??? Create your media center web page TODAY!

As a teacher, have you ever looked into the eyes of your students and noticed that they were in "La-La Land"? I know that I have! And it was disheartening to know that I was not capturing their attention and pulling them into the subject with the same enthusiasm that I have for it. I absolutely ADORE history and find discussions on events of the past thrilling and captivating. So why don't my students feel the same way about my beloved subject matter?? What are their disintrested faces telling me? Their trips to "la-la land" during my class time could mean that my students stayed up way too late the night before watching tv, playing on the computer, texting on their phones, or just old-fashioned partying. But what can I do about that--other than admonish them for not getting enough sleep and rest. In this instance, it is time to think of a new approach. As a teacher, what can you do to turn the situation around? You may need a technique to get their attention that does not require the old pen, paper, and book lesson. Why not try a tech savvy idea--a podcast!

Podcasts can enhance the learning environment. They can be an innovative way to implement instruction and grab the attention of your students. Students can get bored with the traditional methods of learning, especially in this fast moving technological age. If you want to see their eyes light up with---dare I say it?? --EXCITEMENT--introduce your lesson with a podcast and see what reaction you get from your students. Or, if you are really brave and adventurous, why not have them make a podcast of their own which deals with the subject you are teaching? Wow! Now that might be interesting!! The students can "teach" each other and share their own unique way of explaining the subject and make meaningful connections to the material being studied. Additionally, students can work in groups, reinforcing collaboration.

Podcasts are great educational tools because they can be used across the curriculum. All subjects can be addressed in podcasts. Podcasts defy location barriers. They can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection. In reality, podcasts have the potential to reach a world-wide audience. If your students thought that their podcasts might help teach a student on the other side of the world a math lesson, grammar lesson, or science concept they might begin to display a passion for learning and teaching that they had not displayed before. They would, at the very least, display an excitement of being the "producer and host of their own radio show" (Kretz, 2007, p.40). I believe every student has a favorite subject and a talent for explaining that subject to others that we as teachers may not be able to do. Why not turn students on to learning and teaching (working with their classmates) by using the great tool of podcasting? After all, what do we have to lose???

In my opinion, Podcasting will be the top teaching aid of the future!


Reference
Courtney, N. (Ed.). (2007). Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow's user. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

I think the problem with webpages today is information is changing all of the time. Media specialists need to be able to go to their web page and post that there is a book fair next month, for example, and that volunteers are needed. One cannot do this easily with a webpage. I would definitely say that the webpage is outdated. Now that people use I-phones and are checking their e-mail every hour, we are a generation that needs to know what is going on right now. People walk down the street while text messaging a friend or collegue. The strength of the wiki page is being able to put the information out there in real time.

I was talking to my husband, who is a graduation coach at a local high school, and he feels that having (if it were allowed) a wiki page for the counselors' office would be an awesome time saver now that his school has advisement everyday. The wiki would give teachers a place to go to access worksheets and handouts on a daily basis. From a counselor standpoint, this would be one place for them to post news for teachers about testing, changes in advisement, test review, etc. Teachers would not have to be running to their mailboxes at the last minute to see what the counselors have given them to do during advisement. It is a win/win situation.

The biggest problem is getting the people in the school districts that control the computer filters to see that wikis, blogs, podcasts and who knows what else is where education is headed. Teachers are having to change the way they teach every five to ten years because someone has reinvented the wheel; however, students really like and get excited about using technology. If our school districts and administrators could see that this is what we need to be doing to get our children actively involved in learning and the potential for increasing test scores, then maybe some changes will be made,

Six months ago, if you asked me what a wiki was I might have been able to describe Wikipedia; but the explanation would have been derogatory.

“Wikipedia?” I might have said, “Oh, that’s just that online encyclopedia thing. But you can’t trust it; anybody can change the information on that site. I wouldn’t use it.”

Otherwise, I had no idea what a wiki was. And probably wouldn’t have known one if I’d seen it.

It’s amazing what we can learn when we want to. And even more amazing how our thoughts, opinions, and even vocabulary can change in months, or even weeks. I know mine have when it comes to wikis, and most Web 2.0 tools.

Now, four months later, I’ve learned just about everything there is to know about Wikispaces.com, and I’ve helped to create a wiki (although I will admit most of my participation was supplying copy for the pages).

And while I still look up additional resources to back up anything I find on Wikipedia, I no longer look down on the Web site as a waste of space on the Web (as if that space were limited). I’ve even been known to check a quick fact on the informative site.

Wikis – for those newly initiated into the Web 2.0 world – are still Web pages. They are simply pages that can be created and modified by more than one user. Wikis are collaborative, interactive, and widely used – especially for those who prefer asynchronous work.

They are also easy to create. The only tools needed are an Internet connection and Web browser. The technology behind wikis involves CGI script and plain text. These two are combined to create quick and easy Web pages. Actually, the word wiki means quick in Hawaiian, but quick-Web doesn’t flow off the tongue the way wiki does. Ward Cunningham of Microsoft coined the term (Educause Learning Initiative, 2005).

There are several sites that make creating a wiki even easier. One of the most popular is Wikispaces. I did my Tech Tip on Wikispaces, and learned a great deal about this user-friendly Web site. One of the most important things I learned is that Wikispaces offers free wikis to educators. This site: http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers offers more information on free wikis.

There are a multitude of other sites that can help you create your own wiki. Some of these include: Wetpaint, PBworks, Luminotes, and Wikibooks a site for online educational textbooks.

And there are so many ways educators can use wikis – class projects, homework sites, online book clubs, group projects within a class, community liaisons, a lesson plan database, a way to share creative writing projects, and so many other uses. These are just the ones I’ve come up with off the top of my head.

But I did look up some educational wikis, just to see what other people have come up with using this technology. There is actually a wiki on Wikispaces that talks about how wikis can support education. You can find it at http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Articles+and+Resources. The first page is a list of tutorials, guides, articles, discussions, podcasts, and other resources to help you learn more about and better understand wikis. The first tutorial on this page, A Wiki Walk-Through, gives excellent ideas for wikis in subject areas like math, social studies, and foreign languages. Click on this link for some of those ideas http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikiideas1.cfm.

The other page of this wiki does exactly what it says it does; it gives examples of educational wikis. These are listed in alphabetical order, and there are dozens of them. For each wiki listed, there is a link to the wiki, the teacher’s name, the school (or a pseudonym), and a brief description of that wiki. Some of the ones I found interesting are:

Teenager’s Guide to Everywhere

• This wiki was created by ninth grade students in South Dakota. Using tags and a Google map, these teens have created their own travel guide, providing interesting facts about exciting places around the world. To choose the theme of your trip, or a specific locale, you can click on the map or on one of the many tags across the top of the page. Tags range from art to mystery to London to death, with other amusing themes in between. By the way, death takes you to a page about Auschwitz.

Ah Bon French

• This wiki is for middle school students who are learning French. There are eight chapters and two appendices, and each of these is divided into three segments and then lesson plans are provided. Not all of the chapters or appendices have a third segment, but all have a link to lesson plans. I clicked on the Chapter Six Birthday Parties segment and found a lot of words I’ve forgotten how to pronounce since college French, but a fun way for students to interact. You can also translate everything on this site into several different languages. I chose Japanese and was amazed by how quickly everything translates. And no, I couldn’t read a thing.

2^nd Grade Class Wiki

• It is impossible to resist looking at this wiki from Southern California. Each of the students has their own individual page that contains a personal narrative. Chloe’s describes her best birthday ever when she had a party at Build-A-Bear. There are also ABCs of different subjects like Health and PE, Social Studies, Math, and Writing. And, there is an avatar narrator.

I also looked at a few media center wikis and found that most don’t have a lot of interactive elements to them. The Woodstown Middle School wiki does have a list of book reviews, which would be an interesting addition, except the postings are all from teachers. But I do like the idea of posting different book reviews on a media wiki. Lack of interaction may be one of the downsides of wikis. People too scared of the technology or too scared of embarrassment to post something on the page. But one of the positive attributes of wikis is that they can be changed and edited. So if you realized later than you misspelled a word, you can simply go back and change it. Or someone else could do it for you. Of course, this is another downside. On public wikis, anyone can change the content. And a problem could occur if you created a brilliant page with all the information anyone could possible want to know about the Battle of the Bulge. Then, two days later, someone goes into your public wiki and says that the Battle of the Bulge is waged on NBC’s The Biggest Loser; and goes on to describe that show in great detail. But by having a private or protected wiki, this is less likely to happen. All in all, my views on wikis have changed dramatically in the last few months – primarily because I now know what a wiki actually is. But this new knowledge also has me thinking about various ways to use wikis. First, my mind is trying to determine how I can turn my Media Center Orientation into a wiki, and from there, who knows? The possibilities are as vast as potential Wikipedia topics!

Educause Learning Initiative. (2005). 7 things you should know about wikis. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf

“Hey, Mrs. T, how about some of our students doing some podcasts on westward migration for social studies? Could you help us with that? I think some of our students would really love doing it! ” Does this sound like something a media specialist in your school might hear while on the way down the hall, in the workroom, or at a PTA Fall Festival?

Media Specialists are usually seen as the “first responders” when school personnel or students have technology needs or desires. If media specialists have worked at developing good relationships with the teachers in a school and with the students who come to the media center every day, the conversation above will not seem at all fictional. The responsible media specialist who is approached by a colleague or student group desiring to begin a new venture like podcasting will want to have good information to share that will encourage teacher and student participation. As a relative “newbie” in the technology world of the media center myself, I would admit my lack of knowledge to my colleague or student and would immediately make plans to do some research on podcasting to educate myself. Some questions I might raise would include:

1. What, exactly, is podcasting?
2. What good podcasting programs are already out there that might be used as exemplary models?
3. How would podcasting benefit students?
4. How can podcasting be done without a HUGE outlay of monies I DON’T HAVE?
5. How can we engage students in podcasting that will encourage them to “think outside the box,” get creative, and still get their message across?
6. How can we evaluate the effectiveness of podcasting in enhancing our students’ educational experience?

Fortunately, podcasting is gaining in popularity and growing into a real multimedia wellspring of information. With positive results for students who produce them, podcasts supply information for their listeners in an entertaining way. A true win-win situation!

The media specialist who wants to look at podcasting at his/her school can hop on the Web and finds lots of examples, helpful hints, and evaluation tools about podcasting with students. In looking at the six questions above, we can find practical assistance in all those areas.

In defining podcasting, EPN (The Education Podcast Network) offers this:

"The best way to understand podcasting is to imagine a merger between blogging (regularly posted articles of news, insight, fun, grips, literature, and more) and radio, an established broadcasting medium that people have listened to for news and entertainment for generations" (Warlick, 2009).

Additionally, Tony Vincent who helped develop the Radio WillowWeb podcasting project for elementary students in Nebraska says,

"There are three kinds of podcasts. Audio podcasts are usually an MP3 file and are the most common types of podcasts. Enhanced podcasts can have images to go along with the audio. They can also have chapter markers, making it easier to skip to different portions of an episode. Enhanced podcasts are an AAC file and are not supported by all devices. Video podcasts are movies, complete with sound. Video podcasts can be in a variety of formats, but MPEG-4 is the most popular" (Vincent, 2009).

Good sites for student podcasting are readily available, and at least three sites have become premier examples for other schools wishing to start podcasting. From the Web we can find good examples of student podcasting at these sites:

· Radio WillowWeb with its “WillowCasts” from grades 1-5 at Willowdale Elementary School, Omaha, Nebraska
http://millard.esu3.org/willow/radio/index.html
I was absolutely amazed at the quality and scope of all the broadcasts at this site. From the first graders’ “Fabulous Fish” to the fifth graders’ “Remembering the Revolution,” students wrote their own scripts and produced these 8-9 minute broadcasts with music, interviews, and valuable information their classmates would love.

· “Couley Kids” showcases seventh graders’ Podcasts from Longfellow Middle School in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Their earlier URL has been now changed to an iTunes space at
http://www.apple.com/search/downloads/?q=Coulee+kids

· ColeyCast podcasts originate in the fifth grade classroom of Mr. Coley in Tovashal Elementary School in Murrieta, California. There is also information for teachers who wish to begin podcasting. Parts of speech, the human body, and Spanish explorers in the U.S. are just a few of the informative podcasts available here. Other fifth graders (and their parents!) will enjoy hearing school stuff from students their own age. There are some animations, extended readings, and still pictures available on the site that further explain each podcast’s topic.
http://www.mrcoley.com/coleycast/index.htm

Benefits to students who participate in podcasts are numerous. Students gain valuable insight into all the steps in producing material “ready for prime time.” They learn how to interview, how to write a script, how to transition between segments, how to speak before an audience, how to ratchet up interest in their topic with music and graphics, how to edit, and how to make a meaningful piece of information fun and entertaining. Here, with the help of the school library media specialist, students learn to work with adults and with each other. Guess that is what we are all about in education, right?

Budgets and dollar signs are a worry in today’s economy and are an unfortunate companion to all our great ideas. Podcasting, though, seems to give a pretty good “bang for the buck” because production materials are cheap or even free. Media specialists and students can create podcasts with step-by-step instructions and inexpensive/free equipment as described by Tony Vincent’s “Learning in Hand” Web site.

"I suggest using a USB headset microphone like those made by Logitech. Students then don't have to worry about their distance from the microphone while they read their scripts or notes. . . if you use Macintosh, I suggest using the included GarageBand software for recording and postproduction. If you use Windows, I suggest using the free software Audacity for recording and postproduction" (Vincent, 2009).

A good way to begin in a small way is with a single podcast in a “Podcast for Dummies” approach. By producing a segment for “Our City” at http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/participate.html the novice “podder” can make a meaningful project under the expert guidance of Tony Vincent of “Radio WillowWeb” fame. Here Tony gives step-by-step instructions for what to include in a short segment explaining about your home city. Prompts for script-writing, suggestions about how to put it all together, and explicit directions for publishing it in a contained site are all here. Check out some existing podcasts from a city near you at
http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/index.html

How can we add to the appeal of podcasting for students? After all, being “on air” is exciting enough for most students of any age. We can, however, offer ways for students to get creative with their podcasts. Adding music really gets them interested. Vincent has suggestions for that, too.

"For making music, I suggest using Sony's free ACID XPress. Visit ACIDplanet.com each week for free musical loops for ACID Xpress . . . podsafe music is the term for music that can be legally used in a podcast and freely distributed online for others to download" (Vincent, 2009).

Nine different hyperlinks at Vincent’s “Create Podcasts” take you to FREE podsafe music distributed on the Web. Inserting graphics or photos add another dimension to the podcast experience. Great links and video tutorials helpful to media specialists are available at http://www.mrcoley.com/coleycast/podcastingresources.htm/. Another great media specialist’s resource is a free 34 page booklet with how-to podcasting tips available for download at http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/booklet.html

Finally, as with all educational endeavors, we need ways to evaluate what we are doing. Have we really provided another way for students to learn something new and interact in a meaningful way with others? Have we encouraged creativity and higher order thinking skills? Or are we simply providing a techno babysitting service? Ways to assess our progress with technological goals in education are offered in several spots. Two of them are described here.

The “A+ Podcast Rubric” from Ann Bell at the University of Wisconsin offers potential podcasters a way to define a good podcast, engage in self-evaluation, and engage in a discussion of what a good podcast should contain. This rubric can be printed out to use with students.
Note: descriptions below were chosen from Bell’s “exemplary” stage; many more descriptors are available at the web site. Possible points for each section range from 9 (exemplary) to 0 (Incomplete).

· Introduction—catchy, clever, relevant information, clear purpose, immediate engagement of the listener
· Content—creative, original, innovative content with accurate information and succinct concepts
· Delivery—well-rehearsed, smooth, conversational style
· Interview—open ended drawing interesting and relevant information from the interviewee.
· Graphics, music—graphics/artwork create unique and effective presentation enhancing what is being said and with quality graphic design
· Technical production—recorded in a quiet environment without background noise and distractions
· Group/partner work—team members contributed equally and assisted in editing process
Find Bell’s work at http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/podcastrubric.html

Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educator’s web site has a podcast evaluation tool of 13 questions including audience engagement, presentation of content, and audio delivery with response choices of YES/NO/NA. Students and teachers can use the form to evaluate podcasts they are listening to or podcasts they make themselves. Schrock’s site is at
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/pdf/evalpodcast.pdf

So, Mrs. T, can you help? Yes! I can learn more about podcasting with the materials listed throughout this article and in the References section at the end of the article. I can find good models of student-produced podcasts. I can see the benefits of students who learn by doing and then share it with others. I don’t have to spend my dwindling library budget purchasing new technologies because podcasting is inherently inexpensive and free in many ways. My students and I can get creative and add interest by popping in free music and graphics to our podcasts. We can assess our “job well done” with rubrics freely available on the web and in teacher-student discussions. In the words of our President, “Yes, we can!”

References

Vincent, T. (2009). Create podcasts. Retrieved September 28, 2009,
from http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/create.html

Vincent, T. (2009). Podcasting. Retrieved September 27, 2009, from
http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/index.html

Warlick, D. (2009). What is a podcast? Retrieved September 27, 2009,
from http://epnweb.org/