I work at a school which does its news the old fashioned way ala Principal McGee in Grease. Over the PA. So I can't say first hand how taping and broadcasting the news should be done. However, I found some resources on many sites, read a teacher interview on the subject, a lesson plan, and viewed some interesting taped shows and got a feel for bad, so-so, and really good news broadcasts.
There are several things I learned about taping and presenting a quality news show. First, you actually need some decent equipment. Although it can be done with a video camera, a computer, and a feed to the TV, to get a truly good show, you need more. You need monitors, sound systems, a real stage, perhaps even a green screen. You need to allow enough time for plenty of rehearsal. Good shows are usually produced in pieces, either a few hours, or a day before. Some portions may even be taped the week before and everything is then spliced together. Good shows are paced well, there are no slow, dragging areas. Good shows are produced by the students themselves although there is obviously direction and training by knowledgeable adults. Lisa Carlon, a teacher at Cedar Ridge Elementary in Branson, Missouri, talks about the many facets of producing a news broadcast in an interview (at www.intime.uni.edu/video/016moms/0rom/default.htm). She says, "The process of creating a daily newscast entails many responsibilities that cover a broad range of topic areas. In addition to strengthening curricular skills, this program also utilizes teamwork and individual responsibility to get the job done. Life skills necessary to everyone are practiced daily."
In addition there are multiple areas of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•S) taught when students produce a news broadcast. Ms. Carlon explains her students must focus on:
Research: Students must use a variety of sources to research and gather information for the newscast. Weather reports and other items are found on the Internet. Special features and reports are researched wherever appropriate for the topic. Writing: Using the research information they have gathered, students write reports and scripts for use with the newscast.
An excellent site to watch school news productions is SchoolTube. Some of the videos I watched are below. These range from ‘needs some tweaking’, to pretty good, to amazing!
www.schooltube.com/video/2975/Methacton-Warrior-News
www.schooltube.com/video/30304/Minutemen-TV-April-21-2009
www.schooltube.com/video/51145/10-29-09-Pioneer-Middle-School-AM-Announcements
www.schooltube.com/video/51001/LHTV-Oct-28-09
I like the idea of filming the school news ahead of time. All of the school news program that I have had experience with have been filmed live. If you can film the news a day ahead of time you don't have a very rushed and frantic morning. Also, you have time to find replacements for student news anchors if they are absent. Editing the production is a very good experience for students if you can find a way for them to be a part of the editing process. I like that you included the school tube links!
ReplyDeleteEquipment is definitely a necessary evil. When our morning announcements started a couple of years ago, they used one microphone, a VHS camcorder, and a monitor that was used as a teleprompter. They filmed in a copy room that was constantly accessed by students and teachers, and there were frequent reminders to not print durin the morning announcements.
ReplyDeleteOver the last two years though, our morning announcements have evolved into a wonderful, entertaining show. And part of that is directly related to equipment. The mixers, prompters, lights, and mics are all important parts of the incredible growth WVTV has made.
We still use the PA system at our school also. All the other schools in our district broadcast live. Each school has been renovated recently to include new technology equipment.
ReplyDeleteWe have a new technology teacher at our high school and feel that he will incorporates some broadcasting and filming classes into the curriculum. These classes would beneficial to the students who are conducting the broadcast as well as student body who is being informed by broadcast. Of course, one way to get new equipment is to write some grants to cover a project such as this one.
Like your school Dawn, we still use the PA at my school for morning announcements and any "late-breaking" things that teachers/students need to hear. When I play my news I simply put the VCR tape in one of my 5 video/DVD players & announce (over the PA) for all teachers to view the afternoon announcements on whatever channel the VCR I have put tape into plays on. All teachers have the capability for their TV to show channels. We also have about 6 DVDS that are solely used for teachers to be able to view pre-selected Directv channels. I simply keep the DVDs programmed on those channels. Of course I do have the capability to switch to different channels, but special permission must be obtained. These channels; such as, National Geographic, Discovery etc., were voted on by the teachers last year. Each school is different in regards to whether they have digit cable or a local cable system. A broadcasting tool that most every school uses in Henry County is Richardson. With Richardson a teacher can go online & select a video their school has purchased. They select time & date for video to be played and add it to a list. They media specialist goes on to Richardson everyday & sees the list of videos to play & what channel to put them on. This is a really cool system, but the media specialist still has to physically put the tape into the right VCR player. The system will then stop & play the video throughout the day. Each school also has remote Richardson. This is a part of Richardson that travels around. Our IT person is able to hook to lap top to this mobile Richardson unit & play announcements over the school's TVS throughout the day. It is like a slide show. I really like it; however, the wiring in my school needs to be replaced so anything shown over the TV through Richardson, Richardson remote, and the media center has very poor quality.
ReplyDeleteOur school also uses United Streaming, but teachers must download the videos to view them. Streaming them will cause a slow down throughout the school & has on occasion crashed our system.
Thanks for the sites Dawn. Love them
I have also been at a school that uses the PA system to make m orning announcements...what a drag, especially when that particular school had a broadcasting class....imagine that. The school that I currently work for is not that much better. They pre-record using only a video camera and computer slide show and the announcements run all day long ona closed circuit. No fancy equipment here. anyway, I liked the research tips that you gave...very informative and helpful to those of us who have not been blessed with the experience of a good broadcasting program. It really does enhance learning when the kids get to be a part of something like production.
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