Media Center and Diversity

             Diversity is not a one word definition. Diversity is an understanding of a person’s point of view, culture, phenotype, and genotype. The media center is one of the charges to inform not misinform students. The students are bombarded with misinformation and information out of context delivered by the media, friends, family, and others concerning people different from them. Some popular books and classic literature has writing that does not support diversity, but stigmatizes it by using stereotypes. Even award winning books can be deemed stereotypical as in Five Chinese Brothers a Caldecott award winner.  The media specialist should look at the value of the material in their collection. Rujput provides a checklist to help in this endeavor.

10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism:

            1. Check the illustrations.

            2. Check the story lines.

            3. Look at the lifestyles.

            4. Weight the relationships between people.

            5. Note the heroes.

            6. Consider the effect on a child’s self-image.

            7. Consider the author’s or illustrator’s background.

            8. Check out the author’s perspective.

            9. Watch for loaded words.

            10. Look at the copyright date. (Rajput, 63)

 

This checklist can also be helpful in addressing websites as well. Books in the media center are not the only ways to support diversity. Programs like Skype can transport students to different parts of the world to learn about other cultures. This provides a more meaningful and interactive experience that cannot be derived from a book. Through the use of special readers and tablets that special needs students use and other technology. These devices are not available at some of the elementary schools these students came from. The special needs teacher explained that these devises helped these students to express their thoughts, when before they were labeled difficult to work with.

            In a broad sense, the media specialist is the keeper and disseminator of all knowledge of the school. They must have knowledge on all subjects. An emphasis in the classroom is to teach the subject/standards and little room is left to teach diversity. Though some diversity education should come from the home, but we know that sometimes does not happen and that lays the burden on us.

Rajput, T. (2009). Questioning Your Collection. Knowledge Quest, 38 (1), 62 –

69.

Copyright Law...Fair Use or Not?

From youth, some dream of making it big as a musician, movie maker, writer, or other career that involves creating material from scratch. These people grow up and find success, putting their life's work on display for us to view. If we like it, we want to have a copy of it for ourselves - for our use in whatever way we want, including in our classroom. Unfortunately, some users are not as bound by ethics as others, and the need for copyright law comes into play. 

Copyright law protects the rights and privileges of the creator of many types of works. It secures the created works as a means of earning a living, working to be sure that the author/composer/producer receives, not only verbal/written credit for the work, but also a fair monetary compensation for the time, effort, and expense required to create the material. However, the ease of sharing information via the Internet has made monitoring the use of copyrighted material more challenging, and many people are confused about how to uphold copyright laws in their use of the material.

One myth concerning fair use in education is that: 

EDUCATORS CAN RELY ON “RULES OF THUMB” FOR FAIR USE GUIDANCE.

This is a very confusing element of the fair use "rule" in copyright law. The law is not very clear on what makes something "fair," and the flexibility of the rule can lead to a disagreement between the creator and the user of the copyrighted material. According to the “Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education,” four types of considerations are included in the copyright law - the purpose of using the work, what kind of copyrighted work is in question, how much of the work is used, and how its use might affect the financial status of the owner and the user. 

When considering how much of the work is used, I have always heard that you can use the rule of thumb concerning what percentage of the material is being used. For instance, no more than two bars of a song or less than 10% of a written work. The reality is that copyright law and the fair use guidelines do not specify any quantitative limits, and the judgment on whether or not the use is fair is somewhat subjective. Should legal action be taken, it is up to the judge to make the call on legality of use. 

I actually find this information even more interesting in light of the recent Georgia State University copyright lawsuit. In short, the university was sued by some textbook publishers because they had posted portions of the books as electronic resources for students to use. Almost 100 cases of alleged copyright infringement were cited and the judge determined that only five were truly a violation of the law. In fact, the ruling stated that the university had been found to have done its best to uphold copyright law, validating the school's efforts to apply the fair use guidelines in its classes. 

References:

Code of best practices in fair use for media literacy education. (n. d.). School of Communication, American University. Retrieved from http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education-0

“GSU wins copyright case.” (2012). Georgia State University. Retrieved from http://www.gsu.edu/news/61650.html

Copyright & Fair Use

You would think that fair use would be the answer to all the copyright questions that media specialists are bombarded with daily. But no… there is still tons of grey area, plenty of grey area. Let’s begin with the definition of fair use: The right to use copyrighted material for educational purposes without permission or payment UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCES. Fair use is about flexibility in a given situation; this plays to the advantage of the user while acknowledging the owner's rights. Under the copyright law, lawyers and judges decide what is fair within a specific field using the four considerations mention in the copyright law below called “the four factors”

            *The nature of the use

            *The nature of the work used

            *The extent of the use

            *The economic effect

When it comes to the field of education, many teachers believe that because money is not being made off copyrighted materials or students’ work that includes copied images or music without proper citation just makes the project more attractive; instead of ignoring copyright laws and fair use, teachers should model and teach media literacy.

Practical Examples of Fair Use within the Context of Teaching Media Literacy:

**Copyrighted material in media literacy lessons - only use what is necessary for the educational purpose – a clip or an excerpt with proper citations.

**Copyright materials in lesson plans/materials – you may use books, workbooks, videos, Websites, and other learning materials but give credit to quoted material.

**Sharing curriculum materials - use small portions, clips, or excerpts rather than the entire work – give credit 

**Student use of copyrighted materials in academic and creative work – students should not rely solely on copyrighted materials, but transform it and give credit.

**Developing Audiences for student work – decisions need to be made to ensure that before distribution, the work meets the transformativeness standard. Each situation is different – look at permissions process and research the distinction between licensed materials and public domain.

Common Myth: If I’m not making money off it, it’s fair use, and if I am making money off it, it’s not.

In this instance, the key is transformativeness; adding value or repurposing materials from its original form would be considered fair use. Fair use allows for the modifying of existing media content and placing it in a new forms.

Common Myth: Employing fair use is too much trouble: I don’t want to fill out any forms.

The whole point of fair use is to make an informed decision based on fairness of the owner’s rights while fostering new cultural work. There are no forms to fill out or official permission.

 

Cherokee County Copyright Compliance

The Cherokee County School System shall adhere to the Federal Copyright law (P.L. 94-553).

 

Useful Information

http://mediaeducationlab.com/code-best-practices-fair-use-media-literacy-education-0

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr280.shtm

http://www.copyright.gov./

http://www.ncwiseowl.org/zones/copyright/students.html

http://www.publaw.com/copyright/

http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Teachers/copyrightlaw.html

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/6623-understanding-copyright-law-and-fair-use-for-teachers/

http://hosting.uaa.alaska.edu/designteam/teach_act/fair_use_guidelines_for_students_033104.pdf

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/copyright/copyright101

Blog 5: School TV News

            When it comes to school TV news, there are many different avenues can be taken. From student produced news shows to controlled, adult produced shows, there are many different approaches being taken. It was nice to see the approach that Orenco Elementary takes, letting the students produce the show. Hearing students use words like “sound person” and “mixer” was really neat. They were even featured on the local news for their extraordinary work. 

Watch them in action here!

http://www.kptv.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7034688

The videos produced by Eisenhower Middle School are simply amazing, with special effects, music, and various reporters. The videos are archived online under each month, so the videos remain accessible to students. Each day, headline news is covered as well as everyday events such as lunch and birthdays. These students even conduct remote Skype interviews. Simply amazing what these students can do!

At my own school, each day is started by a news show on the TVthat is produced by the media specialist. Each day, they lead us in both the U.S. Pledge and the school pledge, let us know the lunch menu, the weather, and let us know of important upcoming events, such as Red Ribbon Week and the book fair. I interviewed Mrs. Snow asking the behind the scenes questions:

Q: How do you pick the students that lead the morning show? Do the same people work on it all year, or is there a rotation schedule?

A: “We have three teams of ten fifth grade students.....each team works one week at a time and then they rotate.  At the beginning of school each year every fifth grader that wants to be on the show is allowed to try out.  We take a homeroom at a time and every student gets to do the Morning Show twice. This is their tryout and their chance to shine. I let the students know that I am looking for good behavior, good work ethic (they always do their school work and homework), good readers, and those who speak loudly and with expression.  I look for enthusiasm and students who can follow direction.  As students tryout I make a notation if someone does a good job.  At the end of tryouts... I look at my list and my notes and try to choose students that I think will do a good job.  After my selections are made the fifth grade teachers look over the list to make sure the students chosen meet the criteria.  Sometimes they remove students I have chosen due to behavior or failure to do one's work.  I also have an alternates list so I can easily fill any vacancies created when students are removed for the list.”

Q: What are some problems you’ve encountered?

A: “Sometimes we have a few student problems.....There are always a few students who get fired from the show.  It is usually due to behavior or work problems.

At the moment I have a camera that isn't working and is going to need to be replaced.  I don't like to use Book Fair money for this type of thing, but I really don't have any other options. 

Training the students to speak out, look at the camera, have poise and seem relaxed in front of the camera is difficult because I only have them for a short time in the morning.  I have been thinking about doing a short training session with them after school. 

These are the issues I am dealing with at the moment, but I am hopeful it will all workout.”

No matter what the format is, it is without saying that TV broadcasts are much more lively than the traditional loud speaker announcements. Additionally, it gives the students the opportunity to learn valuable life skills such as using technology, public speaking, and working well with others.

 References:

Eisenhower etv. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wyckoffschools.org/eisenhower/etv/index.html

KPTV Channel 12. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kptv.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7034688

Snow, A. (2012, October 20). Interview by S N [Personal Interview]. School tv news.

The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

 

            Recent advancements in social networking sites have some recommending that the infamous Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game be shortened to five and even as low as four. Social networking sites have become an important part of today’s world and that impact should include the school’s media center. Using social networks is outlined in AASL Standards for the 21^st-Century Learner

            3.I.2: Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.

            4.I.7.: Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information (2007, 6-7)

            The school’s social networking sites should have a plan for their use. First, the sites reveal an excitement about reading, learning, and etc. and not focus on a rigid formalistic outline. Secondly, many monitors should be employed, not just the media center specialist, but include parents and teachers. Next, the sites must be updated regularly and have information/tutorials that would be beneficial to the user. Many social networking sites should be used, for one site will not reach all users. The sites being used should contain some features such as:

           

o       User Profiles

o       Friending

o       Groups

o       Individual Messaging

o       Announcements

o       Photos

o       Blogs or Journals

o       Searching

o       Privacy Controls (Courtney, 77 -78)

 

Social networks sites can be used “…as a supplementary learning tool, social networking holds promise for enhancing students’ sense of classroom community…” (Hung, 713)

 

            Social networking sites would be a great benefit not just to the media center, but also the school and the school district. Our school district recently just announced it will be researching and initiating a social network site in the near future. Currently, our school system blocks all access to social networking sites. I believe as educators, we should push the access to these sites and not only use them in the media center but in the classroom as well. Parents/guardians of these students have access to social networking sites also. The ability for students to upload pictures, links, or examples of what they are learning in class is a powerful tool.  A guardian/parent will become more involved with the students education with these tools, instead of having to ask the student what they did in class or wait for a newsletter 4 weeks later. A more intellectual conversation can exist, like “what are the difference/similarities between the hero and villain” or “tell me about the muscle in the animal you dissected”.

 

 

American Association of School Librarians, 2007. Standard for the 21^st-Century Learner.  Retrieved October 15, 2012 from http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards

 

Courtney, Nancy Ed. (2007). Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow’s User. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited

 

Gavigan, Karen. (2012). Socially Connected School Library. Knowledge Quest. 41 (1), 68 – 69.  Retrieved October 15, 2012 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1f204711-6918-4c81-9a07-d66dc2772b5c%40sessionmgr111&vid=10&hid=108

 

Hung, Hsiu-Ting and Yuen, Steve Chi-Yin. (2010). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education. 15 (6), 703 – 714.

Rethinking Social Networking in Schools

When I hear the phrase “social network,” my first thought goes to Facebook and other websites whose purposes are to connect people in a casual and entertaining way. However, social networks involve much more than this idea. These web 2.0 platforms are definitely about connecting people, but their purposes can involve collaboration of many kinds. LinkedIn, for example, is ideal for career networking, and sites like TeacherLibrarianNing are designed to help educators collaborate with others outside their schools.

As we continue embracing 21st century education, educators must recognize the validity and importance of collaboration in the classroom. This group dynamic is not only about teachers connecting with others to improve classroom practices and curricular opportunities. Collaboration must also allow students to work together so that their learning is benefited by the variety of backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge that can be best achieved through group work.

In order to incorporate social networking in the classroom and the media center, educators must first learn about the websites available to them. While many people have some connection with a social networking site, they may not fully understand its capabilities, or their knowledge may be limited to the basic features of Facebook or Twitter. After the adults grow more tech savvy, many will need to be given ideas on how to incorporate the technology in their settings. For example, one of my colleagues and I have been discussing an ideal location to have students post photographs of biology specimens so that others can see and more learning can take place. The most important thing to consider here is how to provide enough help that teachers feel empowered to make this a reality without insulting the intelligence of those educators who are already comfortable with social networking.

Another factor to consider is the school’s philosophy on social networking. Our schools use filters to help protect our students from a variety of perils found on the Internet. Some systems or institutions have also used those filters to keep students from accessing sites that are considered non-educational, and many schools may immediately assume only personal applications are to be made when social networking is involved. If a school is against a website, educators need to make a case for why that site should not be blocked. Our school does not allow access to Facebook and some blogging sites, at least on the student server. I had a project lined up to use my Wordpress blog and Glogster and was very excited about the cool opportunity for the students to incorporate technology in the classroom. Imagine my frustration when I discovered that our filter blocked both sites. Fortunately, my principal is a huge proponent of technology in the classroom, and after a quick email from me, the sites were unblocked by the end of the day. On the flip side, some schools have a stricter policy in place, administrators who are not following the same game plan, or who have so many demands on their technology department that it takes much longer to make a change in what is blocked.

This year, I have really enjoyed the use of Moodle at our school. What I like best about the site is that it is hosted on our school server so there are no ads popping up and only those who have been granted access can get in. That helps with safety concerns that some parents and other educators might raise. One of the best collaborative activities we have done with the site involved using a discussion forum to help prepare for a test. Each student was assigned to write five test questions and post them on the forum. Because they were placed there, all the other students could use those questions to help them study. As I read through all the posts, I also saw examples of other students making encouraging comments on what had been written.

Social networking is here to stay, and schools that recognize how to use it in their classroom set their students up for greater success. As most of our students already connect online with friends, wise educators will find a way to make use of this skill in their curriculum. Then they need to utilize social networking to share their successes with others so that students throughout our schools, our state, our nation, and even around the world can benefit from our collaboration.

References

American Library Association. (2008). AASL's second longitudinal survey reveals schools' acceptance of social networking tools. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/news/news/pressreleases2008/june2008/AASLsurvey


Fiehn, B. (2008). Social networking and your library OPAC! Internet @ Schools. Retrieved from http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=59618

Media center Websites

Do’s

*Do update content regularly

* Do include contact information

*Do ask for feedback from students, parents, teachers, other media specialists, and administrators

*Do have interactive components

*Do take into consideration audience and purpose

Don’ts

*Don’t leave broken or outdated links

*Don’t make it too cumbersome to navigate

*Don’t make the fonts too big or too small.

*Don’t fill it with distracting bells and whistles

*Don’t leave out important links and information

Content that should be included

First a media center’s website purpose is to provide a point of contact for the media center; it should contain information that informs all stakeholders. Students and teachers need access to online subscriptions, catalog search tools, pathfinders, how to guides for technology, and research; assignment help tools like MLA formatting, how to create a Prezi , and how to use Moviemaker; media center information like rules, policies, promotion videos of past and upcoming events;  links to online grades, Cloud storage, Moodle, Edmondo, and  teacher websites;  quick links to sites that teachers use during instruction like Quia and Maps101; online test prep sites like USA Tetsprep and Smoop.

Should we dump the plain old webpages?      

Yes, I think that we should dump plain old webpages in favor of a blog, wiki, or Libguide.  Part of the job of a media specialist is to promote technology. What better way to highlight new and exciting technology that by using it to help students and teachers navigates media center information and available resources. It also encourages media specialists to not only keep up with new technology, but it forces them to actively use the technology.

Inspiring Media Center Websites

I am in the process of revamping our school media center website and was energized and encouraged after looking at many excellent examples. I particularly like the way Creekview High School in Canton, GA uses Libguides as a platform for all of her information and resources. I also like the interactivity of North Elementary in Noblesville, IN; Carl Harvey utilizes symmetrical images and limited text to efficiently navigate resources and information.

Resources

Creekview High School Media Center (2102). Retrieved from http://www.cherokee.k12.ga.us/Schools/creekview-hs/media_center/default.aspx

Jurkowski, O. L. (2010). Technology and the school library: A comprehensive guide for media specialists and other educators. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.

North Elementary Media Center (2012).Retrieved from http://north-lmc.nes.noblesville.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/integrated_home.phtml?gid=1613599&sessionid=8bb2783ab722bf08edb7708e97e00049&t=