TOPIC 8: MANAGEMENT OF A SCHOOL MULTI –MEDIA CENTRE

(MMC)
- A school multi - media centre is also referred to as the learning Resource centre
- It is also referred to as curriculum Laboratory or instructional Materials Centre
- It is a storehouse where a variety of media resources are assembled or kept for
purposes of instruction
- It is a facility used in instruction – i.e. a learning area where one can take
students to learn there or get materials from.
PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING A MMC / WHY A SMMC
1. TO STORE AND RETRIEVE MEDIA RESOURCES
- MEDIA RESOURCES ARE STORED HERE
- WHEN RESOURCES ARE NEEDED, THEY ARE RETRIEVED FROM THE
SCHOOL MMC. RETRIEVAL MEANS BORROWING/LOANING MATERIALS
TO THE PEOPLE AND THERE ARE RULES GOVERNING THESE PROCESS
2. TO FACILITATE ACCESS TO A VARIETY OF MEDIA RESOURCES
3. TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS ARE EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF LEARNING
EXPERIENCES
4. TO PROMOTE SOCIALIZATION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND
MEMBERS OF STAFF AND BETWEEN AND AMONG STUDENTS
5. TO PROVIDE CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO THE CLIENTS – E.G.
SEEKING ADVICE FROM THE MMC PERSONNEL
6. TO DESIGN AND CONDUCT RESEARCH IN EDUCATIONAL AREAS E.G.
MEDIA PRODUCTION, INSTRUCTIONS ETC.
7. TO DESIGN AND PRODUCE MEDIA RESOURCES

The Origin of the Idea of the School MMC

- Born in 1920s. It is a product of John Dewey. According to him, he says students
should be left to do whatever they want i.e. there should be no time – table in the
school. Whoever is ready can be taught.
- Learning can only be realized when there is a variety of learning experiences. Later
on educationists found that Dewey was advocating that people learn in different
ways hence facilitated by different leaning experiences.
a. Philosophical basis
- Education is nothing but media resources as Dewey and Froebel Said. They argued
for a large amount of resources for teaching but the question was “can one teacher
be able to collect these resources?” As such, there is need to collect them and put them
in one place.
- Education is dynamic due to change in the society. As such, it could may be easy for
teachers to keep pace with the collection to media resources, hence need for a body to
do it. Activity movement in the U.S.A in 1920s changed the character of education.
Advocates focused on active learning i.e. keeping learners busy in the learning
 process. This gave birth to New Primary Approach
to learning in Kenya. It then gave rise to School MMC
b.Psychological basis
Psychological studies have shown that human beings learn in different styles e.g.
reading, listening, observing things, touching (tactile activities), learning
privately, learning in groups, learning in quiet and noisy environments.
How do we provide for these learning differences?
- This can be catered for by providing a variety of learning resources who will
collect them since teachers are busy?
- Establish a media Resource Centre.
c. Pedagogical basis
Studies show that when media resources are used learning becomes enjoyable,
interesting, easy etc. The problem here is that not all media resources can be used in the
same situations;
- There is need for a variety of media resources
- Teachers have heavy workload
- Individual differences exist amongst teachers hence need for a facilitator to
organize these media resources.
Types of School Multi–Media Centre (SMMC)
Types of SMMC are determined by functions and activities and management strategies
used in running them (management structure)
SMMC can be said to be either;
1. Simple type facility – Using an ordinary room for keeping different media
resources e.g. books, computers etc
2. Complex type facility – This is a sophisticated media centre where a lot of activities
take place in e.g. photocopying, catering, lending and issuing learning resources etc. It
is common in developed countries
3. Student – Oriented SMMC
- This is established to meet the needs of the student
- Materials inside are intended to keep the student busy
- Management is in the hands of the students e.g. issuing and collecting
materials. A member of staff acts as an adviser or helper.
4. Teacher – Oriented School Multi – Media Centre
- This is the facility established for the purposes of providing teacher resources
e.g. books, computer programmes etc.
Values of a school MMC (Advantages)
I. Easy accessibility to media resources by clients – i.e. students and teachers
II. Promotes instructional process
III. Time – saving facility and clients do not waste time looking for the resources
because they are kept within the SMMC
IV. It is cost effective when it comes to development of media resources i.e.
 pooling of resources
V. Enhances uniformity in learning especially where the MMC is used by several
schools
VI. Promotes innovations in education especially when people come for meetings,
demonstrations etc they become innovative in one way or other
VII. Promotes socialization (interaction) among members of the school
community
VIII. Facilitates the development of media resources i.e. – production, acquisition, storage
and usage.
Establishment of SMMC was recognition of the following education facts;
 Ideas cannot be reliably communicated through a single channel or media. There
are many different channels (media) for doing so.
 Individual differences in learning exist among people. As such there is need to
establish a multi – media centre with resources which take care of different rates of
learning
 There are different styles or modes of learning that individuals prefer
 TYPES OF MEDIA FOUND IN A TYPICAL SMMC
 REAL OBJECTS – SPECIMENS ETC
 GRAPHICS – CHARTS, POSTERS ETC
 DISPLAY MATERIALS E.G. BULLETINS/PIN/SOFT BOARDS
 MODELS OF VARIOUS TYPES E.G. GLOBE
 EQUIPMENT – E.G. MACHINES, PROJECTORS, COMPUTERS ETC
 AUDIO MATERIALS – E.G. RADIO, AUDIO RECORDINGS ETC
 AUDIO – VISUALS E.G. MOTION AND STILL PICTURES, VIDEO RECORDINGS AND
LCDS
IX. PRODUCTIONS – SCHOOLS PRODUCE NEW OWN MATERIALS/FILMS
AS IN THE U.S.A. TEACHER MADE AND STUDENT - MADE MEDIA
USING MECHANICAL, ELECTRONIC PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OTHER
MEANS FROM OWN PRODUCTIONS
X. FREE AND IN EXPENSIVE MEDIA RESOURCES E.G. CHARTS, NEWS
PAPERS, CUTTINGS, GLOBES, SPECIMENS OF ALL TYPES, MAPS ETC
Functions of the school multi – media centre
This refers to what a SMMC is set out to do. The main functions of SMMC include;
I. Storage and retrieval of media resources
II. Production of a variety of media resources e.g. through photocopying etc
III. Repairs and maintenance of media resources available in the SMMC
IV. Acquisition and distribution of media resources for clients
V. Organizing and conducting educational forums/for a e.g. seminars teachers,
conferences, symposiums
VI. Conducting research in education related areas
 Evaluation of research materials in media education, instructional technology and strategies etc
Activities to organize in SMMC (expected activities)
I. The most important activity is reading. Students and teachers be given reading
materials/facilities e.g. private or open reading facilities
II. Making inquiries about near/recent developments in education in general and media
education in particular
III. Production of relevant media resources e.g. graphics, photographic media
resources
IV. Providing repairs and maintenance services for clients
V. Viewing of all sorts of projections e.g. slides, films, videos and other display
materials
VI. Organization and conduct of educational fora e.g. ; Seminars –
tailored and facilitated can take to display or so Workshops –
brain storming
Conferences – multi – theme exercise. Involves experts, lasts more than 3
days
Symposiums – research materials presented for publications
VII. Listening to recordings and live speeches
VIII. Lending, loaning or borrowing of media resources
IX. Display / exhibitions of media resources e.g. book materials, equipment, graphic
materials all these activities are intended to provide both teachers and students with
the following:
 Direct or purposeful learning experiences
 Vicarious contrived, iconic modeled or derived learning experiences and
symbolic experiences
Staffing of a SMMC
This refers to the personnel requirements for this facility. Staffing is usually determined
I. The type of SMMC established or to be established
II. The intended functions of the SMMC
III. The relevant activities
IV. The financial base of the school
Needs
In a typical SMMC, the staff needs include the following;
 The warden (head/leader) of the group working there
- Must be a specialist in media education
- Experienced teacher
- Must have managerial skills
 Librarian (librarian staff)
- Librarian must operate under SMMC and not autonomous
- Must have trained in library studies
- Must be a good manager/administrator and familiar with education and where
possible experienced
 Technical staff
- To provide technical services
- Most schools do not afford to pay them
 Secretarial staff
- Currently, should be computer literate
- Should also serve as a secretary and a copy typist
 Auxiliary staff
- They include cleaners, messengers etc
Space requirements:
 This is determined by its function activities and range of staffing
 Also determined by the available space in the school
I. There is need for reading spaces for users
II. Office spaces are also required of for the secretary, librarian, chief
technician subordinate staff etc
III. Workshops where media resources can be designed and produced
IV. Hall for meetings – e.g. seminars, conferences etc
V. Repairs and maintenance space
VI. Display and exhibition room
VII. Studio – for photos, development to be used in teaching
VIII. Stores – for keeping weeded materials or newly acquired materials awaiting
processing
- Also store for keeping cleaning materials
Management of a SMMC
- This refers to how this facility should be run in a school establishment
- The management of a SMMC should be Inco -operated in the school system i.e. be part
and parcel of the school system as one of the units or departments
There is need to consider the following management requirements when setting up a
school MMC
1. Policies /guidelines governing the facility. This includes rules and
regulations. The school MMC management should be considered in the
establishment of the school.
2. Budgetary needs of the SMMC
- There is need to clearly allocate funds (vote – head) to this facility
3. Staff needs – The head of SMMC must be a media specialist
4. Administration of the facility – the question here is how will it be ran?
 5. Supervision and monitoring of performance of the facility in the school set up
- Who will supervise it?
- What type of supervision should be employed?
- Following up its performance e.g. record taking, student satisfaction etc
6. Evaluation
- Who will carry out the evaluation? Will it be done internally or be carried out
by the ministry?
- What will be the frequency of evaluation? Is it going to be monthly, yearly?
Approaches towards establishing the SMMC
1. There is need for a clear understanding of the concept of SMMC – i.e. a
centrally located facility with media resources
2. Conduct consultations – there is need to carry out consultations on its
establishment. Also, consultation be carried out for support from other staff
members
3. Working out the budget – This will be based on a number of uses
- Functions
- Activities
- Staffing
- Space requirements
4. Location of the facility
- It should be centrally located in the school establishment for easy access
5. Setting up the SMMC
6. Policies / guidelines and routines to be followed in the SMMC

OPERATION OF TEACHING EQUIPMENT / MACHINES

Teaching equipment/machines are those materials that are harnessed for
presentation of educational information. They are of various types; Operation
Operation of equipment means using or manipulation of the equipment or the application of the
equipment in operation, practical work is needed.
Consideration
It is important to bear in mind the following factors before using/operating any machine
 Skills requirements – Adequate competence is required in handling, applying or
using these equipments in teaching. As such, one must be properly trained in using
these equipment
 Types of equipment – the question here is: what type of
equipment/machine are you going to use?
 Precautions / safety measures – it is important that before one starts to use
this equipment, it is good for him/her to understand how they work. Therefore
one needs to read the manual provided deeply
 Required infrastructure – may include electricity among others
 Environmental factors
Types of equipment/Teaching machines teachers are expected to handle.
a. Electronic equipment
1. Audio – recording machines e.g. tape recorders, radio tape recorders, video
tape recorders and their software.
2. ETV/ITV i.e. educational Tv or instructional Tv
3. Computers – models of computers available in the market and their
accessories e.g. diskettes, flash disks CD etc
4. Cameras – e.g. 35 mm camera (ordinary) video tape recording cameras
5. Projectors e.g. film, LCD, opaque, slide, filmstrip, projectors etc
6. Workshops machines – most of them are heavy and good for technical
education
7. Type writers
8. Duplicating machines
9. Photocopiers
b. Non – electronic equipment
1. Display materials/equipments e.g. chalk boards, white boards, bulletin
boards/pin boards
2. Furniture – chairs, tables, desks
3. Workshop equipments – saws, harmers etc
4. Practical work – handling the equipment