At Chestnut Log we turn on Channel One news at 8:10, which is broadcast throughout the building on TV's mounted in each classroom. The morning announcements are done by the administration or front office staff immediately following Channel One over the intercom system. We do not currently have the materials or equipment to put on anything more elaborate, with the possible exception of providing a written version of the announcements for teachers to display on their LCD projector. Unfortunately, with the budget tightening, I don't see our purchasing any equipment to make a video broadcast available, which is something I would love to do.
We currently use Discovery Streaming very heavily in Douglas County. BUT, we are required to download the content that we want overnight, and then use it from local servers the next day. While this requires some planning on the part of the teachers, it seems to work in the way it is intended...to reduce bandwidth usage during the day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
My husband teaches at a school that, despite being a well funded system, still does its announcements over the intercom. He says he is not sure why they do not do a morning show, but that they have the capabilities. Do not misread what I am saying. It is a good school to work for, and they have a lot of awesome things going on. However, technology is severely lacking. It is still difficult for many administrators and even superintendents to believe that technology is not just a passing fad. They do not spend time seeking out new information and understanding of novel technologies. This is a common problem in education and has lead to much criticism from the private sector. If we are supposed to be preparing kids for the future, and studies indicate that, because of technology, many jobs have not even been invented yet, why is it so hard for educators to get their hands on new technology?
Discovery Streaming is such a great tool. I never thought about downloading the content overnight to reduce bandwidth usage. I have noticed that sometimes when you try to watch an entire video directly from the website, it sometimes pauses frequently or never fully downloads. I know some teachers who have downloaded all of the "Magic School Bus" videos to their computers so they never have to worry about it.
Post a Comment