District Administration - September 2007 - (Page 25)

DIGITAL MEDIA TEAM LEAD, MARTIN MCGUIRE AdministratorProﬁle On-Demand Video System Enhances Visual Learning By Danielle Gillespie ODAY’S YOUTH OFTEN search for videos based on their interests on Web sites such as YouTube. They communicate with friends through instant and text messaging. Such technology has changed how young people learn, according to Martin McGuire, the Chicago Public School District’s digital media systems team lead. “Our students are used to small bits of information. We want to tap into that same style of learning while they are in school and prepare them for the future by improving visual literacy and technology integration,” McGuire says. Improving Visual Literacy Four years ago, McGuire, who has worked as an audio/visual engineer for two of the district’s schools, volunteered to serve on a committee that worked with Safari Video Networks, a subsidiary of Video Library Company. Together they created a system that instantly gave teachers access to thousands of video clips. The product, called Safari Montage, which made its debut within Chicago’s public schools, is now widely used in other districts. “We met with Safari for over a year, telling them what we needed to ﬁt our environment, and they responded by creating this wonderful tool for teaching and learning,” McGuire says. Safari Montage contains more than 1,000 videos of programming from sources such as PBS, A&E, Almanac, BBC, National Geographic and Scholastic. The videos are stored on a centralized server that allows districts to manage, store and show the videos. Districts can www.DistrictAdministration.com T Martin McGuire helped create a system that currently oﬀers 415 Chicago public schools access to the on-demand system that he helped develop. purchase video packages that contain elementary, middle or high school content. Safari Video Networks hires seasoned teachers from around the United States to screen the videos to ensure they have educational value. Videos are aligned to meet state standards in science, math, reading Martin McGuire Digital Media Team Lead, Chicago Public Schools Age: 37 Tenure: 14 years Students: 420,000 Staff and faculty: 32,000 Number of schools: More than 615 Web site: www.cps.k12.il.us and social science. Teachers can show students video clips to help them improve their state assessment scores. For example, students can watch video clips to help them understand the diﬀerence between a right and isosceles triangle, according to Sandra Caudill, assistant principal of Bell Elementary School. The clip might illustrate how a ladder leaning against a wall forms a right triangle. “It gives the children real-life application,” Caudill says. After McGuire helped create Safari Montage, the district asked him to install and maintain the system. He has worked with the district for 14 years and has a bachelor’s degree in communications from DePaul University in Chicago. Three hundred of the district’s more than 500 elementary schools, which serve kindergarten through grade 8, 25 September 2007 http://www.cps.k12.il.us http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2007

Cover
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
District Buying Power 2007
X-Factor Student Achievement Awards 2007
We've Got Mail
Supporting New Teachers
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solution
Computer Literature
Research Corner
Online Edge
Supervisor’s Opinion
Speaking Out
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - September 2007