Share the News: Some Video Ideas
New10 and SECC really want to see your work, and it doesn’t have to be a professional production — we want to see what real students are really creating. And it's a great way to share the good news; while so much news today is negative, you can showcase the positive programs and activities at your school. So to help jump start your production, Michelle Ponto, News10 Executive Producer Interactive & Social Media, has a few ideas and story angles.
Hundreds of post offices and some libraries could be closing in California. Is technology making these basic resources obsolete?
a. Students could survey kids on how often they use the school’s library and what they do there.
b. Where do they study? How do they do their research?
c. Do they still read paper books or have they gone to reading online?
d. Do they find the library useful or outdated?
Movie review of the latest flicks
a. Harry Potter: was the final movie satisfying?
b. Hunger Games coming out this spring. Will it be as good as the book?
-- Why do people relate to the characters in the book?
-- Who is the best person to play Katniss?
Anything new or fixed at the school?
a. New drinking fountains? New tiles, paint or new desks?
-- If something is scheduled to be fixed, then ask if you can monitor the process.
b. New items in the cafeteria?
c. Students can interview each other on what they think about the improvements. Even if they didn’t notice them, that’s a story too. If no one noticed, was it worth the investment? The principal or caretaker could answer the question – could be the repairs were needed because they were a health risk or because it’s routine.
d. If they noticed something broken, track how long it takes to get fixed
-- What happens in the meantime? Do students change their routines?
-- If not fixed in two weeks, find out why. Ask the principal/caretaker if it’s a budget issue, on back order or maybe it’s never going to get fix.
Homework Struggles
a. Students always complain about too much homework. What’s being done about it? Which teacher is known for giving out the most homework?
-- Students can give their opinion what is too much.
-- Teachers can have their opinion on how the amount of homework has gone up or down over the last 5 years.
-- Maybe there is actually less homework than there used to be.
-- Maybe there is more – but a reason for it. If so, find out what the reason is.
Texting and Social Media – is it out of control?
a. Students can ask their friends how many times a day they check their Facebook account or text their friends.
b. How many texts/status updates do they post a month? Do they think this is average?
c. Ask parents/teachers how often they text/Facebook. Compare this number with the students and see if they think this is too much.
Second angle on texting
a. There have been articles that claim that kids are forgetting how to spell because of the LOL and OMG, etc of texting.
-- Interview students to see if this is true. Ask them to spell something or go a whole day without using the texting shortcuts. Can they do it?
-- Interview teachers to see if they noticed a drop in spelling quality over the years.
-- If no, then dispel the myth that texting makes people bad spellers.
-- If yes, then reveal that the myth might be true.
Facebook security
Angle: Too much? Not enough security?
• Ask your peers on what they have done to make Facebook secure
• What kind of things would they NOT post on Facebook
• Do they worry about sharing too much?
