Lesson 18

ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF AN EDUCATIONAL MEDIA CENTER

“We have said that the best ideas in the world are to be found in a modern library. But the modern educational media center must include excellence in varied media- not merely in printed materials.”-Edgar Dale

INTRODUCTION

            Let us devote the last lesson to a discussion of an Educational Media Center (EMC), after having seen how instructional materials, which include multimedia, can be integrated in classroom instruction.

ABSTRACTION

            An EMC is a facility designed for the housing and utilization of all educational media within the school. Is a basic requirement for a school to render quality service. It is not independent of the school that cooperates with other units or departments that the school fulfill its mission and realize its vision by living up to the school’s philosophy aims. It serves a myriad of roles among which are: 1. Center of resources, 2. Laboratory for learning, 3. Agent of teaching, 4. Service agency, 5. Coordinating agency, 6. Recreational reading center, and 7. A stepping stone to other sources of the community.

            An EMC renders various kinds of services. Its services boil down to improving the teaching- learning process by making it more interactive, collaborative, interesting and authentic.

WHAT MUST AN EMC HAVE TO BE A FUNCTIONAL EMC?

            The evaluation questions for a functional EMC (Lucido & Borabo, 1997) give the following elements.

1.    The institutional media services

·         Is the administration committed to a media program?

·         Is the program of media services administered by a media specialist through media center?

·         Is the center operating at the same level as other major institutional services of the school?

2.    Media and instruction

·         Are the faculty encouraged to use media as an integral part of instruction?

·         Are classrooms equipped and /or adapted for the best possible use of educational media?

·         Is the media center accessible to all classroom and lecture/conference rooms?

3.    Classroom facilities

·         Are classrooms designed for provided with essential facilities for effective use of educational media?

·         Specifically, are classrooms equipped for full light control, electrical outlets, appropriate ventilation and media operations space?

·         Are classrooms equipped with a bulletin board, chalkboard, projection screen , map rails, etc. for instruction using media?

4.    Media program

·         Are there clear-cut administration policies on the media program?

·         Is there an adequate source/system of funding?

·         Is there appropriate hiring of media center supervisions, creating and technical personnel, consultants and clerical staff?