Blog 6: Technology Training and Professional Development

            I work in a county that has a week-long February break.  Following our recent break, we went back to school on Monday refreshed and ready to reach and teach.  But wait!  There is a promise of snow in the weather forecast. . . could it be that we will get another day off?  Yes, in fact we got not one but four extra days off! 

            Wow, after nine out of ten school days off, I really need my planning period to make copies, access files that I can only do at school, meet with my colleagues about unit plans. . . and then I open my email.  Today is Technology Training Monday!  This is the one Monday a month that one of our county’s tech specialists is in our building and will provide professional development during my planning period.  Really?  Today of all days?  All I care about today is taking care of the grading I did not bring home with me, make my copies for the week for my three preps, and trying to figure out how I am going to make up for the full week of school I lost.  Learning about Nearpod is not on my To-do List for today.

            Does this scenario sound familiar to you?  I will say that I am very thankful and fortunate to work in a technology minded school system.  Implementation of technology is a system priority.  However, one of the issues to be discussed for this blog is the problems and barriers to productive staff development.  I have to say that time and a positive attitude from the staff are some of the biggest issues.  It isn’t that we don’t want to learn the latest and greatest technology that will enhance our lessons, make our lives more efficient, and help our students soar to new heights of authentic learning.  We do want that.  We just have so many other things to do!

            My school has begun embracing the coaching standards and models outlined in this week’s readings.  The responsibility does not fall solely on the shoulders of the LMS.  Once a month, our work site enlists the expert advice of one of the county Instructional Technology Specialists to highlight a new tech tool, provide training on a software or platform used by our system (like Aspen), or enlighten us with a website that will change how we teach and think.  In truth, I do appreciate these trainings.  At the end of them, I always walk away with a little bit more knowledge and the desire for more time to explore.  I mentally put it on my Summer To-do List.  Can you tell I have a lot of lists?  We also have a Tech Tip in each of our faculty meetings.  These tips are presented by a different faculty member each month.  Both of these approaches promotes a spirit of community mindedness that is a focus in the ISTE White Paper.

            When you read the ISTE Standards for Coaches, there is an emphasis on coaching and modeling. The LMS can meet these standards in a variety of ways. 

1.     Visionary Leadership: The LMS should be a part of a technology committee that strives to assess and meet the technology needs of the faculty.

2.    Teaching, Learning, and Assessment: The LMS should collaborate with teachers to bring students into the LMC and co-teach to coach and model the implementation of technology.

3.    Digital Age Learning Environments: The LMS should maintain a current and relevant database of digital tools for professional and instructional use.  He or she needs to provide training to use the tools.  It is also important to become familiar with how to troubleshoot hardware and software.

4.    Professional Development and Program Evaluation: The LMS should work with the technology committee to determine needs in technology training for staff through needs assessment surveys.  The LMS can arrange for faculty members or IT Specialists to train teachers.

5.    Digital Citizenship: The LMS should hold seminars/lessons for students on how to be a digital citizen.  Just because the current generation of students are digital natives, this does not guarantee they know how to be ethical and responsible when using the internet or social media.

6.    Content Knowledge and Professional Growth: The LMS should continually be aware of standards, changes, and content within each academic subject.  This allows the LMS to continue to build a current collection of texts and digital tools as a resource for teachers and students.

Our LMS has found that professional development is often met with a mixture of mild frustration and even milder enthusiasm by some of the more cynical teachers.  The younger, more tech savvy group is able to jump in with suggestions and assistance.  I think the key is to provide programs that are relevant to curriculum and instruction, as well as throw in anything that is going to save teachers time and make life easier. 

I like the idea of hosting a working lunch for teachers once or twice a month.  In middle school, we don’t have duty free lunch.  So why not invite the teachers to eat in the Media Center for a quiet lunch and a little tech training too?  The LMS would have a captive audience!  If more training is requested by individual teachers, then a separate time for support could be arranged.  Short lessons to introduce, model, and share are more likely to fit into our busy schedules.  The teachers who are interested or knowledgeable about a technology could provide additional support.  As much as the LMS is seen as an expert, he or she cannot possibly be proficient at everything.  Tapping into other resources to build a learning community is essential.  

References:

ITSE Standards for Coaches. 2015. Retrieved from    

http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-coaches

ITSE Standards for Coaches. 2011. Technology, coaching and community:      Power partners for improved professional development in primary and      secondary education.  Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/resources/product?ID=2157

Technology Troubles

Professional development (PD) is important for teachers to stay up to date with current technologies and most schools/districts offer PD but how often is the PD focused on technology?  Well in Walton County where I live, technology has become huge since all our high school students were given iPads last year.  HS teachers have had to jump on the iPad train quickly.  From what I can tell most teachers are using tools like Schoology, Edmodo, Notability, etc. like pros now.  A little over two years ago most of them wouldn’t have been able to tell you what those Apps were.  The Media Specialist turned iPad guru spends most of her days assisting others with iPad issues.  I envy her in a way but I doubt she gets paid enough for all those headaches she probably has.  Since I don’t work at the high school I don’t really know what type of training or PD they offer the teachers but the iPads have been successful and I attribute that to teacher training.

But now I digress …

I’m in the elementary school where we live in a forgotten zone.  Since this whole iPad initiative for the high schoolers began several years ago technology at the elementary level has not been a priority.  We do have a computer lab that is run by a para-pro who knows how to turn the computers on, reboot them when they mess up, and she knows how to shut them all down at the end of the day.  Don’t get me wrong she is the nicest lady but anything more than on/off/reboot is above her pay scale.  Her words not mine.  The students come to the lab as part of their specials rotation.  They play the same educational games for 50 minutes!!!  This drives me crazy!  This to me is such a waste.  Every student in our school goes to the computer lab every week so why doesn’t administration take advantage of this time?  

Enough of that soapbox.

The school also spent Title I money this year on a mobile iPad lab that teachers can check out of the library.  Yippee!!  The only problem …. There has been no training on using the iPads.   They also spent Title I money on purchasing iPads for all the teachers.  But once again no training.  We do have some teachers that just stuck the iPad in their desk drawer and don’t even use it.  Ugh!  But most of the teachers have figured out tools and Apps on their own or by collaborating with each other.  Luckily the teachers are open to learning new tools so there is hope.

 I definitely don’t want this to happen when I become a media specialist.  I envision working with teachers where I share technology ideas and have them go back and actually practice what they learn just like the Coaching Whitepaper suggests.  I want to take an active role in PD much like the high school media specialists in our county.  There is no reason I couldn't be a liaison between technology and our teachers.  But if I end up at a school where computer time is wasted I might just blow a gasket! Lol.

Video Distribution and GPB

Video Distribution System & Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB)

Video Distribution System

The school in Paulding County where I currently teach has a video distribution system, however it currently does not get used.  The current media specialist was hired in October and stated that she plans on using it next school year.  The school I taught at for 12 years in Douglas County had a video distribution system that was referred to as a closed circuit cable system for watching movies in classrooms school wide.  Each classroom has a TV with a DVD/VCR combo that is mounted to the wall for showing the morning and afternoon announcements, closed circuit videos, and DVD’s.  Non-educational movies are shown via the closed circuit twice a year on the last day of school before the holiday break and on the last day of school before the summer break.   Educational movies are played during certain times throughout the year for instance during Black History Month in February, the media specialist will play certain movies pertaining to Black History Month via the closed circuit and teachers have the options of whether or not they want to show the movie to their students.  All of the movies are played at certain times on specific days throughout the school year and the media specialist will usually send an email stating the times that the movie will be played on that day. 

Teachers are to turn their televisions on every morning and afternoon so students can watch the morning and afternoon announcements.  The morning announcements consist of a news team of 4^th and 5^th graders who deliver the news in the newsroom that is located in a small room in the media center.  Every morning, the students on the news team will ask for everyone to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance and then ask for everyone to have a moment of silence.  After the moment of silence, the lunch choices for the day are announced as well as the playground weather.  Birthdays of students and faculty and staff are also announced daily and sometime the principal or assistant principal will make an appearance if they have something to announce.   The afternoon announcements via the television consist of reminders for students as well as any transportation changes.  Breakfast choices for the following day are displayed and once the bell rings the dismissal order for students is displayed so students know when to leave the classroom. 

Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB)

Georgia Public Broadcasting is a partner with Discovery Education (DE), which offers digital education resources to subscribers through the Education tab at the top of the GBP home page.   My previous school had a subscription to DE and several teachers took advantage of the many resources that are offered including the video streaming portion of discovery education.  There are several videos available that relate to the standards and are great resources for teachers to use as an introduction or a review for students.  I have not seen teachers at my current school using the resources from the GPB website and the current Media Specialist knew very little about the site and all it has to offer.

MYTH: FAIR USE COULD GET ME SUED.

Truth: That’s very, very unlikely. We don’t know of any lawsuit actually brought by an American media company against an educator over the use of media in the educational process. Before even considering a lawsuit, a copyright owner typically will take the cheap and easy step of sending a “cease and desist” letter, sometimes leading the recipient to think that she is being sued rather than just threatened. An aggressive tone does not necessarily mean that the claims are legitimate or that a lawsuit will be filed.

What the heck is fair use??

Fair Use is codified in U.S. Copyright law at 17 U.S.C. § 107. It states that the Fair Use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. (Meaning the right to use copyrighted material without paying or needing permission).

Now read the text in red one more time…your use must be for “purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research.”

A court will then consider the following four factors to determine if your use is a fair use:

•                the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

•                the nature of the copyrighted work;

•                the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

•                the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

If your use falls into one of the categories AND you are able to prevail factually on at least two of the four second-prong factors, you might succeed in proving that your use is fair and thus not copyright infringement.

Because there is a sizable gray area in which fair use may or may not apply, there is never a guarantee that your use will qualify as a fair use. The fair use doctrine has been described as a murky concept in which it is often difficult to separate the lawful from the unlawful.

References

How I Learned to Love FAIR USE…. (2003, July 6). Retrieved February 25, 2015, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/2003/07/06/how_i_learned_to_love_fair_use/

(n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2015, from http://mediaeducationlab.com/sites/mediaeducationlab.com/files/CodeofBestPracticesinFairUse_0.pdf

"Demythifying" Fair Use: Breaking Apart Commonly Held Myths About Fair Use and Copyright Infringement in the Classroom

     For this blog post, I was instructed to examine some of the commonly held myths regarding Copyright and Fair Use in the classroom. After reviewing the list of myths and the facts that debunk them, I decided to shine a light on three in particular, as I feel they are the most commonly feared myths. They are as follows:

MYTHS

(From The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education)

1. Fair use could get me sued.
2. Employing fair use is too much trouble; I don't want to fill out any forms.
3. Fair use is too unclear and complicated for me; it's better left to lawyers and administrators. 

     While all myths regarding fair use are important, these three in particular need to be addressed further. I am sure that I am not the only one who has had at least one of these thoughts when I go to incorporate an outside element into a lesson (i.e. a movie clip, a picture, a quote, etc.). However, thanks to the Copyright Act and the fair use section, teachers are basically covered. Now, does this mean you need to go out and start circulating illegal copies of your DVD collection? No. No it does not. Does this mean that you can quote an author verbatim without any sort of citation and pass the work of as your own? The answer again is no. Don't do that. Let's look at it this way.

     We as teachers have a right to teach our students as much as we can in the limited amount of time we have to teach them. We have almost unlimited access to hundreds of thousands of resources that can help us achieve our goal of providing every student with the best education possible. That being said, when it comes to incorporating these elements into our lessons, we have some leeway. Because we are using these items in the classroom for students, we are covered by the elements found in the fair use section of the Copyright Act (which can be found here). There are some restrictions and you should examine the fair use document or this work if you find yourself in a questionable situation. 

     Now, regarding the myths that brought us here in the first place. 

Myth #1: Fair use could get me sued.

     It seems like this day and age has seen more and more copyright infringement lawsuits (see this example or this one). However, a quick google search posed no results of teachers in recent history being sued for copyright infringement. And (based on my reading*) the reason is two-fold: firstly, lawsuits and lawyers are very expensive. As the CBPFUMLE notes, paper is cheap. The point? It is much more economical for companies or individuals who fear their material is being misused to send a letter asking the offending party to cease using the material in this manner. Now, if you fail to adhere to said letter, then yes, you could very well be sued, but only because you did not stop using the material in an inappropriate manner. The second reason is that the fair use clause of the Copyright Act is a big supporter of using information in the classroom setting, and it is not shy about it. Therefore, you can use this clause to your advantage. All you have to do is read up a bit and find a section that allows for your use of the material in the classroom. 

Myth #2: Employing fair use is too much trouble; I don't want to fill out any forms.

     Well good, because as it turns out you do not have to fill out any forms. All you have to do is use the material. That's it. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is. If you feel unsure of this, you are allowed to ask the higher powers for permission. And know that if you are rejected in your quest for permission, you can rebel. Join the Darkside and use the material without permission. And guess what? You will still be covered by the fair use clause. Now, this does not mean go out and do something you know to be illegal. You won't be covered by fair use. I repeat, you will not be covered by fair use. Just make smart decisions and when in doubt, check fair use.

Myth #3: Fair use is too unclear and complicated for me; it's better left to lawyers and administrators.  

    This is probably my favorite busted myth out of the three I chose. Fair use exists for everyone, especially teachers. The terminology is broad to allow for interpretation, which in turn allows teachers to use materials seemingly without restriction, save those mandated by copyright laws. Because of this, it can be argued that an instructor is not infringing on copyrighted material because they can cite fair use for their inclusion of the material in their lesson. The writers of this work are emphatic about teachers becoming leaders rather than followers in this particular area, as we are the ones for whom fair use is most beneficial. 

Here is what Frederica Academy does for students and parents with regard to copyright and fair use:

And the link for the website can be accessed here. 

*Notice: any and everything I say regarding fair use and the Copyright Act hereafter is my interpretation of the text Dr. Cooper suggested we read. While I consider myself to be of average intelligence, I still recommend you read and provide your own interpretation of the work before setting out on your next fair use adventure! Here is a link to the text for your convenience. 

N. Allen Blog 4: Video Distribution Systems

Nikole Allen

Blog 4: video distribution systems, Georgia Public Broadcasting education resources, school TV news

My only experience with a video distribution system at school is as a student.  I remember seeing Channel One in middle school and watching our morning announcements on video in high school.  Several years ago, the county began updating schools so that we were wifi accessible.  The media specialist then inquired about wiring our school so that we could utilize a video distribution system.  At that time, she was told that our school was too old for rewiring and the discussion was never brought up again.  So I have to hands-on experience with a video distribution system, but I do believe that it adds a valuable learning experiences for students.

For another course here at West Georgia, I interviewed an exemplary media specialist from Cobb County named Ms. Kenworthy.  She facilitated the morning announcements at her elementary school, using the video distribution system.  She gave me a brief overview of how students did the daily announcements live each day for their school.  They used a computer, camera, and even had a green screen to use for their production. 

I’ve mostly seen the video distribution systems used for announcements, the school can use it other ways.  In A New Delivery Method in School Counseling: Closed-circuit Television, researchers used the tv systems to give students a counseling session.  Students could also create special projects to be viewed over the system as well. 

I also looked at www.schoolvideonews.com to see examples of how schools utilize video distribution systems.  There are lesson ideas and content help for teachers, tips for students and links to grants that can help fund production projects.  The profiles of individual schools gives great ideas about starting a school news program, what type of equipment is used and processes for production.  You can see examples of programs these schools have produced as well.  It’s quite helpful for those that are new to video distribution systems.  Some of the best pieces of advice I found were:

·         Start with what you have, grow as you go.  Some schools don’t have the ability to go live, so the programs are taped and shared on the schools’ shared drive.  (This could work with my school)

·         Allow experienced students to train newer students.

·         Utilize grants to help fund your projects.

·         Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, have fun!

·         Allow lots of student input.  They should feel a sense of ownership over the productions. 

Our school has never promoted using Georgia Public Broadcasting Resources.  I was surprised to find so many resources for teachers.  But much of what is offered is being used in the school.  Primary students in my school know and can type the pbskids.org address on their own.  Many of the student videos are accessible through that address. 

Our district has a paid subscription to united streaming, so it is often used in the classroom.   Most teacher utilize the videos, but I took some time to look through other resources I hadn’t paid much attention to.  I especially enjoyed the following:

·         Board Builder- You can create an interactive presentation using text, photos, videos and audio.

·         Belk Service Learning Challenge- This wasn’t applicable to my students, but there was a video project that students can compete in to win scholarships and teachers could win a free trip to the iste conference.  Opportunities like these are great for students.

·         Professional Development- Provides teachers access to webinars on a variety of topics.

·         Teacher Center- Has curriculum resources. 

Social Networking in Education

          There is one thing of which I was certain before I ever read any articles on social networking, and it is that social networking is here to stay.  I absolutely think it has a place in education and in schools.  Our challenge in terms of using social networking sites as educators is educating ourselves and our students on safety and etiquette in the digital world.  Students are going to enter a work force that is globally connected through the use of the internet, and they must be ready to tackle that world with experience and confidence.  What better place to try, fail, learn, and succeed than in the safe environment of school?  The stakes are high for students in terms of grades, but the stakes are even higher for young professionals trying to forge a path in his or her career. 

Educators have a unique opportunity to prepare students for the 21^st Century in authentic ways.  As early as Kindergarten, students can begin navigating the safe world of the Destiny OPAC to recommend books to other readers.  Blogs, wikis, and virtual classrooms can be used to allow students in upper elementary, middle, and high schools to share, collaborate, and create. 

Currently, my system filters some social networking sites like Facebook.  However, there are other sites like Edmodo that are allowed.  Edmodo looks and feels like Facebook, and it is a safe environment created and monitored by the teacher or media specialist.  Students can create and respond to posts, as well as upload documents to the teacher.  The teacher is able to provide feedback on the document and send it back to the student.  My system also allows Twitter.  By linking a Twitter feed to a LMC or teacher web page, students can respond to tweets, be alerted to upcoming assignments or events, and create an online school community that fosters a sense of ownership and pride.  Either one of these forums would be beneficial in a flipped classroom.  After students complete readings of texts and make preparations for class the next day, they could post or tweet thoughts, questions, or responses to classmates or teachers.  For a fun and optional social networking tool, I chose to use Instagram with my middle school students.  I don’t require it, but I invite them to follow me for updates, reminders, and words of encouragement. 

Educators are also challenged to keep up with the ever-changing and evolving digital sites and tools.  I think it is best to keep it simple.  If the LMS or teacher is trying to manage Twitter, Edmodo, Instagram, a school web page, a blog, and a wiki, then something is going to fall short of being the amazing tool it has the potential to become.  Choose one form of social networking that meets all, or most, of your needs.  Train the students how to use it, and require them to use it so they become proficient at it.  Introduce other formats periodically to students so that they know about the latest and greatest 2.0 applications, but don’t kill yourself trying to be the “Web 2.0 Master”. 

Yes, social networking is here to stay.  It connects us locally and globally.  We use it to collaborate, discuss, review, share, and create.  The power of social networking can change policies, start grass roots campaigns, and ignite passions for a better world.  This is what our students are facing, and they must be prepared.  Having said that, it is imperative that we also do a thorough job of educating students about online safety.  This includes discussing safety with any internet sites, not just social networking sites used for educational purposes. 

So post, tweet, follow, share, and hashtag all you want!  Just remember, that if you don’t know how to use one of these sites, chances are your students can teach you!

Sites to browse:

Latest and greatest:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/12/social-networking-sites-teachers.html

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/05/teachers-comprehensive-guide-to-use-of.html

Safety:

http://personalweb.about.com/od/makefriendsonfacebook/a/faceteenprivacy.htm

https://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/protect-your-personal-information/social-networks

http://www.usa.gov/topics/science/communications/internet/social-networks.shtml