Crafting Innovative Student News Stories During School Closures
Since the state mandated stay-at-home orders went into effect, the students have been broadcasting their weekly news show and comedy special while virtually collaborating on story ideas and production. We spoke with television production teacher Elisia Harkins-James to learn more about how her students are staying creative with their newscast.
Creating a Virtual Newscast with South High School
While moving curriculum online addresses student learning outcomes, maintaining morale is just as important. Coming to school gives students a chance to be social, explore new ideas in conversation, and fosters a sense of community among peers. Now online, having only a screen to interact with all day threatens that community. South High School in Bakersfield, California didn’t want to take that chance.
Ross Video To Put The Professional In Professional Development
Ross Video announced that they are going to do a 10-week “TechTalk” series. The series will feature presentations, videos, and webinars announcing their latest launches and much more. CEO David Ross said in their release - and I can certainly echo that Ross is known to - “commit a huge amount of effort to the show and always have an incredible number of announcements.”
Free Professional Development Courses to Help Educators Move Curriculum Online
Casual chats over coffee seem like a distant memory for those self-isolating in our homes. For educators, these conversations sprouted new ideas for lesson plans, technology, and teaching methods. Especially during this virtual learning transition, these new ideas are the cornerstone of education innovation, and one company is fighting to bring them back.
COVID-19 Impact on Schools - Statistics
At least 120,169 schools out of a total of 124,058 (97%) are closed. This represents 98.73% of the entire K12 student population. Check out these other statistics to learn how COVID-19 is impacting schools nationwide.
Working from Home as a Student and Journalist
Who is running toward the fire and not away? I have asked myself that question a hundred times and I wanted, more than anything, to be included on that list. Which brings me to where we are now (roughly). On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, Cronkite News made history. After three days of trial and error with my friends and colleagues Tina Giuliano and Veronica Galvin, we released a completely virtual, at-home newscast with anchors, graphics, weather, commercials...the whole thing. I am still beaming just thinking about it.
Esports: The New Sports Trend in Education
I don’t make a lot of guarantees, but I can make one about esports. They aren’t going away. They aren’t going to fade. They are going to grow and now is the time to jump on board. If you are a video production instructor, this plays right into your wheelhouse. You most likely have computers in your control. You most likely have the best computers in the building. You have the ability to connect those computers to the internet and you have the kids who are already playing most of the games.
The Best Intro to Switching Just Got Better - ATEM Mini Pro
On Friday, April 3, Blackmagic Design CEO Grant Petty used a 90 minute stream to present updates to the ATEM Mini, updates to the Hyperdeck Studio and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K, but the biggest part of the show for educators is the announcement and presentation of the ATEM Mini Pro.
Making Your Locations Read: Set Design Tips
When shooting in a gym, try to have a section of bleachers or a backboard within your frame. Thinking about interviewing a teacher? Make sure there is a blackboard or some desks behind them. Choose your background wisely when you are interviewing someone in the field. It conveys information and authenticity, even if you have to add some touches to make reality look more real.
School Tech Director Shares How His School is Posting Lessons Online
Christ Episcopal School’s Director of Technology Bob Krieger was overwhelmed when the Louisiana governor announced that schools would need to shut down and move online to combat the COVID-19 crisis. Using Google Meet, Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Mini switcher, and other online resources, Bob successfully got his school up and running online in just 4 days.
Capturing Audio for Classroom Streaming
Presenting classes online is becoming more common every year. Streaming video of the instructor is quite easy, and using a wireless mic provides great audio from the instructor. In addition, it is rather straight forward to add a second camera to capture video of the students. The challenge, however, is to capture audio of student questions and interaction.
Streaming to a Pre-Created Facebook Live Event
If you randomly go live on Facebook, your audience is primarily determined by who’s online at that very moment. Of course, people who log in later can still watch the video, but you’re missing out on a prime engagement opportunity by not catching them while you’re still live. In fact, people engage with live videos at 6 times the rate they engage with pre-recorded videos. Your goal as a streamer is to drive traffic to your live video while it’s still live.
Sophomore Slump: It’s Not the Class, It’s You
We all do it. We all get so frustrated that we say something we shouldn’t or handle a situation in a way we shouldn’t. It happens. I tell my students that I still have to work on my teacher filter. Sometimes it works harder than others. Last week, I must have needed a firmware update because the filter didn’t work.
A Video Solution for Online Learning
Many schools and universities have canceled classes to prioritize health concerns. While many districts have pre-existing infrastructures to support online learning, some schools are left wondering how they can effectively educate and interact with their students when classes aren’t meeting in person. Sometimes, it’s not enough to add a voiceover to a slide deck. Certain class material requires discussion and demonstration. Live video conferencing can recreate the classroom environment online.
What Bitrate and Resolution are Best?
The higher the resolution and bitrate, the higher the video quality - right? Not exactly. What happens if you’re watching a video online and it starts buffering? You probably close the window. So there’s nothing stopping someone from doing the same thing to you if your video quality is poor.
Audio for Live Streaming 101
67% of people say quality is the most important factor when watching a live video. Yes, that includes video and audio. Sometimes, audio quality is even more important.
What Video Production Careers Can I Get?
As a Video Production educator I often am asked, “How can I make money doing this?” That is a great question and worthy of an answer. Often times when people think of careers in Video Production their focus is narrowed into a small corner of the industry. In actuality there exists a wide gamut of jobs that are viable and realistic career options for those that wish to pursue them. This short article will list some of these options and hopefully pursue them in greater detail in the future.
Scott Pelley’s Lessons for Aspiring Journalists
I recently started the second semester of my junior year at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Phoenix, Arizona and much to my surprise, a well-known figure in journalism welcomed me into this jam-packed half of one of my most important years of college. Insert Scott Pelley, journalist and author who has been a correspondent and anchor for CBS News for more than three decades.
Reed College of Media at West Virginia University
West Virginia University is an R1, land-grant institution located in Morgantown, West Virginia. It’s home to 30,000 undergraduate students. The WVU Reed College of Media is an accredited student-centered journalism school that has been graduating journalists and strategic communicators since 1939.
The Gateway to Streaming: ATEM Mini
The following statement is not hyperbole…. The ATEM Mini is as close to a perfect switcher for someone who is just starting to stream as you will get. There. I said it…. As close to perfect as you can get. FOR SOMEONE NEW TO STREAMING! If you are new to streaming or have never streamed and your administration is forcing their hand a bit on you starting to stream, keep reading.