Northgate High, where I currently do my field experience, doesn’t have a TV broadcast like Orenco Elementary or Wyckoff Public Schools does. The media center houses a tech room where the principal or assistant principal every morning will post the schools announcements to run “Scrolling Announcements” throughout the school on the flat screen televisions posted throughout the school all day.
I have done field experience in another school. The school was West Side Magnet School in LaGrange Ga. There the media specialist also was not in charge of the daily TV broadcasts. The drama/theatre teacher, Ms. Carol Cain, was in charge of this. Some of you may have heard of her, she is a well-known local story teller. The TV broadcasts were simply supervised by Ms. Cain and the students in the club would do the broadcast almost every morning. The students would direct, tape, and perform pretty much all the aspects of the broadcast. They would present school news, special announcements, book reviews, sometimes little skits, dress up in costume, of course a little storytelling, etc. A different student was selected by the schools teachers each broadcast to say the pledge. All were very similar broadcasts to the broadcasts by Orenco & Wyckoff. The school has since been closed, which is such a travesty.
Now if there were technical difficulties this is where the media specialist, Ms. Jacque Hornsby, would step in. Even Ms. Cain had get help from Ms. Hornsby. For example, if there was a problem with a microphone Ms. Hornsby would have to troubleshoot. West Side’s broadcast was filmed in front of a camera then feed to all the TV’s in the school, LIVE.
I miss that school. It thrived with excellence. The staff and students were so creative. I’m proud to have been a part of it even if was only for a short while.
I certainly understand your thoughts about the live broadcast you witnessed at the other school. I, too, have witnessed such at an elementary school in Henry County where I used to work. The Media Specialist and the Media Clerk would coordinate the broadcast and the students were outstanding. They too were professional story tellers and urged students to participate in the storytelling troupe. As I said in another blog, the social studies teacher and I have taken on the challenge of working with the news club to make it an outstanding production.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of utilizing teachers as coordinators for the broadcast. In one blog, one made mention of the technology department creating sophisticated slides and "commercial breaks." I think all of these approaches demonstrate how to make the media center a focal point for the school.
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