Ok, we are live in 3, 2, 1...
Television and school usually do not mix, but there is a fun
and exciting way to bring the world of television into the educational
environment: School TV News. Most schools have a routine of morning
announcements which include: the playing of the national anthem, the pledge of
allegiance, moment of silent reflection, and announcements by the principal or
student volunteer. In other words: BORING! Usually, this format contains no student
participation, ownership, or creativity. No wonder students just ignore the
announcements or talk over them.
The situation I just described above is what happens on a
daily basis at my school from 11:40-11:45 during Extended Learning Time (ELT). We also have afternoon announcements that
include updates on after school activities or bus changes at the end of the
school day. There have been numerous complaints at the length of the morning
announcements as well as the fact that students simply are not paying them any
attention.
I talked with my media specialist about these issues when I
asked her about the concept of School TV News. Coincidentally, she had just
sent out an e-mail to teachers about the media center creating an “announcements
slideshow” to be viewed on classroom televisions during ELT starting next week.
Essentially, any “long term” announcements, those that need to be repeated over
the course of a week, will be included in the presentation. All other
announcements will be made the traditional way. Teachers should e-mail any long
term announcement to the media center to be placed on the daily presentation.
My media specialist stated at this point, since it is so
early in development, a simple PowerPoint presentation is all she can do right
now. Because the current broadcasting system can only run VHS and DVD, she had
to purchase AVS converter software in order to convert the PowerPoint into NTSC
format to run on the DVD player. She recommended the website avs4you.com to
purchase any kind of AVS software because she was able to purchase the $199.00
software for $59.00 (Halloween sale)!
Another possibility for school news is the school website.
Being the webmaster, my media specialist stated that she has asked the Yearbook
Staff for a school newspaper to post on the webpage, but has not received any
feedback. She thinks this would be a great way to reach parents and community
members.
After speaking with my media specialist and seeing how an
elementary and middle school (Orenco Elementary and Eisenhower Middle) handle
their School TV News, I have decided it is a huge undertaking. There is a lot of equipment to keep up with as well as software, editing/mixing stations, and a whole crew of students with very specific jobs. However, I
believe that a School TV News broadcast would provide several students the
hands-on activities they long for at school as well as a creative outlet.
Students today are all about connecting to what is going on
in the lives of their friends, at school, extracurricular activities, etc. They
also like to have a say in something that happens at their school. Having a student-run
newscast to creatively present that information would be well worth the time
and effort. Plus, they get to be on TV!
I think you've hit a few good points. Manpower is crucial to getting a good news show put together, and many of our educators have too much on their plates already. I commented to a new educator recently that in the 16 years I've been teaching, I have had new items added to my load every year but nothing is ever taken away. Taking on the task of producing a news show is a big deal and many people feel unqualified along with being overworked.
ReplyDeleteThe money is a second issue. With the changes in technology that continue moving us forward, equipment is out of date or needs repair, and the budget may not accommodate that need. What a great deal to get on that software, and it's a good resource to store away for when we have a media center to run.
Oh, and one more thing - how cool is it that Orenco posts their broadcasts so that parents and other relatives can see the kids? However, that's just another undertaking and commitment. If you failed to get it uploaded, you would have so many people disappointed!
DeleteI like the idea of the school news. I do think there are differences in the way it's handled in elementary, middle, and high schools. (In our school, fourth and fifth graders must fill out applications and apply for various positions from speaking, acting, camera operations, or even creating and holding cue cards. The teachers must sign the application as a reference. This means that students must exhibit good classroom behavior and academic success. Students will then try out for their position. There is a rotation schedule made for the year so everyone can participate. We have a news studio room set up with costumes and props. The news shows are hilarious and informative. The students and teachers love them!) My thought is to make it more interesting for students and staff for middle and high is to maybe make it a club. You will get more participation and creative ideas since these will be students who want to work in this area. Even the school's journalism, newspaper, or yearbook team could join in!
ReplyDeleteKindal,
ReplyDeleteYou got my attention with your honest and direct first paragraph. I agree with you, and I am sure most students also agree that most morning announcements are both predictable and boring. My 8th grade students would tune out the morning announcements and then scramble later in the day to find out what they said.
I was great that your media center specialist saw an issue and was proactive with a solution. Yeah for Halloween sales! Finding less expensive ways to purchase needed equipment is an essential part of the job; I am in the process of writing a grant with a special education teacher to purchase twenty iPads. I hope she gets this technology. She said that this technology would, ”revolutionize her classroom and offer her students an innovative way to learn and grow to their full potential.
I agree with you that a school news show is a huge undertaking; being able to add a real world experience to the learning environment of these students is priceless and well worth the extra time, cost, and effort for all involved. I wonder if these authentic “assignments” are the ones that are remembered by all who are involved as some of the most valuable lessons taught and learned. Being involved in a dynamic and relative production each week must be both exciting and worthwhile.
At the school I worked at in Cobb County our MCS did something very similar to this. Students would come and lead the pledge and a moment of silence then the principal would sit down and briefly give the morning announcements. The students really enjoyed this because they got to see their friends on TV, the kids on the TV were excited because after all it is...the TV, and they seemed to listen to the announcements more. This is something I'd like to implement when I become a media specialist.
ReplyDelete