Technology & Learning - October 2008 - (Page 23)

W W W.T E C H L E A R N I N G . C O M More than ever, teachers are using digital video to enhance their lessons. In fact, the number of schools using video streaming increased from 30 percent to 45 percent between 2004 and 2006, according to Market Data Retrieval. Why the popularity? For starters, video-streaming products are easy to use. They allow teachers to punctuate lessons with a visual and aural punch, both of which help students retain what they’ve learned. And students love watching videos. If your district hasn’t yet jumped on the digital bandwagon, the following chart can help you find the best method. What don’t you like about it? “At first, we expressed our wish to play the content from outside of the school network. Recently, Safari released a new version that provides end-user access to the titles remotely. We hope to upgrade to this version.” Have you successfully integrated it into the curriculum? “Teachers are encouraged to show short video clips and follow up with discussion, questions, or other inquiry-based activities. They appreciate the ability to generate individualized play lists of video specific to their curriculum and share them across their building and/or district.” How much does it cost? Streaming Setup $1,000 (K-8 core content package); $1,500 (9-12 core content package). Additional costs include server and basic software. www.safarimontage.com Server at the school or district level. This enterprise-level digital media management system offers several server options, ranging from a school installation to a district-wide installation. All servers come pre-loaded with core content that can easily be expanded. All servers are fully compatible with most standard network configurations. “There isn’t anything I’d change. At first, I thought $5,000 was a lot of money to spend, but I now think it’s actually inexpensive when you factor in the reliability and how it lets us provide what our teachers need.” “Yes, in lots of ways. We’ve had teleconferences on curricular issues and streamed them to teachers for staff development. Also, parents can access the videos at home. We have streamed several programs for parents, including helping them understand classroom activities like Lexiles for reading.” “So far, all we’ve paid is $5,000 for one encoder. Our network was already in place, as well as our production studios and other materials.” The district office produces in-house programming that they match to standards, mainly middle school, and upload to the server for all teachers to download and use. They have their own production studio and a network in place, so they bought an Encoder for $5K and that lets them digitize and upload everything. “There is so much content that it can be hard to find everything you want. Sometimes, we keep digging for more and find ourselves disappointed. Some teachers have high expectations and it’s hard to keep up with them.” “Yes; all of our teachers have access to DE Streaming and have received or are in the process of receiving training. We have some heavyhitters, probably about 15%, who consistently using the DE content and we have some newbies who are just starting to dabble in all the great stuff we get from Discovery.” DISCOVERY EDUCATION STREAMING K-8 Building: $1,570 9-12 and K-12 Building: $2,095 DISCOVERY EDUCATION STREAMING PLUS K-8 Building: $2,615 9-12 and K-12 Building: $3,095 streaming.discovery education.com Can be hosted on-site (either at school or district) with the Discovery Media Server or can be accessed through the Internet. “The only thing teachers say is that there’s not enough on some subjects, such as sixth-grade science. However, the company is open to suggestions, so this isn’t a real problem.” “Yes. Our teachers use it all the time. It has become a part of their day, kind of like brushing your teeth.” An annual, customized subscription starts at around $695 for one school. www.learn360.com Audio and video streamed from the Web. (Can also be hosted locally for no extra charge.) TECH & LEARNING | 23 http://WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM http://www.safarimontage.com http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com http://www.learn360.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - October 2008

Technology & Learning - October 2008 Contents Editor’s Desk News & Trends We All Stream for Video Put to the Test Special Needs Guide to Tech Products The New Rules of Copyright Picture Perfect What’s New Leader of the Year Profile

Technology & Learning - October 2008

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