The Future of Broadcasting: Professionals in the Making

My Students

Typical day in my classroom: Bell rings, kids log on to lagging computers, take pics, hold interviews, check sources, write scripts, edit layouts, critique and collaborate on Google Docs, make jokes, edit photos, edit videos, make intros, create templates, bell rings, they stay..you get the picture.

While searching for a quote to describe my staff, I came across the following: True success cannot be achieved without fostering talented individuals and nurturing their potential.

Each year I am blessed with a hand-picked staff of talented, dedicated and passionate middle school students with a variety of gifts. I get to witness the blossoming of on-air personalities, marketing professionals, producers, writers, photographers, layout designers, tech gurus and natural-born leaders to name a few. At a time in their lives where most kids are worried about their latest Instagram post, my students are up late nights working on deadlines and getting excited about the projects they are working on. For this reason, I feel like the aforementioned quote fits my kids so well. Being a part of my school's journalism staff is truly a learning experience not only for them, but for me as well.

My Project

A poem for our donors: Homeroom is where we get our news We learn what's for lunch, or when to pay dues For clubs that we'll join, then the pledge we recite But on the P.A.? This just isn't right. We need to get with it, to broadcast, to edit To write and produce, to promote and direct it. The problem, you ask? We lack the equipment. With lagging computers, and our servers down Mics are just missing, can't deal with this sound If we get what we ask for, we'll broadcast school news We'll be correspondents where ever we choose We'll interview lunch ladies, teachers, advisers, And with a green screen we can pick where we're live from We'll need Teleprompters, but an app can do that On the tablets we're asking for. Is that clever or what? But the Dell, well now that's the thing we need most For without all its power, our ideas will be toast We'll go back to the P.A., like back in the day An opportunity lost, Unless you save the day! Please fund our broadcast news project!

I recently read an article that built the case for scholastic journalism.

The article argued that journalism curriculum is most closely aligned to the common core rigor that educators are currently striving for. I couldn't agree more. With this project my students will get a taste of what it means to be in the real-world using real-world equipment and producing a variety of content for a variety of audiences. And I have to add, it won't just be my students that benefit, but my school as well.