Video Distribution / GPB Resources

At Hampton Elementary School our Richardson Distribution System is located in the A/V Room. We have 7 VCR's and 2 DVD players. The system has cable access. Our morning news program is played live over the closed circuit system. We have nearly 500 videos (mostly VHS) that teachers can request to be shown over the closed circuit system. The teachers should be able to control the videos over the phone system, but this hasn't been used for many years, and no one knows how. So instead we start and stop them in the media center. The system works for us--and the administration likes the control.

An internet accessible computer is also connected to this system so (theoretically) we should be able to play online videos and podcasts--unfortunately the computer is very slow and in need of a major upgrade. I have been told that, with the current economic situation in my county, this will not likely happen. For the anniversary of "The Very Hungary Caterpillar" the literacy coach and I created a video using the Flip Camera; however, when it was uploaded onto the computer--the audio and video were out of sync! The county technician told me it was because the computer simply didn't have enough memory. It's very disappointing! I have tried downloading videos to a DVD--but the players in the system are so old that they won't play them! All of our teachers have TV-Ator's (a little box that links the computer to the TV in the classroom) or a connecting cable running through the ceiling, so saving the videos to the shared drive enables them to be shown in the classrooms.

The GPB website offers many great resources for both teachers and students. Since the site is produced locally--the resources are aligned to the GPS. United Streaming is a WONDERFUL resource, but it isn't used a great deal at Hampton. I plan to host a training session (or better yet--create a podcast!) to remind the teachers of what a great resource this is. My favorite feature is the GPS search, which gives teachers the ability to tailor their searches by the standard and strand of the lesson. With the teacher resources and black-line masters, this source should be being used regularly.