Media Center Websites

Media center websites can be a valuable tool for a library media specialist.  School's have so may neat and creative websites, which you could get ideas from.  You can find a variety of different websites and ideas at http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/. I know that for me, the brighter and more interactive a website is, the more fun it can be.  On the Milton Middle School website (http://www.milton.k12.wi.us/schools/mms/website/library/MMS_LMC/Welcome.html) there are some great ways that this media specialist is using technology to excite students about the library.  I read some of the blogs and thought to myself how useful this could be to our tech savvy students! I felt this media specialist did a great job and if you have the time, you should check it out!  

David Warlick, who wrote the article Building Web Sites that Work for Your Media Center, gives some ideas on how to get your website started.  Basically, you want to set goals to acheive while building your site.  An important goal when buildling your site should be that the site is an effective means of transferring knowledge to your school's students and faculty (hey, teachers want in on the goods too!).  Find ways to "sell" the website to the patrons.  Make the layout easy to use with indexes, pleasing fonts, short bits of information, and eye-catching designs.  It has to be enticing and exciting if you want kids to keep coming back! 

So how can you get the word out about your site?  Include the URL in your media center handout or the school handbook.  Link your site to the school's main page so parents and students can easily find it.  Bug your teacher friends about adding a link to their personal school pages.  You know what.... you can also add the URL to your school voicemail.  Those are all super easy ways to get your website some traffic.  Once you have people visiting your site, try to get feedback from them about what is working and what isn't.  This is a good way for you to know what needs to be improved.

Do's and Don'ts for a LMC website:

Do's:                                                                 Dont's

Add color                                                        Don't be boring

Use blogs                                                        Don't put too much on one page

Use site to introduce new things                Don't forget to use student input

Feature your students in the site

For me, a huge sin in a webpage is boring or confusing layouts.  Keep it simple but fun.  Exciting colors, pictures, reviews, and other resources will make sure patrons come back for return visits.  

Are media center webpages a thing of the past?  I don't think so.  The idea that blogs and wikis taking over as a media centers main feature does not set well with me.  Now adding blogs and wikis to an already existing or reconstructing site...heck yes!  I think a website is a useful tool for the school as a whole.  Useful resources I've seen on websites are links to OPAC systems (tutorials are a nice touch too), teacher stuff (as one site put it), and blogs for books/authors/media stuff.  These are just a few cool uses of a school website.  I'm looking forward to the possibilities of what I can do with a media center website. What can you do with yours?

Resource:

Warlick, D. (2005). Building web sites that work for your media center. Knowledge Quest, 33(3), 13-    16. 

Wikis - worthwhile? Or going the way of the wind?

When wikis are created and used for a specific purpose suitable for this method of file sharing, they can be valuable. True, they are not quite as seamless and efficient as a google doc or interactive website, but wikis require minimal technology skills to set up and post, and are an excellent organizational tool.

Here are 3 ways I have personally used wikis within an educational setting:

1). Tracking a student's progress while tutoring reading. I created a wiki consisting of pages detailing pre-and post- assessments, lesson plans, assignments, reflections, text lists, and recommendations. The organized structure of the wiki made planning easier, and was an efficient communication tool for both the student and her parents.
Using a wiki for student digital portfolios facilitates both teacher-student and parent-teacher conferences.

2). As a student, in a text-less course. Readings, as well as student responses, were contained in one wiki, and allowed students and the instructor to share their understandings within a learning community.
A classroom wiki can keep students on top of assignments, share questions & answers about coursework in close to real time, and be a valuable reference resource for topics currently being covered in the classroom. Pressed for time during the school day? The teacher can post enriching materials on the class wiki, for the students to read at home.

3). When organizing a library event (book fair, author visit, exhibit, etc.). A wiki organizes the entire project, yet breaks down its components (i.e., refreshments, signage, PR, displays, A/V equipment, costs) so that staff, volunteers, and project managers can independently track planning, spot gaps, and visualize tasks assigned, undone, and completed. Saves endless emailing back and forth!

Nancy Hart

Wiki

According to Library 2.0, a wiki is basically a website in which the content can be created and edited by a community of users.

Some advantages of using a wiki are:
* it can be accessed from anywhere
* when content is added, it immediately becomes part of a searchable knowledge base
* allows anyone to edit and create content from anywhere
* enable users to generate dynamic content

A few disadvantages of using a wiki are:
* some libraries may not need one
* some libraries may have low technical expertise or no time to create and maintain
* possibility for inappropriate content

A media center/school could use a wiki among the faculty members.  The LMS could create a wiki that allows for all teachers to edit and add content.  Teachers could sign up for computer labs, library time, iPod carts, laptops, etc.  Some teachers may not have time to always to make it down to the library to reserve something and by having a school wiki teachers can check and edit in their classrooms.

Some of the articles had creative thoughts and ideas on how to use a wiki in the classroom.  I thought the "Vanderbilt" article gave some good ideas, but a lot of them were examples at the college level.  As a middle school teacher, I do not see how I could effectively use a wiki in my sixth grade math classroom.  I do however think it is a great tool for teachers to use to collaborate together and share ideas.

I think the only way schools will start using wikis as active spaces is to just see them used more often.  Some teachers may not be comfortable using the technology, but the more we try to use it, the more comfortable teachers and administrators will be in using a wiki.

Podcasting

Recent storms in the Southeast have produced some entertaining podcasts, with school administrators creatively announcing school closings using video and audio (music and sound effects) to rap their message.
Podcasting has many uses in the school library:

1. Sharing school news, school board meetings, and library events.
2. Promoting the library: storytelling, the library newsletter, book talks, book reviews, reading programs, and announcing new additions to the collection.
3. Student-created podcasts to share their research, interviews, field trips, and creative writing.
4. As a mobile library orientation, where students listen to a MP3 player and walk through the different areas of the library described in the podcast.
5. Professional development, used as equipment / services tutorials, copyright discussions, and more.

Podcasting is a low cost, accessible method of providing information when and where it's needed. The creative, technological aspects of the medium appeal to today's learners.
I'd recommend playing around and experimenting with podcasts; try out different microphones and audio/video editors, play with sound effects and music, and try different venues for publication (YouTube, iTunes, DoubleTwist.)

Nancy Hart 

Podcasting

Podcasting

It might be a good idea to start off by letting everyone know what podcasting is.  A podcast is a recorded audio file, which is saved and then made available for sharing with others. A media specialist by the name of Kristin Fontichiaro brought up the correlation between podcasting and an activity that we children of the 80’s and 90’s used to do frequently.   What was this activity?  Well, we used to record our voices on cassette tapes and play back to others.  I particularly like to make my parents suffer through my attempts at singing but the idea is still the same between this type of recording our thoughts on a cassette tapes and today’s high tech use of podcasts. Now, we do everything digitally and are able to share to a wider audience. 

Today’s podcasting capabilities allow students to venture into new ways of learning and delivering materials.  Students can now easily record their voices on hand held devices in classes and be able to share their project with others via email or other electronic methods.  How neat is this for a classroom teacher or a media specialist?  Think of the projects that could be done.  With the audio editing capabilities allowed, students and educators could add sound effects or theme music to their podcasts.  Students in a classroom could perform lines from a play and add their own soundtrack to it or students in a media center could record their thoughts on a book and load it to the media center’s website.  There are many uses for podcasting in today’s classrooms! 

Schools are now using podcast to let their communities know what is going on in the school.  My local high school, middle schools, and elementary schools record weekly podcasts as a group and present this on YouTube.  It is a good way to unite the community.  Some schools use podcasting as a way to share lessons that are happening at the school.  An example is from Willdale Elementary School in Omaha Nebraska that uses students to cover lessons.  The podcast on this site are a great use of the material and the student’s thoughts and opinions.  And this site has a ton of podcasts!  If you haven’t checked out what a podcast sounds like, this would be a good site to experience one.  Check out http://mps.wes.schoolfusion.us/ and click on the “Radio WillowWeb” tab.  You won’t be sorry!

As mentioned earlier, media specialist could use podcasting for book reviews or booktalks.  This would be a great way to get students involved in the media center and possibly getting students excited about what their fellow students are reading.  It is an easy way to keep a school up to date on what the library has to offer!

I teach at a middle school and at this age (and most other ages) kids love to hear themselves and have endless amounts of things to say about topics.  Podcasts would great way to get students involved and to get them talking about what they’ve learned.  Maybe you have a shy student who would feel more comfortable doing an oral assignment on a podcast and then share with the class.  Ideas like that could give students confidence when it comes to public speaking by getting used to hearing their voice out loud with their peers.

If you want to get started on podcasting, there are plenty of sites available.  Some of the software is free, like Audacity or Podifier but others require payment so research the sites to make sure what would be the best option for your school.  Help bring your classes into the world of podcasting by making sure to check out the different website available and using them to improve student learning!