Prezi for the iPad

EME5050 - ABC for Week 13

I have fallen in love with Prezi and now I've found Prezi for the iPad.  I'm in heaven (well almost). It is basically a viewer, but at least it is a start in the direction of being able to use Prezi on my iPad and not just on my computer.  I am thrilled!  I've also found the Prezi Blog at http://blog.prezi.com/tag/ipad/. 

Below is the video I found on YouTube about using Prezi on the iPad.  Check it out!

I tried viewing my most recent Prezi production on my iPad and it didn't display as "cleanly" as it does on my computer.  When I say "cleanly" I mean there is no overlapping and there is plenty of white space between the items along the "path" of the presentation itself.

The Prezi Blog is a great place to keep up-to-date on the Prezi app and any updates that are made to it.  It also is a good resource for information on the current and future features of the Prezi for iPad app.  Below are a few items that I learned about from the blog recently:

• The Prezi app does not yet have editor features.  It only allows you to show the Prezis you have created on your computer.
• The current version of the app does not work with video files, YouTube video embeds, PDF, or SWF files.
• The first time a Prezi is opened on your iPad it will take a little while to load, especially if it is a large file.  After the first run it will start to load much faster.

I hope you check out the Prezi iPad app and make sure to keep up with the latest Prezi news at the Prezi Blog.

An Update on the Enhanced Classroom Installations in Clay County

EME5050 – ABC for Week 11

In the School District of Clay County, Florida we have an initiative called the Enhanced Classroom.  If you don’t work in our district, you may be scratching your head and asking “what is an enhanced classroom”?  In Clay County we define it as a classroom that has the following hardware and software installed:

• Document camera
• Multimedia projector mounted in the ceiling
• Computer
• PenPad
• Sound System with wireless microphone, speakers and amplifier
• DVD/VCR player
• Pull down screen
• Easiteach software

All classrooms in round two of our district-wide installations of enhanced classrooms was completed at the end of February 2011.  

The following are procedures for schools to follow when technical assistance is needed for any enhanced hardware or software in the classrooms:

• The school IT person, Technology Coach or Media Specialist/Tech should be the first responder.  While the school principal may want to designate the primary contact, it is important that all work as a team so teachers receive “just-in-time” support.
• The first responder simply checks connections and power to determine if there is an easy fix.
• If it is not an easy fix, the school must enter a Maintenance Work Order via TERMS.
• Maintenance will then address the Work Order.

For the Classroom Technologies (CTS) installations, two spare bulbs will be sent to each library media center.  If a bulb is used as a replacement, the Media Specialist/Tech must write the school’s 3 letter initials, date, and room number on the section of the box that states the model and part numbers as well as write the date manufactured if available along with school initials, room number, date replaced, bulb hours/life and mail to the District Media Center.

o   The school is responsible for determining who will change the bulb.

o   A training video for proper bulb replacement will be posted on Blackboard.  Directions on how to locate the hours the bulb was used as well as resetting once replaced for models:  Sharp PGF212X-I, Viewsonic Model PJD6211 and Mitsubishi Models XD205, XD206 and SD206 will be included.

o   To dispose of bulbs containing mercury, pack them securely and send them to Bruce Harvin in Operations, County Office.

o   Because there are various brands and models of these projectors please refer to the manuals for the instructions on how to reset the unit to zero hours after replacing the bulb.

o   If in constant used do not turn the projector off and on.  If the projector will not be used for a prolonged period of time turn it off.  This will prevent increased wear to the unit.

• The school is also responsible for determining how routine cleaning of equipment will be handled.  Because DLP projectors do not have filters, routine dusting is necessary to prolong use and avoid damage.

Software Installs:

• The enhanced software has been installed on the Application Servers at all school sites.
• If a school has a Technical Specialist or Technical Support Assistance on site, they are responsible for loading the Enhanced Software.  This includes the software for the Elmo, the PenPad, and the Easiteach Next Generation (NG) software with content.  Every school is licensed for the newest version of Easiteach in their classrooms.
• All other sites have elevated privileges personnel who are being trained to install the software.  If assistance is needed, elevated privileges personnel will need to know the following to either contact the Helpdesk via email or assist the teacher if IssueTrak is available for use:
• School
• Room number
• Property number of the computer ready for software install
• Service tag of the computer

Training is available as follows:

• As schools are completed, Facilities is conducting a brief overview session for teachers.
• After the schools verify the software has been loaded, administrators may call and schedule Bill Ralls and/or Ruth Paine for additional training on general equipment use.
• Training for the school IT person, elementary Technology Coaches and Media Specialists/Techs will be scheduled ASAP by may be after FCAT.
• Easiteach software training will be scheduled as it is requested by a school administrator.
• School level “EPIC” training is being developed and schools will be informed as it becomes available.

PLEASE NOTE:  There are about four different “versions” of enhanced classroom installations.  All consist of the same component but brands and/or models vary.  For sake of clarity, communication should refer to one of the following:

            Classroom Technologies installations (current bid including POE)

            Computrac/RM installations (mainly 2008-2009)

            CGE installations (during construction with some modifications)

            SLE or OVE installations (during construction)

The Easiteach software is now a district-wide license that includes Easiteach content.  It is no longer limited to only one PC.  There is a new version of the software loaded on the school application servers so those teachers with older versions may choose to upgrade to the newer version.   

        

I am hopeful that the information in this post will be beneficial to you if you are a teacher in Clay County who has questions about the enhanced classroom procedures.

Introducing Virtual Vincent!

EME5050 - ABC for Week 12

This week I learned about a great Web 2.0 tool called a voki.  I'm sure you are scratching your head and asking yourself, "What in the tarnation is a voki?"  I'm glad you asked!  A voki is a "personalized speaking avatar" according to the Voki for Education web site.  It's time now to formally introduce you to my new voki friend who is named "Virtual Vincent."  Just click on Vincent's play arrow and he'll actually talk to you.  I programmed him to say what he will say to you as I created him at the voki web site.




Pretty cool, huh?  You really need to take a closer look at the Voki for Education web site.  It has a lot of great educational ideas for using customized avatars in blogs, profiles, and even email.  Oh yeah, I need to point out that a big bonus is that this is a *FREE* web site!

Since I first started using this voki web site last year, it has really been updated and improved.  When you do get a chance to check out the web site, you will see for yourself that it offers sample lesson plans teachers can use to incorporate this kind of technology into their curriculum.   Virtual Vincent that you met earlier was a customized voki I created for a WebQuest I'm developing for one of my graduate courses on the fundamentals of technology for educators. 


I hope you'll make a point to go to the Voki for Education web site and sign up for your own *FREE* voki account.  It will be a great way to add some "21st century spark" to the lessons and activities you will be using with your students.

*FREE* Online Learning from LearnKey!

EME5050 - ABC for Week 9

In the School District of Clay County, we have a great resource for *FREE* online training for all employees in our district.  It is called LearnKey and it is found at http://clay.onlineexpert.com/.  Below is a screenshot of the login screen.  As you can see, the program is also called OnlineExpert, and we are using the newest version which is the 6.0 version.

The first step is to take a look at this new version, so I suggest you use the "Tour the New Features" button to view a helpful tutorial that will show you around.  Then you should use the links that are at the bottom of the screen to find out even more about the training that is being offered. 

If you are an employee of the School District of Clay County and you would like to take part in this training, then make sure to follow the directions for registering for an account.  That information was presented a couple of times, but the link you will want to use is the Register Now for FREE link.  You will be asked to input your email address as you register, so PLEASE user your Clay Email Address.  (This is also what you will use when you log in from now on to the training web site.)  Don't forget to write down the password you will be using for this web site and store it in a safe place!  Once you've successfully registered for your LearnKey account, I will be notified because I am the facilitator for this particular program.  As soon as I finish processing your registration, I will contact you with the details of how to proceed.

I hope that you will take advantage of this very beneficial *FREE* online training.  If you are a certified teacher who needs to earn in-service points for re-certification, you can use this training to do that.  If you are a support person, then this training can help you improve your work related skills.  I am the facilitator for this training program, so if at any time you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us.  I will be glad to assist you!

Ruth Paine

Podcasting in Education - Video Podcasts

EME5050 - ABC, Week 7

In my post last week, I shared how podcast training in my district (the School District of Clay County, Florida) has been streamlined. This training is still open to any employee in our district who would like to start using podcasting to help support and enhance what they do in their jobs. Below are the three different podcasting courses we are now offering:



• Podcasting in Blackboard

• Podcasting in Education – Audio Podcasts

• Podcasting in Education – Video Podcasts


Once the participant successfully completes a specific course, he/she will be ready to start using that particular type of educational podcasting in his/her job. For example, once the Podcasting in Blackboard training has been completed, the participant will be ready to start creating and posting podcasts in Blackboard Learn (our district's online learning management system). These podcasts will be created using Voice Podcaster which is offered through Wimba. Once a podcast is posted in Blackboard, listeners can subscribe to it us an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed (more about that in a minute).


Today’s post will focus on the last of the three different podcast courses we are offering. It is called Podcasting in Education – Video Podcasts. Just as the Podcasting in Education – Audio Podcasts training course does, this course follow the four basic steps all podcasters need to follow. They are: Plan, Produce, Publish, and Promote. A difference that needs to be pointed out at this time is how an audio podcast is different from a video podcast. By definition, “a podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication,” (“Podcast,” 2011). Notice that this was the definition of the word podcast. Now let’s define a video podcast. A “video podcast (sometimes shortened to vodcast) is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content via Atom or RSS enclosures,” (“Video podcast,” 2011). Notice here that a video podcast involves video of some sort. Now you should be able to see that the difference between an audio podcast and a video podcast is that audio podcasts only contain audio while video podcasts usually contain audio and video.


There is also a difference when it comes to the types of software that are used to create an audio podcast versus a video podcast. As I pointed out in last week’s post, in our district podcast training we use Audacity and LAME Encoder to create our audio podcasts. The participants first use Audacity to record and edit their audio files. Then when they are ready to become audio podcasts, they export their audio files as MP3 files (with the assistance of LAME Encoder). For creating vodcasts, we train participants to use either Windows Movie Maker (for Windows computers) or iMovie (for Apple computers). There are many different options for incorporating video into a video podcast. Our training participants may choose to insert still digital images or they can actually use a digital video camera to capture video to use. In addition, they may also choose to use Camtasia Studio to produce a screencast that can then be used in their video podcasts. As I mentioned, there are lots of different options when it comes to creating vodcasts and our training participants have been very creative so far. One actually chose to use Photo Story 3 to create her vodcast. During this training, the participants learn that each vodcast starts out as a video file and then the finished format must be MP4 for it to be an actual video podcast.


Once a vodcast is an MP4, it needs to be published. At this time, our district is using Internet Archive to store our podcasts and that makes them easily accessible when it comes time to promote them with listeners. Our training participants create a blog that is specifically used to showcase the podcasts they create during and after this particular training. These blogs are created in Blogger which is Google’s free online tool for creating blogs. The participants learn how to embed their vodcasts within the contents of a post in their blogs. As I mentioned in last week’s post, Blogger is programmed to include RSS (Really Simple Syndication) which is “a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updates works – such as a blog,” (“RSS,” 2011). In this way, the podcasters are able to share their new podcasts as they are created.


This has been a brief overview of the new Podcasting in Education – Video Podcasts training that we are now offering in Clay County. If you are an employee in the School District of Clay County, Florida and you would like to learn how to start creating educational podcasts to use in your job, please contact me at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us and I will be glad to assist you. If you have any specific questions that were not answered in this post, please make sure to send me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

References:

Podcast.  (2011).  In Wikipedia.  Retrieved March 1, 2011 from
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

RSS.  (2011).  In Wikipedia.  Retrieved March 1, 2011 from
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS

Video podcast.  (2011).  In Wikipedia.  Retrieved March 1, 2011 from
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_podcast

*Update* on Clay's Podcasting in Education Training

EME5050 - ABC Post for Week 6

Almost four years ago, during the summer of 2007, our school district started offering podcast certification training for any SDCC (School District of Clay County) employee who wanted to learn how to create educational podcasts to use in their jobs.  This program was opened up to teachers, administrators, and support personnel at both the school level and the district level.  It started out as a very ambitious program and participants were required to successfully complete all three of the training levels below in order to become “Certified Clay County Podcasters”:

• Podcasting in Education - Introductory Level
• Podcasting in Education - Intermediate Level
• Podcasting in Education - Advanced Level

Today this entire program has been streamlined, and now we are offering the following three different podcasting courses:

• Podcasting in Blackboard
• Podcasting in Education – Audio Podcasts
• Podcasting in Education – Video Podcasts

All three courses are still open to any employee of the School District of Clay County who would like to start creating educational podcasts to use in their jobs with the district.  This time, once a participant has successfully completed a specific course, he/she is ready to start using that particular type of educational podcasting in his/her job. If you refer to my earlier post (6/29/10) entitled *New* Podcast Training for Clay County Educators, you can learn a little more about the new Podcasting in Blackboard course.

For the remainder of this post, we will focus on the Podcasting in Education – Audio Podcasts training that we are now offering.  During this training the participants will learn about the following four basic steps all podcasters need to follow when creating a podcast:

1. Plan
2. Produce
3. Publish
4. Promote

First, the participants will learn how to plan the podcasts they want to create.  Then they will learn how to use two software programs called Audacity and Lame Encoder to actually produce their podcasts.  The next step will be for the participants to publish their new podcasts by uploading them to a dedicated server where they will be stored.  The last step is for participants to promote their newly created podcasts.  They will do this by creating a blog that will be specifically used to showcase the podcasts they will be creating during and after this training.  These blogs will be created using Blogger which is Google’s free online tool for creating blogs.  Participants will learn how to embed their podcasts within the contents of a post in their blogs.  Blogger is programmed to include RSS (“Really Simple Syndication”) which is “a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works – such as a blog” (“RSS,” 2011). This is a perfect way for podcasters to share their new podcasts as they are created.

This has been a brief explanation of the new Podcasting in Education – Audio Podcasts training that we are now offering in Clay County.  If you are an employee in the School District of Clay County, Florida and you would like to learn how to start creating educational podcasts to use in your job, contact me at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us and I will be glad to assist you.  If you have any specific questions that were not answered in this post, please make sure to send me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.  I am the facilitator/instructor for these courses.

Next week’s blog post will be a brief explanation of Podcasting in Education – Video Podcasts which is the third type of podcast training we are offering in Clay County.

Reference:

RSS. (2011). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/
     wiki/RSS

You Too Can Become a *STAR*

EME5050 - ABC Week 5

In my last post I shared information on a group of networked teachers called the Discovery Education Network (DEN).  On the DEN website at http://community.discoveryeducation.com/about.cfm the group is defined as a "global community of educators passionate about teaching with digital media, sharing resources, collaborating, and networking ("About the DEN," 2010).

Does that definition appeal to you?  If you are a teacher who works in a school district that has formed a partnership with Discovery Education to provide access to their outstanding educational content, then you are already a member of this network.  We are partners in the School District of Clay County, Florida and all of our teachers are already DEN members.  Unfortunately, the majority of them are probably not even aware of this fact, and I hope to use this post to help make them aware. 

If you are a Clay County School teacher then you are a member of the DEN.  All you have to do is navigate to the website provided above and log on with your DE username and password.  If you don't know your log on information, then you can see your school's media specialist for assistance.  If you still need additional help, you can email me at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us and I will be glad to assist you.  If you do not teach in Clay County, but you are a teacher in another school system, then you should contact one of your school administrators is find out about using Discovery Education in your particular district.

The purpose of this post is actually twofold.  I want to make ALL teachers aware of the DEN, and also inform them about the advantages of becoming a *STAR* in the DEN.  For more specific information on the DEN, please take a look at my last post called The Networked Teacher (DEN). 

So we've established the fact that if you are a teacher in a district that has formed a partnership with Discovery Education and you are able to log on to their website at http://community.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm with your own unique Discovery Education username and password you are automatically a member of the DEN.  If you have not already logged on to this website before, I strongly encourage you to do so as soon as you can.  You will be amazed by the wealth of information and instructional resources that will be available to you.  If that is not enough, there is another level of partnership you on your own can now form with Discovery Education.  You can be not only a Discovery Educator, but you can also become a "STAR Discovery Educator."  Take a look at some of the "perks" below that you will get when you become a "STAR":

• STAR Discovery Educators have access to exclusive promotions and contests.
• STAR Discovery Educators can share resources through the DEN website and their own personal DEN blog.
• STAR Discovery Educators can attend local, regional and national DEN events.

The main point is that these perks are not offered to regular DEN members, so there is an advantage to being a "STAR."  If your interest has been peaked and you would like to find out how "you too, can become a STAR," you will definitely want to read on.

The first step is to log on the Discovery Education website at http://community.discoveryeducation.com/about.cfm and you will see a link that says, "Become a STAR Discovery Educator...FIND OUT HOW."  When you click on this link you will be taken to the online application screen where you will view a short video called Become a STAR.  At the end of the video you will complete a short questionnaire about its contents which highlighted the various advantages and requirements for becoming a STAR Discovery Educator.  At the bottom of the questionnaire there will be a "Submit Application" button for you to use, and once you do, you will receive a confirmation message congratulating you for "submitting your initial application."  The last part of this application process is for you to "host your own Discovery Education event."  That may sound pretty daunting, but it really isn't.  Take a look below at examples of ways you can "host your own event."  You could:

• Lead your team or department in a review of the Discovery Education website and point out some of the helpful resources that are available
• Facilitate a webinar for a group of your teachers at your school on how to use Discovery Education to improve their students' process skills
• Host a grade-level meeting either after school or during lunch when you plan who to utilize different Discovery Education online resources to enhance your specific curriculum
• There are so many other possibilities that this list is literally endless!

The point is, that any time you "share the power of Discovery" with at least three or more other educators, you are "hosting an event."  Sounds pretty simple after all, doesn't it?  To maintain STAR Discovery Educator status you are only required to "host your own event" twice a year.  To document that you have completed these two events you just log on to the Discovery Education website and navigate to the STAR Discovery Educator section where you'll see prompts for "logging your event."


I'm hopeful that this post has not only inspired you to find out more about the Discovery Education Network, but it has also made you really consider becoming a STAR Discovery Educator for yourself.  If you have any questions, the first place to start would be with either your school's media specialist or one of your school's administrators.  If you would like any additional information, you can always contact me at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us and I will be glad to assist you.


Don't forget..."you too can become a STAR."


References:
About the DEN, (2010).  Retrieved from http://community.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm

The Networked Teacher (DEN)

EME5050 - ABC Week 4

In our graduate course on the fundamentals of technology for educators we have been taking a close look at the 21st century student and the consensus is that because today’s students are “always connected,” they should also be called “networked students.” As a teacher I would like to think that I am a 21st century teacher who’s connected, but in comparison to the true 21st century student, I’m not even close. I would like to introduce you to a group of teachers who are the epitome of the 21st century networked teacher, and as a matter of fact their organization name even contains the word network. Let’s take a look at the Discovery Educator Network, also known as DEN.


First, if you haven’t seen Wendy Drexler’s video called The Networked Student, then you need to take a look at it for yourself.  Please view the video below.

That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?  Now I’d like you to see some actual DEN members describing their organization.  Take a look at the video below.

These people look like normal, everyday people don’t they?  They are, and they are all teachers who belong to the DEN.  By now you must be wondering, “What is this DEN, and why are these people so passionate about it?”  The DEN is a “global community of educators passionate about teaching with digital media, sharing resources, collaborating, and networking” (“About the DEN,” 2010).  Use the link below to access the official DEN website where you can find out even more about this dynamic group of educators: 

http://community.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm

Once you are on the site you will see all kinds of links to information on the organization.  Don't plan on making your first visit a quick one, because there is a lot to see.  Below are a few of the links to different resources on the DEN website.  Use them to take an initial look around:

• Products & Services
• Classroom Resources
• Home Resources
• Professional Development
• Store

So do you think you'd like to be a part of this connected group of educators?  Guess what?  If your district is using Discovery Education Streaming like we are in Clay County Schools, then you are already a member of DEN.  All you have to do is start utilizing this website.  This is probably a site you will want to bookmark, and when you log on with your Discovery Education username and password, you'll be able to view additional DEN resources that aren't available to those who aren't members.

If you're an educator in the Clay County School System and you're not sure of your Discovery Education username and password, you can see your school's media specialist for assistance.  If you don't work in the School District of Clay County, Florida, then you should see one of your school administrators to find out if your district uses Discovery Education Streaming.

For additional information, or if you have any questions, please contact me at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us and I'll be glad to help out.

Next week this blog will introduce the STAR Discovery Educator and it will explain how you can become a "STAR" yourself.

References:

About the DEN, (2010).  Retrieved from http://community.discoveryeducation.com/about.cfm

ABC Week 3 Post - Key Questions and Answers About Copyright, Fair Use and the TEACH Act

Please check out my ABC Post for Week 3.  It deals with key points K-12 digital need to be aware of when it comes to Copyright, Fair Use and the TEACH Act in today's classroom.

Key Questions and Answers About Copyright, Fair Use and the TEACH Act

A Guide for K-12 Digital Educators

EME5050 - ABC Week 3

In legal terms, copyright is defined as a set of statutory rights granted exclusively to the author or creator of an original work.  This is with the intent of helping a creator control if/when his particular intellectual property may be legally copied, adapted or distributed by others.  In simple terms, most people interpret copyright as the right to copy someone else’s work.  At first, copyright was used by authors to control how others were allowed to use the books that they wrote.  Then during the 19^th century, copyright started to apply to a wider variety of original works such as:  sculptures, drawings, paintings, prints, engravings, dramatic works, musical compositions, maps and charts.  Now that we have moved into the 21^st century, we are seeing copyright being applied to all kinds of original digital works that range from computer games, to sound recordings, podcasts, and even motion pictures.  Original choreography and architectural works are being copyrighted as well, but with all our technological advances, there is a wealth of original digital content being created and copyrighted.  This is happening not only in the business and entertainment worlds, but also in today’s K-12 classrooms. 

Currently in my school district we have an EETT Grant in which Discovery Education is working with some of our eighth grade science teachers and their students to use Discovery Education content to create original digital projects.  The students are creating their own digital mashups in which they are combining videos and still images from the Discovery Education web site with text, music, and narration.  During this process the students are not only learning how to properly cite and attribute unoriginal content they want to incorporate, but they are also learning how they can copyright their own intellectual property using a Creative Commons license. You will learn with the next slide that a Creative Commons license offers the creator of an original work more flexibility than the standard “all rights reserved” copyright license.  In addition, this is also a very opportune time to teach these junior high students about plagiarism.  While they are working on their projects in class, the teacher is going to ask, “How would you feel if one of your classmates copied part of your mashup without you knowing and then he turned it in for a grade?”  The hope is that this type of scenario will bring about a passionate group discussion, resulting in the students being able to internalize the feeling of “being ripped off” when it comes to plagiarism. 

When defining a person’s intellectual property, you are talking about a person’s creative thoughts that result in unique expressions of ideas or tangible products that have value.  This means they can also be patented, trademarked or copyrighted.  The reason K-12 educators should encourage students to consider using a Creative Commons license for any of their original works is because it allows them to retain copyright, while also allowing non-commercial adaptations, copying and distribution of their work.  This in turn will add to the “educational lifespan” of the student work and will educationally benefit a broader spectrum of learners over time.  

The reason K-12 educators should encourage students to consider using a Creative Commons license for any of their original works is because it allows them to retain copyright, while also allowing non-commercial adaptations, copying and distribution of their work.  This in turn will add to the “educational lifespan” of the student’s innovative work and it will educationally benefit a broader spectrum of learners over time.  Use the following link and you will be taken to the Creative Commons homepage where you can check it out for yourself.  http://creativecommons.org/

The term “fair use” is not easily defined and it is an exception to the “rule of copyright.”  As a matter of fact, fair use has come to apply to more than one exception and in the mid-1990s they were all compiled into a document entitled, “Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia.”  Fair use allows copyrighted material to be copied without obtaining permission from the copyright holder only in which it will be strictly used for commentary, criticism, or parody.  Historically, the interpretation of the term “fair use” has remained so vague that millions of dollars have been spent in judicial systems all over the world, because people keep trying to qualify a clear-cut definition.  All has been for naught because the lawmakers and judges who first created the “fair use exception,” wanted it to be left open to interpretation and not limited.

As the authors Susan Ko and Steven Rossen point out in their book, “Teaching Online: A Practical Guide,” copyright laws vary greatly from country to country even though there are international regulations for copyright in place. This means that today’s K-12 digital educators should not make it a practice to freely copy and use material obtained from a website on the Internet under the guise of “fair use.” As we all should know by now, the World Wide Web is far-reaching and it contains information from locations across the planet. There are four key questions that everyone, not just K-12 digital educators should answer when determining if a copyrighted work meet the criteria of “fair use.”

• The first question asks, “Is the character in which the material is going to be used for commercial or non-commercial reasons?” An educator should be using it for non-commercial purposes, so meeting the first criterion should not be difficult.
• The second question is, “What is the specific nature of the copyrighted material?” This question delves into whether the work is or is not in the public domain. If it is then it may have never been copyrighted, or its original copyright has run out. All works in the public domain may be used under “fair use,” and do not require permission from the copyright holder for use. In addition, this question considers if “by nature” the material is strictly factual, or if it is uniquely creative. Factual information is more likely to meet the criteria, but the more creative the material, the more likely that it will not.
• The next question asks, “How much of the material is going to be used?” If the answer is “almost all,” then it would not meet the criteria for “fair use.”
• The final question is, “What impact would the use of this material have on its potential market value?” If using a copyrighted work could in some way negatively impact its market value, then it would not be considered fair use. This criterion holds significant importance for K-12 digital educators such as those in my district who use “Blackboard Learn” to provide an online learning environment to support and enhance the face-to-face classes that they teach. It requires students to use a unique username and password to log on to the class, and using copyrighted material in this way should not have a negative impact on its future market value. This particular instance of using a copyrighted work without obtaining permission first does meet this criterion for fair use.

TEACH Act is short for the Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act, and it became an amendment to copyright in 2002.  As a result, digital creations and distance learning landed “front and center” in the debate on how copyright applies to the digital classroom.  This particular subject is similar to fair use in that it complex and often left to interpretation.  This is not helpful in the least to K-12 digital educators. Fortunately there are three key points on which they can rely when they want to use copyrighted text, video, or audio in their classrooms, without having to obtain permission or pay a fee to the copyright holder.  The first one is to limit how much of the work they actually use.  This is pretty straightforward and it follows the same guidelines of fair use.  The second point is to limit the amount of time that the copyrighted material is made available.  It should only be accessible for time periods in which it is relevant to a specific curriculum of study.  The final point is that teachers should make sure that any copyrighted material they use should only be accessible to those students enrolled in their classes.  An effective way to do this is to make the kind of content only available inside an online class that requires students to log on with their unique username and password.

Hopefully you now know more about the key points of copyright and fair use and how they apply in today’s K-12 classrooms.  If you are currently a K-12 teacher, then you need to start thinking of yourself as a K-12 digital educator.  You also need to start putting all the key points you learned about copyright, fair use, intellectual property and the TEACH Act into a cohesive plan of action that will help you get the most you can from all those educational resources that are just a mouse click away.  As educators we now find ourselves immersed in an age that has been coined the “Digital Age,” and we owe it to our 21^st century students to be 21^st first century digital citizens.

References:
(2007).  What is Fair Use?  Copyright & Fair Use:  Stanford University Libraries.  Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/9-ahtml

Ko, Susan, & Rossen, Steve.  (2010).  Teaching Online:  A Practical Guide (3rd ed., pp. 227-246).  New York:  Routledge.

EME5050 - ABC Post for Week 2

Please take a look at my post about the Leveraging Technology Initiative that we are using in the school district where I work in Clay County, Florida.

Leveraging Technology Initiative

EME5050 – ABC Post (Week 2)


It is the 21st Century and technology is advancing so rapidly that the nation’s public school systems are literally not able to keep up with the pace. The task of providing our students with an education that will help them stay competitive in the global market in which we live is monumental at best, and soon it will be insurmountable. This is why the School District of Clay County, Florida is piloting the Leveraging Technology Initiative in two of its schools during this school year in 2010-2011. One senior high school and one junior high school were chosen to participate in the pilot. Any data gathered from this process should prove to be helpful in the future as we continue to strive to provide an equitable technology model across the district. There are several theories on which the Leveraging Technology Initiative is based and a plan has been set in motion to gradually introduce this pilot at each school, one grade level at a time. To help you more fully understand the potential of this pilot, the remainder of this post will introduce the ideas on which it is founded, describe the procedures that have been developed, and outline the stages at which this pilot will progress. It will also primarily focus on how the Leveraging Technology Initiative is currently being used at the senior high school.

One of the theories that helped spark this initiative is the idea that it could be more cost effective and less time consuming if public school systems allowed students to bring their own Internet-ready devices to school to use for Internet-based class activities and assignments. This would then help lessen the burden that almost all school districts face today as they struggle to provide equitable access to these types of devices for the pupils in their classrooms. It probably won’t surprise you that we have found that not all of the senior high students have Internet-ready devices of their own to bring to school, but we’ve also found that many of them do.

For this type of endeavor to be successful there must be a few guidelines and procedures in place. We started the process with a steering committee which consisted of district level personnel, along with the school administrators, media specialists and some of the school’s teachers who were proven technology leaders. This committee decided which types of devices the students would be allowed to bring in, how these devices would be “officially approved” for use in the classroom, and how students would be identified as approved participants in the pilot. The first and foremost of the established guidelines for the pilot is that student may only use their Internet-ready devices under the direction of a classroom teacher.

This particular school involved in this initiative is a brand new senior high school and it only has ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students. A document entitled Protocol for the Use of Electronic Devices on Campus will be sent home first with the eleventh graders, and when this happens in mid-February, it will signify the official start of the Leveraging Technology Initiative. In order for students to bring their own Internet-ready devices in to use for teacher-directed classroom activities and assignments, there are a few steps they must successfully complete first:

• The protocol document that was taken home to parents must be completed and signed by both the student and his/her parent(s).

• Students must take their completed protocol documents and their Internet-ready devices to the school media center where they will be checked by one of the media specialists to make sure they meet all pilot requirements. (The only devices that students will be allowed to bring in to use at school are smart phones, iPads, iPods, Netbooks, and laptops). To signify that a student has been approved to use his/her own Internet-ready device at school under the direction of a teacher, the media specialist will punch the student’s school ID card with a special hole punch. Note: If for some reason a student loses this privilege, another special hole punch will be used on the student’s school ID card as an indication.

Throughout the pilot, the steering committee will remain the driving force behind the program and its members will be continually monitoring the progress. When it appears that the other two grade levels are ready to proceed, the pilot will be extended to them as well.

I hope that during the next few weeks I will be able to share an update on how the Leveraging Technology Initiative is going so far at both the junior high and senior high pilot schools in Clay County.

Welcome to the New Discovery Education!

(EME5050 - ABC Week 01)

Yes that's right, there is a "new" Discovery Education and you will want to check it out as soon as possible!  Have you logged on lately to http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/?  If not, then you should ask yourself "why not"?  You need to take advantage of this tremendous educational resource that our district provides for every teacher, student (and parent) that happen to be part of the Clay County School System.  Let's take a look a  closer look at what Discovery Education has to offer.

When you use the link provided above you will be taken to the Discovery Education login screen where you will see the "Subscriber Login" box near the top of the page (see the screen shot below).  If you already know your username and password then by all means go ahead and log on so you can get started.  If you have a DE account but can't remember your username and password, you can simply see your school Media Specialist for assistance.  In this instance, please do not try to create another account.  If you don't have a Discovery Education account, you can also see your school Media Specialist to obtain a passcode that is specifically for your particular school.  When you're ready to register, simply click on the "Passcode/New User" link and input your passcode.  It's as simple as that.

Whether you are logged in or not to the Discovery Education web site, you can take advantage of some of the "free" resources it has to offer.  Scroll down to the very bottom of the login screen and you will see links to the following free resources:

• Free Teacher Resources  K-5 Teacher Resources
    6-8 Teacher Resources
    9-12 Teacher Resources
    Puzzlemaker
    Lesson Plans
    Featured Programs and Contests
    Discovery Student Adventures
    Brain Boosters
    Clip Art
    Kathy Schrock's Guide
    Learning Adventures
    Science Curriculum Center
    WebMath
    Worksheets to Go
• Free Parent Resources  Motivation Station
    Homework Help
    WebMath
    Featured Programs and Contests
    Puzzlemaker
    Clip Art
    Ready Zone H1N1
• Free Student Resources  Homework Help
    WebMath
    Puzzlemaker
    Clip Art
    Featured Programs and Contests

These are just a few of the great resources offered to you by Discovery Education.  If you have any further questions on how to get started using DE you can always send me, Ruth Paine, an email at rpaine@mail.clay.k12.fl.us and I will be glad to assist you.

Next week in the OneClay Virtual Blog I will introduce some of the newest features of the Discovery Education web site.  You will want to check it out firsthand for yourself, so please make sure that before next week you are able to successfully log on to the web site.