TECHNOS

November 20, 2008

Tips for Teachers: How to Access AIT Materials without Spending Your Own Nickel(s)

By Joann Flick, AIT’s Broadcast/Training Professional

Do you wish you could afford to have more of AIT’s designed-for-classrooms media resources? Here are some ideas that might help you gain access, without having to reach into your own pocket. When you are ready to make that purchase just fax a purchase order or request on school letterhead to AIT at 812-333-4278, go online www.ait.net/catalog and use your school credit card, or call 1-800-457-4509, ext. 4.

SCHOOL LIBRARY
Libraries acquire more than books and periodicals—they also acquire DVDs and electronic media (accessible through your school’s computer network). While school librarians often look for materials that will interest students, they are just as often eager to acquire materials that teachers will use for instruction as well. Get to know your school librarian and ask him or her to budget money to buy media resources that you will use. Offer to host an informal presentation to your peers on how you use these materials in your classroom, to build up the demand for these resources.

SCHOOL PURCHASE ORDER
If your library does not purchase media, ask for a purchase order yourself. Your curriculum team or your principal’s support is required, so be prepared to justify your request by pointing out that AIT materials are designed specifically for instruction and that student outcomes will be positively affected by your access to these resources. Most of our products are aligned to all 50 state standards, and showing how a video aligns to your own curriculum can be a strong argument. Contact us at info@ait.net for an alignment report for a video you’re considering for your classroom. Just let us know which state you’re interested in.

PUBLIC LIBRARY
Your public library probably stocks lots of DVDs, but the demand for instructional DVDs is low, so the public librarian probably doesn’t buy those as often. Speak to your local librarian about materials that you would sign out and use a few times per year. You might also offer to do a short workshop at the library for parents on how to use instructional media at home, as a public service.

SCHOOL REGIONAL MEDIA CENTER
Sometimes called an intermediate school district, or unit, regional education center or board of cooperative educational service, a school regional media center can be a helpful resource for instructional materials. Not all states or all districts are members of the media services provided by these regional agencies, but if your district is, you are in luck. Contact the media services department directly (find the number or email online) and tell the director exactly what you want. If you can encourage one or two of your peers to also contact the department, that will really do the trick—because these service agencies plan their purchasing and licensing based solely on demand from teachers.

PUBLIC TELEVISION STATIONS & CABLE ACCESS STATIONS
PBS stations spend thousands of dollars every year on programming. Many have a special budget just for school videos. Contact the education director at your local station and ask if the station provides educational programming, and then ask if you can suggest some programming. Ask to be notified when the program is aired and for the specific rights for off-air recordings of the program. AIT programs are licensed to PBS stations with 1+ years rights—so, you can record a program today and use it all year long.

STATE EDUCATION AGENCIES
A handful of states provide media services and purchase bulk licenses for the entire state. To see if your state purchases AIT products for you, just write to us at info@ait.net, and we will be happy to tell you. Let us know your state and what materials interest you. We’ll respond to let you know if your state does purchase rights for you and who in your state is the contact person for more information. If your state is a client of AIT’s but does not currently license the materials you want, we’ll let that state know of your interest and encourage its media services to consider buying those materials soon.

PTA, ROTARY CLUB, KIWANIS CLUB
Local service agencies like to support tangible school projects with a fixed price and long-lasting impact. Acquiring a media resource to assist in instruction meets all these criteria. All that is necessary is to compose a short letter explaining the cost and the value to your students and mail it to the president of the organization. Find the president’s name and address by contacting your local chamber of commerce. Point out that instructional media are specifically designed for classroom use and that they provide important context or present information in ways that make it easier for learners to grasp a concept. Also note that these materials are more expensive than consumer DVDs because they are specialty products for a much smaller market and come with rights beyond home-video, so you can use the media anytime you wish without conflicting with copyright laws. Offer to bring the video to a future meeting, along with a few students, and model how you use the video to improve learning.

GRANTS
Write a mini-grant proposal of $500 to $2,500 for instructional media. See the list below for some ideas—and contact us at AIT if you need any help in submitting your proposal. We are happy to provide sample lesson materials or to suggest how the instructional design of one of our products is going to help you to meet your instructional goals.

Toyota USA Foundation. For projects to increase the productivity of students and/or educators primarily in the areas of math and science.
Dollar General Community Contributions. Supports nonprofits in company operating areas for literacy programs and youth development initiatives.
Starbucks Foundation. Grants of $5,000 to $20,000 for projects that integrate literacy with personal or civic action.
Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grants. Earn up to $5,000 for your school.
Payless ShoeSource Foundation. Up to $5,000 for communities with a Payless Store.
Allianz Classroom Awards. Grants of $1,000 each for health-related projects.
Verizon. For projects that support education, especially literacy.
Target. For literacy, arts, and the prevention of family violence.