District Administration - June 2006 - (Page 76)

PRESENTATION SYSTEMS, A/V A / V FOR ALL Everyone at the Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD uses the district's A/V materials. Here, a kindergartener plays an online learning game and the assistant superintendent works on a presentation. get content on demand more choices and exactly what you want, when you want it, and again and again. Improving Learning A big part of A/V's appeal is its ability to reach more students than relying on textbooks and lectures. Multisen- sor y capability is the power of A/V. It addresses more learning styles at once the auditory learner, the visual learner and the tactile-kinesthetic learner who is helped by seeing things happen, says Carol Simpson, an associate professor in the School of Library Information Sciences at the University of North Texas. Close- captioning is also really helpful with video, especially for ESL students, connecting the words to the images. St udent s of every stripe, however, are drawn to images, movement and sound. Teachers have an easier time attracting kids' attention with a good A/V system and content, and studies show that A/V materials improve student learning and retention. Exper t s agree that even used in its most basic way, a good A/V sys- tem is a useful classroom tool. When a teacher puts his or her notes up for students to follow along, that's helpful, especially if a PowerPoint includes visuals or even video clips to illustrate the point. A document revolutionize education and it didn't. document cameras that serve as a 21st camera can allow a teacher to use But in reality, it has. It's just taken a century overhead projector, sound many more visual clues to illustrate long time to come about, says Mark systems that make a teacher's words the point, and Web sites that include Gura, the former head of technology audible in every corner of the room educational software or streaming for the New York City Department of and student-response devices that keep video can take a class far beyond the Education and now a consultant for a class engaged and teachers on top of school's walls. educational researchers like Ford- who comprehends the material. ha m University. Schoolhouse Rock A nd there's a slew of content for Student-led Learning didn't have enough impact because all this hardware: streaming video, T he power of A/V really becomes it came on every once in a while and Web sites, PowerPoint presentations, apparent, though, when the focus you couldn't choose when to watch interactive software, videoconfer- moves away from the lecturing it. We've just gotten to the point now ences and more. There's an old teacher and toward empowering with digital technology that you can saw that television was supposed to 76 June 2006 District Administration av.w.indd 76 5/15/06 3:55:02 PM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2006

Contents
Editor's Letter
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Graduation Woes
The Hidden Downside of Wireless Networking
Cover Story: John Q. Porter: Leader/Pioneer/Secret Shopper
8th Grade Algebra: Finding a Formula for Success
Building a Strong Community Partnership
Join the A/V Club
Big Brother Gets Bolder
Security Trends
The Online Edge
Speaking Out
Problem/Solution
Research Corner
Research Corner
Computer Literature
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - June 2006