School TV news is
a great way for the school to manage announcements and import information going
on around the school community. It’s a great way to get students engaged in
public speaking. Some pre-record their announcements, while others record live
each morning. Eight grade students at Eisenhower Middle school produce a
morning show each morning which includes, morning announcements, upcoming
activities and events, pledge, day in history, joke of the day, and skits. They
have been broadcasting since 2001 and have progressed from just a website of
their videos, to a YouTube channel. Their work is engaging, and I was quite surprised
at how well put together their news show is. You can tell students really enjoy
the chance at being on TV.
I currently
volunteer at Belmont Hills Elementary, who before January received their
morning announcements over the intercom. Now they broadcast most mornings,
however, it is heavily controlled by the principal. Students in all grades are
able to participate in being an announcer, and is based on behavior. It’s still in its early stages and includes,
lunch for the day, breakfast menu for the following day, pledge of allegiance, important
activities and updates of events at the school, and student signing. What I
have noticed is that, since the announcements are pre-recorded, teachers have the
option of watching or listening to it. Because it is so new to the school they have
had many problems, as the media specialist is new to the school and to using
the video distribution system.
My children attend
Russell Elementary. I was not able to talk to the media specialist, however, I
asked my 1st and 3rd grader boys about the announcements.
Here is what they told me. The School News is watched on the promethean boards in
the classroom each morning. It is hosted by 4th and 5th
grade students. The news announcements include pledge of allegiance, weather,
special activities at the school, student interviews, word of the day,
sometimes there are games and/or videos about the rules of the library, Russell
Moms and Dads club will get on sometimes and say hi to their son or daughter
occasionally, and Mr. Manson the principal also speaks on the morning news.
Both schools are
using a video distribution system to broadcast the news and is facilitated by
the media specialist. I believe schools
need to look at School TV news as an opportunity to create teachable moments
for students outside the classroom and for students to use their own
personality and creativity to make great feature stories and segments. Having
students demonstrate “how to” and showing what they, know builds self-esteem and pride
in work. Principals should also consider possibly utilizing it as a reward
system for improved behavior for some students that are on a behavior plan.
Depending on the student this may be a great incentive to keep up “good
behavior”.
Natarsha,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that school TV news is a good way to communicate important school information and news with students and teachers. I think it’s a shame that a lot of schools don’t do it, especially considering how much easier it is now to create the broadcasts. Still, I understand that time constraints, lack of support, and apprehension about using the technology can be big barriers to doing a school news cast. I don’t currently work in a school. The middle school I volunteer it doesn’t really have a newscast. The media specialist usually broadcasts a PowerPoint presentation in the mornings and at lunch time that include information on important upcoming events and lunch menus for the week. Teachers can tune into the broadcast if they choose. I don’t remember ever having a newscast when I was in elementary, middle, or high school. The announcements were exclusively done over the intercom by an administrator usually. Every now and then a student may read something. I think that broadcasted school TV news is a better option if you really want students to pay attention to what’s being said. Because it’s visual, it’s a little more engaging, whereas it’s easy to tune out a voice on an intercom. Also, it’s really beneficial to students when they get the opportunity to take part in the newscasts. Journalism is a popular major in college, but many schools offer no or very little training in journalism. Having a newscast can help remedy that a little. Not to mention, it fosters students’’ creativity and gets them involved in the school. It’s great that your kids’ school is letting students take part in the newscasts. I like that they include student interviews and parent involvement. I think you have some great points about how beneficial school TV news can be for students and I like your idea of using the program as a way to give incentives to students on behavior plans. I would imagine most kids would see being involved in such an activity as enjoyable and rewarding.
I also agree with your post schools need to look at School TV news as an opportunity to create teachable moments for students outside the classroom and for students to use their own personality and creativity to make great feature stories and segments. This would allow the teacher to guide and the students can lean while participating at the same time. Learning is the whole idea. Sometimes it is ok to allow the SLM to handle the media but give the student an opportunity to display what they know and enjoy doing as well. There may be some hidden talents when have not had the opportunity to notice during class. We have future news broadcasters in our classroom and don’t even know we do. Allowing the students to make the morning announcements is a great idea it is student lead and centered, they just might pay attention to the announcements then. Even allowing the student to read off the lunch menu is a great idea. The broadcasting system could be used in so many magnificent way we just have to survey the student and ask their opinions and see what comes of the idea. I also miss Channel One in the classrooms I was updated and I always knew what the students were trending about with Channel One.
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ReplyDeleteYes, a televised morning or weekly news show is a great way to manage school announcements and it is a lot of fun. I took over the morning announcements almost nine years ago. I was lucky to have a great and experienced group of 8th grade students to work with my first year, so I learned a lot. Over the years I have expanded the morning announcements to a full blown news team. We call it the Video Production team. Our daily morning show sounds a lot like the one at Eisenhower. Until my position was reduced to part time 2 years ago our morning show consisted of weather, sports, lunch menu, and school announcements made from the news desk. We also have weekly and quarterly features. Weekly segments are usually literacy related such as book talks or poetry readings related with the monthly topics like women in history or banned books. Our monthly features began when we got a new principal from California. She suggested we create a segment that would incorporate celebrities and movie stars. We went with it and Hollywood Starz was born. Hollywood Starz is a huge production. We choose a well-known person and create a realistic mock interview. The interview is taken from real interviews and the actor (s) lip sync. Incorporating special effects helps this to work. Two of our most popular segments were interviews with Will and Jada Smith and Lady Gaga
ReplyDeleteBuilding a responsible and dedicated team is half of the challenge. I take applications at the beginning of each year for students interested in joining. While I accept everyone that returns the complete paperwork signed by a parent, most drop out or become inactive by mid-year. There are also ongoing requirements for staying on the team. Students must have no grade lower than a C and they must keep a clean disciplinary record. If a student is a risk due to grades they usually come to me so we can make an improvement plan, but there is no grey area regarding discipline. Our news team students are seen every day by the entire school. They understand they must display exemplary behavior because they are role models.
With technology now becoming more important to the curriculum, there is a greater opportunity to have students participate in a news show. I remember years ago when I first started teaching, it was really viewed as an interruption of instructional time. So, the video broadcast had to be shown during lunch. Now, there are more opportunities to tie this into the curriculum. You can feature a fact or lesson of the day with a short concept from the teachers. This will help them to get involved and hopefully gain their support. Posting it on youtube is a great idea!!! With the proper permission from the parents, this is excellent. That way it can be viewed at any time and is more convenient for teachers.
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