The improvement of a professional group is due, in part, to its ability for introspection and self-evaluation. This is essentially the process of "analyzing" the profession as it currently is practiced, identifying necessary changes and improvements, and "synthesizing" or creating a new image or model of the profession to…

An evaluation instrument for assessing media specialists is presented. Three categories used in the instrument are: media competencies, professional competencies, and personal characteristics. (RAO)

Some specific suggestions to improve conferencing strategies for media specialists and instructional designers are proposed. (Author)

An analysis of the conflict between audiovisual specialists and librarians. (HB)

Suggests that the business world offers a wide array of job opportunities for media specialists and examines some basics a person should consider in making a career transition from a traditional educational setting to a business atmosphere. Eight references are cited. (MER)

Author believes that there is a significant amount of overlap between the areas of school library media programs and audio-visual technology, and the resultant emergence of the educational media specialist, is resulting in continued movement of these fields toward each other. (Author/HB)

Reviews research findings and briefly outlines several strategies for encouraging teachers to utilize available educational media and the expertise of the school media specialist. (6 references) (CLB)

Discusses surveys of the job market for educational media personnel and offers a forecast for future opportunities. Some suggestions for actions to help solve current problems are provided. (RAO)

Educational media professionals were asked to rank-order individuals, positions, institutions, and journals in the general field of instructional technology for this survey of 350 members of the Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Responses to the six questions designed to determine centers of influence and prestige…

Presents four stages of learning together with teaching techniques appropriate to each stage. The role of the media specialist in meeting the needs of students and teachers at each stage is discussed, and the four stages of media library services are outlined. (5 references) (CLB)

Reports on the results of a survey that assessed the extent of use of computer and video technology in library media centers (LMC) located in rural, suburban, and urban elementary schools in Texas. Topics surveyed include videocassettes, computer assisted instruction, and functions of the library media specialist. (five references) (LRW)