SCHOOL VIDEO NEWS & MEDIA PRODUCTION 101

February is the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass which played a large part in Carter G. Woodson’s creation of Black History Week and later Black History Month in 1926. Carter is called the “Father of Black History Month” and helped found the Association for the Study Of African American Life and History. 

Black History Month is not only an American institution, it is also celebrated in Canada and the United Kingdom - though the UK celebrates in October. 

Below you will find 28 ideas aligned to dates to help you and your students get a plan together for how to incorporate Black History Month into your program. I highly suggest that you bring in other people, programs, and community organizations to help your students tell these amazing stories. 

February is the shortest month of the year and for most teachers it feels like the longest month of the school year. Other than President’s day, there seems to be no break in the month. The students have started to get comfortable with the class and their true selves - good or bad - are starting to show. 

Use these ideas to help ease your workload - especially if you pair these with our Black History Month ideas, your content calendar should be full and you get to move from creating ideas to coaching your students.

In this portion of the conversation, we will take a look at trends in video production that will have a great impact on your classroom. From advanced production techniques that are simple enough to be done in K-12 to how the industry’s sales goals will trickle down to your classroom, let’s take a look at the 5 trends to watch in 2025.

January is often the hardest month of the year for those that are doing broadcasts. The expectation of good content was set in the fall and now the community expects you to hit the ground running. They don’t know that you have a new batch of students or that your students wrapped up their brain and gave it away during the holidays. Use the chart below to kickstart your storytellers. I’m going to give you a couple of weeks to get the students up to speed and give some production time…

As I look ahead professionally, there are things that I know will impact you in the classroom. This list isn’t all inclusive and truthfully, as I started to compile this I struggled to trim it. I think our world is about to change greatly when it comes to video production. There are things to be excited about and some things to be aware of but for the most part, I think your role as a pathfinder for your students is going to become more important each month of 2025 as technology continues to grow.

In April, I went to Mobile Alabama for the first time. It had never been a destination for me (not a fan of heat or humidity). Honestly, it still isn’t a destination for me with the exception of educational events and a little experiment that I set forth in April.

Comparison is the thief of joy. If you’re a new teacher, read that first sentence again. A friend said that over the summer while attending a professional development conference, and those words hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve only ever heard since stepping into the classroom that it takes three years for a teacher to “get comfortable” and if they can hang in there for that long, they’ll stay and thrive. But it’s taken me five to start to feel comfortable and I’m beginning to learn a valuable lesson. Let me explain.

Having and knowing your district live work policy can open up opportunities for taking your learning outside of the video and film classroom. FREE document included to get you started.

Caleb Bailey from Long County High School in Georgia shares his thoughts on his first year at the SkillsUSA National Conference.

Keeping your class, cast, and crew safe are your utmost priority. This article has some common sense advice for staying safe in your video and film production classroom.

Last week I spent time with my AVTF (Audio, Video Technology and Film- it’s what Georgia has branded video production) family, at a pair of conferences. The conferences overlapped and honestly frustrated me because I couldn’t fully engage with either. I wanted to soak up the lessons shared from both. But… my heart was so full I teared up as I drove away from one of the conferences the last day.