The number of schools using the media center to broadcast school newscasts are growing. It is becoming harder and harder to find a school which has not embraced and begun utilizing this new concept.
The school newscast can be done in several formats. The media specialist can plan a live broadcast using students from the Broadcast club or they can opt to tape these sessions, sending them to teachers via email allowing for viewing on SMARTBOARDS located in the classrooms.
In such case the school I used to gather my information on school news is one which produces live broadcasts at least three times per week. The broadcasts involve the media specialist and the members of the Broadcast Club along with teachers and various clubs. The Broadcast club is open to all students in the building grades 6-8 who are interested in possibly pursuing careers in broadcasting or journalism. The news cast is merely one aspect of the club with the other being the school newspaper and yearbook.
These students participate in a live presentation including the events happening around the building and the pledge of allegiance and national anthem. The integration of teachers who are sponsors of other clubs in the building such as TGI Tech and 4-H to name a few helps increase student interest in these clubs.
While producing these types of live broadcasts help with decreasing the amount of time necessary for students to be outside of their scheduled classrooms the media specialist must also take into consideration the possibility of something going wrong. One of the problems mentioned by the media specialist is the absence of sound during these live broadcasts. Trying to make sure that all classes have equipment that is free of malfunctioning parts is virtually impossible. In the event that this problem continues to happen the media specialist stated that she would be looking into beginning to tape all broadcasts to be shown to those classes at a later time.
The integration of school news as presented by the media specialist is quickly approaching total integration in the elementary, middle, and high schools in my district. As we continue making strides toward increasing media presence in the daily school experience new opportunities are always opening up for adoption by teachers and students.
Interesting to read how other media specialist are handling news broadcast. I am interested to read that the media specialist you spoke with broadcast 3 days a week. I am sure it's difficult to broadcast everyday. We currently don't have a broadcast system, but I am hoping to start one next school year. From what I understand, it doesn't take much equipment. One of our local high schools received a $20,000 grant from the state to purchase equipment and start a broadcast program. I am hoping I can do something similar. I think this is a great way for schools to feel connected. Our schools are so busy and often students and teachers don't see each other or administrators. This is a great way to keep everyone in the building informed and gives a sense of connectedness.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Page’s response to Team 6, Blog 4, Student 2:
ReplyDeleteKimberly, it’s interesting to hear about some of the issues involved in doing the newscast, especially the audio problems. While it’s not funny, I am chuckling to myself, because I have had those very same issues. Nothing is more disconcerting than to send out a show, have many classrooms tuned in, and watch as the newscast goes up in flames because we can see it, but we can’t hear it.
And if you have all your eggs in one basket with relying on the show to provide the students and faculty with their information, you are really in a pickle when it doesn’t work.
The technology is not yet up to par with everyone’s ‘wants’. The school setting is a great place for learning and practicing, and that’s why these programs exist. But the logistics (i.e. distribution) can make or break the experience. In many ways, I blame the technology department for not properly supporting areas of technology that don’t directly involve computers and academic software programs. I fought many a battle to try and make the newscast work, from being able to load TelePrompTer software onto a PC or laptop, to fixing the distribution issues so classrooms could access the signal.
Sometimes it seemed like a no-win situation, and this was in a school that had a Broadcast Video Production program, not just an ad-hoc morning announcements-done-on-camera set-up! So this topic is very apropos. When you don’t have the infrastructure and/or technical support, it can feel like you’re pushing ball bearings uphill with a pitchfork. Impossible. But like with anything, as demand increases, so too will the support.
I do think that media specialists probably produce the morning news in most of our Cobb County schools but the middle and high schools I have talked to and volunteered in have other teachers doing them. I know in our high school we have a video broadcast group headed by the video broadcast teacher. They do a "show" once a week usually. I say a "show" because they really do not do the news. Our daily morning announcements are started by our Principal and finished by our senior class officers from the front office. Our afternoon announcements are done by our junior class officers from the front office. We have such great equipment in our video broadcast area I would love to see this group do all morning announcements. I have also heard that students tend to listen better if they are watching the broadcast rather than just hearing it over the PA. However, I can see where this could be a problem if, as stated in the blog, there are technical difficulties.
ReplyDeleteAt our middle school, the only thing the media specialist is responsible for is playing the video. The drama teacher chooses the students who will interview and film for TMTV. They apply at the end of 7th grade, so only 8th graders are allowed to do the interviews and come up with the program. The drama teacher chooses the schedule for when they will interview students and works out all the kinks. They do all the editing and provide all the sound. The students get to choose what information they want to broadcast with a little input from teachers, and the students they want to interview. They even interview coaches, principals, and teachers. They send the media specialist all the information ready to go. She presses the button and it’s aired throughout the school. It’s saved on the school’s L drive and the teachers get to choose when to air it if they don’t want to show it first thing in the morning. The same problems as you mention are the same problems the middle school media specialist mentioned. Sometimes there are problems with the pictures showing up incorrectly or issues with the sound. If our media specialist can’t figure out how to fix the problem, then someone from our technology department will come to assist.
ReplyDeleteGreat information Kimberly! I think news broadcasting done by students is an awesome way to get kids involved in something unique. They all use technology for games and work assignments, but this is something many of them haven't done before. It also is a way to get the attention of the other students. We have "Beary Special News" at our school (our mascot is a bear). It is shown on Tues-Fri. It is produced by our 4th and 5th grade students, under the guidance of our technology teacher. She does pre-record it, then it is shown on either on our video distribution system, or uploaded to the school's network drive...usually both. One thing that we do at our school to get everyone involved, is by assigning classes each week to present the pledge, share a skit or something for the character education word of the week, and a "Friday Showcase." Each class gets the opportunity at some point in the year to participate. My students can hardly wait until it is our turn, then LOVE to see themselves on TV. I love the news broadcasts! Granted our's is no where near the magnitude of that from the Orenco school....WOW! But, it's our's and we love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat information Kimberly! I think news broadcasting done by students is an awesome way to get kids involved in something unique. They all use technology for games and work assignments, but this is something many of them haven't done before. It also is a way to get the attention of the other students. We have "Beary Special News" at our school (our mascot is a bear). It is shown on Tues-Fri. It is produced by our 4th and 5th grade students, under the guidance of our technology teacher. She does pre-record it, then it is shown on either on our video distribution system, or uploaded to the school's network drive...usually both. One thing that we do at our school to get everyone involved, is by assigning classes each week to present the pledge, share a skit or something for the character education word of the week, and a "Friday Showcase." Each class gets the opportunity at some point in the year to participate. My students can hardly wait until it is our turn, then LOVE to see themselves on TV. I love the news broadcasts! Granted our's is no where near the magnitude of that from the Orenco school....WOW! But, it's our's and we love it!
ReplyDeleteWe have the Navigator News Crew at North Hart Elementary (we are the North Hart Navigators). The STEM and Music teachers help produce the daily news show. Students who are interested in being on the news team completes an application at the beginning of the year. Ten students are chosen per 9 weeks. It is open to all students in all grade levels. Every Thursday, the news crew records the news for the following week in the news room, an actual news room that is just off from the media center. The STEM and Music teachers use iMovie to record and use voiceovers to help produce the news program. The news program is aired every day during homeroom. The news crew reports on the school news/announcements, the weather, lunch menu, moment of silence, student pledge, and Pledge of Allegiance. The news opens and ends with catchy tunes that are popular with our students (like Katy Perry's "Roar" or Rebecca Black's "Friday". We abide by copy right laws and many songs are just aired for a few seconds, but those few seconds help put the students in a good mood and get them ready to learn. Student of the Month members are also highlighted during the news program. Students in the lower grades can participate by reading easier scripts, such as the lunch menu or the weather. Students in the upper grades read the majority of the scripts. The students really enjoy seeing themselves on TV. Many parents stop by either the classroom or the front office to watch their child on the news.
ReplyDeleteI have seen broadcasting done mostly in elementary and middle school during the times I have been volunteering at the schools. I have seen it at an elementary school being done with the older grades in the school because it is easier for them to read off the prepared script. The elementary school I saw this done in was at Glennwood Primary in Rome, GA when I was in my undergraduate studies. The media specialist had to work most of the broadcasting aspects but the students were the ones who were seen by the school. For middle school the students can apply to be apart of the crew after the first semester of being at the school even in 6th grade. The students choose which roles they want to take on and take time to see what the other roles of the broadcasting team is all about. Spring Voltz at Simpson Middle School is very involved with the school news that her students do every day in the mornings. Her students do all of the aspects that come with doing a broad cast with Spring’s supervision. I enjoyed seeing the announcements every time I went.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome to see School News becoming more popular. At our middle school there is a club of students who put together our news. It is quite impressive with their graphics and features. They even have used a green screen. What a great learning experience for those students who get to compose the news. The students watching the news are enthralled to see their peers putting on skits, interviewing, and keeping us informed on sports, weather and all things Waycross Middle.
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