Video distribution systems or closed-circuit television makes it possible to show SchoolTV News shows, Bookfair promotional videos, PowerPoints, videos, and cable and broadcast programs, etc. throughout the school. At my school, we do have closed-circuit television and it is currently working. It is used only by the media specialist and teachers do not have any input or control over what is displayed. We do occasionally have technical problems with our closed- circuit television system, for which we have to call in our technology assistant or technical director.
We have access to closed-circuit television on Channel 34. This is specifically for the viewers in our school. This is my second year as the media specialist at Cherokee Elementary. I use the closed-circuit television system daily to show our school news program, The Bulldog Beat. Our crew comes in each morning and does the live show, while teachers and students watch on closed-circuit television in their classrooms. After the show is over I set up a PPT that includes school related announcements and a digital clock that is shown throughout the day. Some teachers keep it on all day, while others feel it is a distraction and turn it off and only view it when needed or at the end of the day. Here are two pictures of what we show on our CCTV. The first is the opening slide of our morning show. It switches between a PPT and live TV using a video camera and other equipment. The second is our PPT w/ clock and announcements.
Our closed-circuit television has also been used to show Scholastic Bookfair promotional videos and fundraising promotions. I have used it to show PPTs of Leo our library mascot’s adventures, new books that are available, or pictures of our Storybook Character Pumpkins. The closed-circuit television is used for recognition of students and staff as well. It is also used to show VHS & DVD movies that more than one teacher is showing.
Our school district does use Georgia Public Broadcasting. We have a link on our school district’s website to Discovery Education/ United Streaming videos. We have access through a username and password. Most teachers search for videos to enhance units of study to meet Common Core and Georgia Performance Standards. As a media specialist, I often search for videos for to support the teacher’s curriculum. For example, a fourth grade teacher requested materials on the Hopi tribe. I gathered books, but we didn’t have any DVDs. Using Discovery Education, I found several short videos to recommend to him. Discovery Education is a wonderful resource for teachers.
Thanks for sharing! Your use of the closed circuit channel is great compared to my schools. We do not use ours. The only time we use ours is the last day of school to broadcast a movie for all grade levels to assist calming the students before summer break. We also circulate a DVD among 12 language arts teachers in a short amount of time to advertise for Book Fair. The closed circuit channel would be much more effective. We broadcast Channel One, but that’s the extent of our tv use. We also have access to discovery education which is an excellent resource.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you are using your closed circuit channel for a daily news program. My first year teaching, our technology club produced a daily news program with students as the anchors. Everyone in the school enjoyed it. The students loved receiving information from their peers. I'm not sure what changed, but we haven't had this program in five years. Every morning we receive announcements over the intercom system from one of the administrators. It's not quite as effective as that produced by the students. We mostly use our system for book fair ads and DVD rewards for the entire school. Sometimes we do have slide slow presentation of various activities. When I get a job in the media center, I hope I'm able to produce a news show to get the students involved.
ReplyDeleteKelley, it is a lot of fun to produce the School News, but it is hectic first thing in the morning. As soon as I walk in, we have to start preparing. I can understand why some schools choose not to do this. Some schools record it and show it the next day. I just haven't found the time for that because I have bus duty in the afternoons and some children leave early.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog entry! I cannot imagine producing a school news show. It seems very overwhelming. My school has a Video Broadcasting class and the student write, produce, and perform in the school news once a week. They really do a great job. We have what looks like a small newsroom at a major network. I went and took a peek this week and it is very cool. We can play it live in our classrooms or she also gives us a link that we can watch it when we want. The students love to see themselves on camera. I know last year a couple of times we were in the middle of something when it was times for the news broadcast and I wanted to watch it at a later time and the students were not happy!
ReplyDeleteYou sound like you have a great system for your closed curcuit TV. It is able to handle most of the video needs for your school. I really like the announcements done by students on TV. It allow students to get experience performing in front of groups at a young age. That leads to confidence and empathy for others in the same situation.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you share Discovery Education with your teachers. It looks like it has tons of great resources. I wonder: Can the videos be burned to a disc or saved to a thumb drive. I would imagine that when a teacher discovers a wonderful tool for a lesson, it would be easier if he or she could save it with the lesson materials for the next year.