Media Specialists Meetings By James Cooney, Associate Superintendent of Schools

Over the past year and a half media specialists in the Diocese of Orlando have participated in several formal meetings. These meetings have served to facilitate networking, to initiate the investigation of various pertinent topics, and to create a forum to explore current trends in media literacy. Topics such as copyright law, media center technology, foundations and grants, production studios, and curriculum have been discussed.

Based upon a concern expressed at a meeting on September 2004, a Media Curriculum Steering Committee of seven elementary and high school media specialists was formed from the total group of media specialists. This committee was charged with the task of developing a curriculum framework for media that would serve as a guide as to what students should know and be able to do from Kindergarten through grade 8. The committee reviewed national standards as well as Florida standards. Several documents were used as resources to include Information Power, Building Partnerships for Learning; Information Literacy: Florida’s Library Media Curriculum Connections; Florida’s Sunshine State Standards; and the Diocese of Orlando Curriculum Frameworks in the major subject areas. As a result of the work of this committee, a draft document has been developed that includes the national standards and descriptors and correlates them to the Diocese of Orlando curriculum benchmarks and performance descriptors by grade levels, K-8. Once this document is edited and approved, it will be available for use in schools beginning with the 2005-06 school year.

Future meetings of diocesan school media specialists will be held on a bi-annual basis, one meeting in the fall semester and one in the spring semester. Special ad hoc committees will be formed to address pertinent issues as needed.