Say the word Distribution System at my school and wait for the sighs, moans and groans from our teachers (I keep my sighs, moans and groans to myself or in the the solitude of my office). The distribution system has been both a blessing and a curse.
One great service our distribution system plays is that it distributes our directTVchannels through the whole school. We have 4 VCR/DVD combo units in which we can play select channels through. I am often emailed by coaches asking me to change the channel to show the game they are watching, but normally we have Fox News, CNN, Food Network and ESPN running.
There are also 4 solo DVD units that can only be used to play movies. Movies can also be played on the DVD/VCR units, but those are our last choice, as the are used to route the directTV channels. The movies can either be controlled by the Media Specialist directly or they can be scheduled and controlled by the teacher using a computer program. The program is relatively simple to use, but the teachers do not like using it. Many teachers are annoyed that they cannot take the videos to their classroom and they also cannot show videos that don't have administrator approval. Another disadvantage is that the DVD players often shut themselves off between classes and they have to have the Media Specialist or I turn it back on. If i was in the classroom, I think I would probably use the computer as my DVD player as they mostly do. The computers are all connected to the hanging flat screens in every classroom.
We have one other channel that is available for use by our broadcast journalism class for morning announcements.(Last year, we had a few semi-successful weeks of video announcements, but the program is yet to be up and running this year.) I really hope that we can get the program running again soon.
Another feature of the distribution system is being able to show things on the attached computer. I create a PowerPoint show daily of school announcements and teachers have the option to have these scrolling announcements on their TVs.
Having administer approval would keep use of DVD/videos educational versus keeping students busy while teachers grade paper/finish report cards/etc, etc. A scrolling PowerPoint is a great way to distribute announcements/memos to teachers. I think this would also be a great way to remind students of upcoming events like book fairs, fall festival, and after school camps/clubs. As a teacher I like control of my room so I see why teachers would be put off by the distribution system. Having student run a morning announcements put students into leadership roles and can be used as a motivator for students to behave to have a change at being on the tv.
ReplyDeleteI have not had much dealing with the use of closed-circuit broadcasting, but based on the little I have (Channel 1), I know most teachers I talked to did not like it very much. I am reminded of this when I read in your post about your teacher's dissatisfaction at having such limited control over what they can show to their students through the video distribution system. I think my teachers would react similarly. They want as much local control as possible.
ReplyDeleteI notice a theme presenting itself to me; namely, the need to balance convenience of use with appropriateness of use. I can see where the media specialist is caught between providing resources and rules for appropriate use, not wanting to be the appropriate use police.
I particularly like the comment about coaches asking to turn the channel to the game they are watching. That is connected to the curricula standards, I assume...
The school certainly have the technology available to do so much with teachers and the students. I can also understand the media specialist's concerns with making sure it is used appropriately. Our school's video distribution system started messing up toward the end of last school year (wasn't pretty). Our media specialist just got it up and running for the school news team. Our system is used for the team news and showing a video for the whole school (Channel 16). The teachers all have T.V.s and DVD players in their room for individual class movies. Teachers are familiar with GPB as well which allow them to get movies from Discovery/United Streaming. We have only a few teachers utilizing this resource, but the media specialist (past and present) has presented teachers with information to it.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't tell from the post if you are at a middle or high school but the mention of coaches wanting to watch TV is kind of a give away.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that teachers have control over the remote distribution system. I wonder why they don't like it?
Too bad you haven't had much luck with a daily news production. I have found them to be a great program for students and a good method for building school morale. Good luck on getting it up and going soon.
The equipment always seems a little intimidating when I do my field experience hours at your school. Having discussed what each device was specifically for, makes the distribution system easily understood. Your description here was great. If I were a teacher, I would most likely wish to have direct control over the material I was presenting. There is so much planning already involved in creating lessons, that it would be an added factor to make sure to include the media specialists. I do see the advantage in that teachers would not be able to play a movie whenever wished and must make sure to have it approved as to applying to the curriculum. As Stitch said, this does seem to make the media specialists have the added role of deciding which material is suitable for teachers to play, which could lead to tension and less collaboration.
ReplyDeleteThe technology and equipment can be intimidating when first using it, but how else do you learn? Unless someone takes the plunge and gets in there and starts to experiment with it, it will not reach its full potential of use. One of the middle schools in my county have an awesome news broadcast. The students write their own scripts and investigate stories. They also take part in the broadcast. On the other hand, another middle school in the county doesn't even use their equipment. Our school has cable in the classroom, so each teacher can control what channel the tv is on. The only time we have used the television, other than to watch the morning announcements, is for the president's inauguration. At my school, teachers can check out the movies and bring them to the classroom. I can see where a teacher would get frustrated without being able to have total control of the playing of the movie.
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