Implementing and Integrating SAFARI Montage at Sweetwater Union High School District in California

When was the last time you attended an online webinar? I’ve attended quite a few, but I was especially thrilled to be able to present a live, streamed webinar to teachers at Sweetwater Union High School District in California earlier this month. Using a video camera, tricaster, encoder and SAFARI Montage Selective Video Streaming, over 1,000 teachers were able to watch a live address by Dr. Brand, their superintendent, and then participate in a SAFARI Montage Learn the Basics training.

Dr. Brand delivered a live address using a state-of-the art teleprompter and introduced me to his staff. I was able not only to talk to all the teachers while being videotaped, but I also presented both a PowerPoint presentation and a live demonstration using Sweetwater’s SAFARI Montage system. Being able to switch back and forth between the presentation and a live demonstration was easily accomplished with the tricaster and management of the live video stream in Selective Video Streaming. Of course, it helps to have great tech support too, so thanks to Enrique who managed and controlled all the devices needed for this successful webinar.

Maria-Teresa Gonzalez, Sweetwater’s Director of Professional Development, has a vision for technology integration in her district that includes a multi-phase rollout of SAFARI Montage. Maria-Teresa and I have met several times to discuss how we could best implement the integration, and determined that a three phase plan would be most successful.
In August 2011, Phase 1 commenced and approximately 24 teachers were trained on how to use SAFARI Montage to search and play content and create Playlists that support curriculum framed through the lens of Understanding by Design (UbD), Sweetwater’s adopted instructional framework. These teachers began the work of designing a training program that would be pushed out to each school.

I returned to Sweetwater in October for Phase 2 Part 1, which involved a cadre of content teachers from middle to high school. Each teacher was taught how to use SAFARI Montage to support his or her instruction and also to build Playlists that aligned with UbD and curriculum. Teachers, to this point, had been hand-picked for their enthusiasm and their willingness to integrate new technologies into their instructional practices. Phase 2 Part 2 is where we are today with the completion of a district-wide training using the live video webinar format.

Phase 3, in which the initial teachers from August will return for training using a Train the Trainer model is in the works.

As the Curriculum Director for SAFARI Montage, it is always my pleasure to work with forward-thinking educators who truly believe that the way we deliver instruction today should be more visual in nature and more engaging in content. So tell me, what are you doing in your district with your SAFARI Montage implementation? We'd all love to know!

To participate in a discussion on this topic, please visit the forum:

• Professional Development