Upstate Technology Conference Morning News Pre-Conference Session

In the session on morning news shows, Jeff McCoy demonstrated how to create a digital programs that can be used for a morning news show, special school productions and class projects. Jeff covered topics relating to:

• Benefits of an organized news show (enhance instructional programs, increase writing and communication skills, develop knowledge of tech equipment, practice decision making and problem solving, enhance leadership skills, improve responsibility, teamwork and organization),
  
• Basic equipment necessary to get started (laptop, lights, webcam, microphone and software such as Visual Communicator 3 by Adobe http://www.adobe.com/products/visualcommunicator/ or Vlog It http://www.adobe.com/products/vlogit/)
  
• Advanced equipment (video mixer, modulator, lights, switcher, tripod, microphones, sound mixer, VCR/DVD recorder, DVD burner tower and set props such as a green screen or backgrounds)
  
• Setting up the morning news show (assigning roles such as director, producer, editor, sound technician and video technician)
  
• Getting a morning news team started (brainstorm ideas for stories and story types, determine and assign roles, discuss expectations, deadlines and checkpoints, inform school population of procedures for submitting story ideas and deadlines for announcements, determine archival procedures).
  
• Determine show format (welcome and introductions, pledge, lunch menu, morning announcements, moment of silence, sign off)
  
• Expand the news programming (Word of the Week, Art Share, Spanish Special, Weather Update, Book Reviews, Technology Tuesday, Community Updates, After-School Activities, Fundraisers, Special Class Projects, Sports, etc.)
  
• Involve the entire school (designate a class of the week for special activities such as the pledge, establish a theme of the week, broadcast activities from all over the school, focus on a student-led program, highlight classrooms, sell DVDs of each week's broadcast to fund the show, vlog the show so parents can watch at work or at home)