Eagle TV

The Future...

2011-05-09T21:23:00.002-04:00

I clearly remember my dad telling me when I was in college and I was way beyond the point at which I was to declare a major that I should always play it safe and have something to "fall back on". I was considering majoring in broadcasting or in print journalism, but Dad felt like I would have a better chance at finding a job as a Public Relations major. So, that's what I did. I now have a degree in public relations, but ended up working in broadcasting. Go figure.

I've always had a talent with writing. My true dream, however, has always to become a writer. Not just a writer who churns out novels in solitude day in and day out, but a writer who travels, lectures, gives workshops and enjoys friendships and adventure.

I have not had that life. I don't know if it's too late to have that life, but I've decided that I'm going to do everything I can to make me live the closest I can to that dream. I've tinkered with that life.....been published, given talks on writing, attended workshops, and...with you...I TEACH writing. I've dipped my toe in the waters, but haven't yet gone swimming.

Yet, every job I've had throughout my life has prepared me for the next one. I have to believe that if I hadn't gotten that degree in PR, I wouldn't know so much about media relations. If I hadn't known so much about media relations, I wouldn't have been offered the job at the TV station. And, if I hadn't had that job at the TV station, I wouldn't be teaching you broadcasting. So, all that said, I don't regret any of paths that my life has taken me down. I love my job as your teacher and I love you... each and every one of you, my students. You give me joy and laughter and are the reason I come to work every day. I'm blessed that this job found me.

So, as we approach the end of the street of this school year, I want to give you a little advice. Not just the seniors, but all of you. Never, ever, ever give up on your dreams. Make sure that everything you do in your career advances you to your ultimate purpose. Find and recognize that which is your gift and immerse yourself in it, develop it and fine tune it so you are the best. BUT.....be okay with the side roads that life takes you down. Everything you do is preparation for what you will ultimately become. Don't get frustrated that your career is not exactly as you'd like it right now, but realize that you'll get there -- more prepared and well-rounded than ever.

So, for the last blog of the year tell me: What is your passion? What are you great at? What skill do you hope to hone and get better at? What do you like to do? Travel? Help people? Make things? Organize things? Counsel people? Lead people? Tinker with machines? Fix things? How will you use your gift in the future in your career? Have you even figured out what your talent is or what you want to do? What path will life take you down?

Practice, Practice, Practice...

2011-04-24T16:53:00.003-04:00

It's an old joke: "Pedestrian in New York asks a famous violinist, 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?' The man replied, 'Practice, practice, practice!'"

The oft-used joke is steeped in truth. Steven King wrote about it in his 1999 book, On Writing. Although a lot of writing talent has to do with innate skill, he says, a large percentage of it has to do with the more your practice your craft, the better you become at it. And in academic circles it is believed that you have to practice something for 10,000 hours before you become an expert. That's 3 hours a day, every day, for 10 years.

One of the film editors of the original Star Wars film, Richard Chew began his career shooting film as a news camera man, shooting a one or two minutes piece on a daily basis. He talks about that when he give speeches about his craft and how he is always still learning. When he first sees the dailies on any given film he's working on he makes notes about what resonates with him and his emotional response. He uses that information to help him improve his craft as he completes it, especially since when you work on one thing for so long you begin to lose objectivity toward it.

He also says that when he's working on editing a film, he usually continues to edit on it until someone takes it away because of deadline; essentially stating that any work of art is never truly finished because you always want to make it better.

How much work do you put into perfecting your skill at, say, video journalism? Do you do the least amount you can do to get a grade and then let it go? Or, do you work on learning something new about the process each time you go through it? Do you read websites and articles about the craft of editing or photography? Do you read blogs about improving what you do? Do you try new things (special effects, new transitions, new format, etc.) each time you turn in a project? Do you get defensive when you see your grade or do you use the information to teach yourself how to get better? Do you keep an open mind about other peoples' suggestions, even though your knee-jerk reaction is to do it the same way you've been doing it, over and over and over again?

Let me put it to you this way: if teachers at South Cobb high school taught in the same manner as they did in the '70s or '80s, would that be okay with you? Would you be able to sit in your seat, day in and day out doing nothing but taking notes for an entire semester and be expected to learn the information? No talking, not much interaction, a LOT of reading, very little hands-on experiences, certainly no bathroom breaks. That's the way I learned, but why isn't that good now? The truth is that teaching, just like any other skill or field, evolves and changes the more we learn about what works and what doesn't. But if you're stuck in doing things the same way, every time, over and over again, are you really learning? I venture a guess that, NO, you're not. You're just repeating a task.

As we look around the room now, there are lots of new tools for us to use. Let me remind you of a belief of EVERY professional journalist out there; the tools do not make the editor/photographer/reporter/producer, etc., the ability to tell stories does. I've heard Les Rose from CBS and Steve Hartman say this. I've heard Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute say this. I've read where Richard Chew has said this. I'VE said this. Hone your craft by practicing and trying new things. Don't just go through the motions. Learn the craft, don't just learn what the buttons do. Don't just complete the assignment to get a grade and be done with it, take in the whole experience of working on a project and enjoy the process. Learn something from it, and practice, practice, practice.

Nine Weeks Left

2011-03-27T19:51:00.003-04:00

So, last week with a class of video production students minus the juniors and minus the seniors who felt as if they wouldn't miss any valid instructional time, the Eagle TV students did amazing work. We produced a full show which aired on Friday and began a new one, we learned 4 new tricks on Final Cut Pro and on Live Type, we worked on several senior video segments and we produced two complete 3-minute mini movies based on one sentence and did it in two days!

I'm impressed by what we can accomplish.

So, that's why from here on out (we have 9 weeks left) we are going to be busy doing our projects and doing them with style. Here's what we have on our plates:

Senior video segments. All of which are due on May 16th....

Blogs. We have 6 more. That's it.

2nd VO/SOT due March 31st (Thursday)

3rd VO/SOT due April 22nd

3rd and 4th Outside Projects due April 13th

3rd Pkg due on April 15th (9 school days from now)

Story Ideas due April 19th

Story Ideas due on May 4th

5th and 6th Outside Projects due on May 18th

and Project Presentations due on May 20th.

We still have to author and put together the senior DVD and we have to produce 7 Eagle TV shows (one per week) until the year can be completed in here.

Whew...now that I see it on paper, it's a lot. What is it you say? We don't have as much time as it seems?

Well, no. We miss the week of April 4-8 for spring break, Friday April 1st is the International Festival, so we lose that day. May 5th is End of Pathway Testing for those of you who have completed level 3 or higher in BVP or any career tech or business class, throw in End of Course testing in there, senior meetings and other events and it really boils down to about 7 weeks left....that's 35 days to get all of the above finished. That's it. Seventeen things in 7 weeks. That averages out to about turning something in about every 2-3 days. Well, your blogs and story ideas should be done at home and your outside projects will be done after school, but you get the idea about what kinds of deadlines we're under.

Oh, and that new control room....we have to find time to train on it using the new equipment. That will certainly take at least a week when it's installed and ready to use.

Keep in mind that grading on packages and VO/SOTS gets harder. I expect you to have a well-written script with outside sources, adequate statistics, well-shot video, good lighting and flawless audio. You don't have time to re-do it. Seriously. You must use a tripod, super your talent correctly and artistically, tell me something I didn't already know in your stories and appeal to a mass audience of primarily cynical teenagers whose attention is hard to get even when their shoes are being stepped on.

Yup. We have lots to do. Use your time wisely and don't waste it. Let me know in your comments how you plan to manage your time. How will you deal with hurdles that keep you from going in the edit room or editing because your video is too dark? How will you make sure those things don't happen? How will you make sure that every moment you spend in BVP is used wisely and not wasted?

The clock starts now.....

Mopping Up

2011-03-06T20:26:00.003-05:00

As we head into the downhill part of the school year, I think it's important that we talk about things "that are left". Like what's left at the end of a shoot. When you do your stories, you don't just do the interview; you "mop up in the field."

This is a term I heard about from Dave Davis, Hillcrest High School video production teacher and I hope he doesn't mind me sharing this with you. It is what you do on your shoot to make sure you have mentally checked off those shots that are necessary for you to tell your story. It requires that you ask yourself some questions:

***Do I have my opening shot?

***Do I have my closing shot?

***Do I have all the shots that the interviewee referred to during the interview?

***Do I have reaction shots?

***Do I have a wide shot of the scene, establishing setting?

There are other shots that I could remind you of, but these are the basics.

Think about the things that indicate that a story is over. Maybe someone walking away from the camera, someone turning off a light switch, someone waving goodbye, or a slow zoom out and/or long shot of someone walking across a field. Visualize what type of shot would go best with your story and GET THAT SHOT! Keep your eye out for these shots to happen naturally and get it on tape. Don't stage it. Let it happen organically. You may not use it in the end when you're editing, but why not have it, just in case? You'll appreciate it when you're in the edit room.

Similarly, what about those opening shots. What visually brings people into your story? For example, if you're doing a story on kayaking, why not get NAT sound of someone saying "GO!" for a kayak competition? Or, if you're doing a story about a new restaurant, maybe a shot of someone unlocking the door and opening for business for the day? Many of these shots for your open require that you get to your shoot early. If you're doing a story on a meeting, you'll want to get there early enough to hear the moderator call the meeting to order or someone saying "Good morning". Think about the opening shots BEFORE you go on your shoot, not after.

Once you get used to thinking and visualizing your story before you even DO it, you'll start doing this without thinking of it. It will become second nature. But for now, take this list with you or at least create a shot sheet that includes the shots that you've thought through so you can best tell your story and "mop up" while you are out. And, speaking of that, clean up that edit room!

Describe the opening shot, closing shot, other B-roll that you envision getting to tell the story that you're currently working on. What will you keep your eye out for during your story? What would be the BEST shot that you would LOVE to get for your story?

No More Small Change

2011-02-28T21:53:00.008-05:00

A friend of mine and I were talking last weekend and we were marveling at how much the world has changed in the last 15 years. Even countries that existed in our high school geography textbooks no longer exist under their old name, old regime or old cultures. Crazy! Whole countries re-writing their history!

No one, just a mere 15 years ago, could possibly have envisioned the hold that the internet has on everyone....let alone the concept of an online database that will allow you to find anyone, anything, anywhere, anyhow in the blink of an eye. Again...crazy!

It has only been a short time ago in my lifetime when black and white television had only 3 channels (Oh, the horror!). TV dinners, cars with cigarette lighters and ashtrays and the high beam button on the floor, no VCRs, phones with a rotary dial on them and the ability to call long distance ONLY with the help of an operator were all our way of life. If you wanted to look up something you didn't get online, you went to the library and looked it up in the World Almanac.

For the Japanese people, change happened in the blink of an eye. For Libya and Egypt, change has occurred in the matter of a few short months and things will never be the same for those living in Christchurch New Zealand after just a few short minutes.

In this class, I've preached the importance of leadership among you. I've asked several of you, individually to step up to the plate to help me set the bar high for behavior and excellence in production. I've asked that you take others under your wing to help, guide, assist, include and teach. I've told the entire class to be mature and a good example. I've asked that you not waste your time when you have all these tight deadlines and assignments. This is what I've gotten in return: (Read EVERY word here)

A day of flinging mouse pads around the room and leaving them on the floor in a spirited game of...I-don't-know-what, tapes (some without cases) strewn around the edit rooms, not put back as I ask, but laying around unlabled and uncovered...and when cornered about it, a disrespectful sentiment aimed at me comes flying out of your mouth. Disrespectful attitudes and words directed at me when I ask you to bring the equipment back on time, spend some time to label tapes, don't just TAKE equipment out of the room, be back on time, follow directions or put a little effort into your work. Doritos bags stuffed in the edit room drawers, video of sports events that look like they were shot by a 4-year-old, expecting to get credit for just going to an outside project and hanging out with the camera, but not actually operating it for a respectful amount of time, story idea deadlines missed, blog assignments missed, equipment not put back correctly and check out forms not filled out properly...scattered all over the equipment room. Disregard for proper framing techniques, proper audio, soundbites that don't advance your story or add to it in any way, packages that don't inform or even entertain. Not caring what your writing conveys or that you just skate through the course, barely getting by and no pride or work ethic in what you do. No innovative ideas for stories or excitement for the production value. No desire to learn anything new or put in a little extra work to sweeten audio. Scoffing at me when I tell you how it should be done properly or when I correct you or suggest a better, more efficient way to work. Procedures disobeyed such as turning in a script before you edit, coming in late to school with fast-food bag in hand and preceding to stuff it all into your mouth for the first 30 minutes of class, water bottles and drinks brought into the edit bays, leaving the room for the entire period so you can go talk to others, make up work for other classes, chat with your coach or hang with your friends, coming back just in time for clean up. Should I go on?

All this while I'm working my tail off to provide you a new control room, new cameras and new edit suites. This research takes time and I initiated this for you - I contacted the county, I contacted the vendor, I met with the integrator, I negotiated with our principal and I have pursued this change. All this while I'm teaching 3 full classes, maintaining equipment, sending it off for repairs so you would have the best to work with. All this while I'm defending you and your work to our principal, to our administrators and to the teachers who complain that you are loud and disruptive in the hall or walking around not doing anything, when I know you're not working to your full potential. All this while, despite my clear instructions to the contrary, you leave campus, continue to eat and drink around the equipment, leave unlabeled tapes scattered around the room and food particles on the floor and continue to snap your teeth at me with disregard.

I've given you the chance to do the right thing; to change your behavior or to step up to the plate. I've changed deadlines and changed expectations. I've received nothing in return. SOME of you have recognized that Eagle TV is falling into a hole and have tried to resuscitate it by coming up with unique story ideas or have meekly respected my requests for change or tried to step up only to be met with your peers snide comments and sneers.

Well now, I'm changing what we do. I'm also telling you that it has been an incredibly challenging year for me and I'm also ready for a change. Things will NOT be the same. You won't have the same freedoms, you won't be disrespectful of me and my efforts to teach you and we won't be allowed to challenge me without consequences. You won't have the freedom to pursue the stories you want, I will determine how the finished product looks and feels and I will monitor your every move. You will need to sign out every time you leave the room for ANY reason and tell me where you will be and how long you plan to be gone. You will fill out daily work habit forms and will be asked to reflect on whether you used your time wisely or not. Every day will be very structured.

I was hoping that this year would turn out to be the year of positive change. New equipment, new ideas, new stories and new approaches to stories. You know, a transition year where we've gotten excited about what Eagle TV can be. I'm sad that this hasn't happened. I'm also sad that this year has changed the way I look at you, this program and this school. I'm incredibly discouraged and don't feel any optimism that you can change on your own..you know, take control of your own ability to rise to the challenge that is put before you. These are not small changes, but big ones. Small change is no longer an option.

Your thoughts?

Deliver the Package!

2011-01-30T10:44:00.005-05:00

Storytelling is an ancient practice. It is probably one of the first ways humans developed socially, sharing knowledge with emotion and perspective. It is also one of the basic tenets of a newscast. The self-contained story (one that doesn't need any explanation or setting up before you see it) is called a "package" in the news business. I want to share with you a little about how a package is put together.

First of all, remember that news is about PEOPLE, not things. If you have a story about a new 10K road race that will be happening in Atlanta in the fall, tell me about it through the eyes and experience of a young man who was told he could never walk and is now training for this race. If you want to do a story on the potential loss of accreditation by the Atlanta Public Schools, have a student tell the story of how his family came to Atlanta to get a better education than he would've gotten in the third-world country he came from and how this would be devastating to him. Do you see how this works?

Once you come up with your idea, there are a few questions that you should ask yourself before you dive headlong into production. First, is there a PERSON I know that I could tell the story through; someone who is involved in this story or who has an investment in the outcome? If the answer is "yes" then start interviewing! If the answer is IDK, then see if you can find such a person. If you're doing the road race story, call the organizers of the road race or a related organization such as the Atlanta Track Club. Organizations are GREAT resources to find people involved in the story that you want to do. They are more than willing to help because they want publicity for their "cause". Just about EVERY story you do will have a related organization that could help you, you just have to take the time to do research and don't be afraid to call these people.

Second question: can you tell both sides of the story? Every story has two sides. In the case of the road race you have the determined runner who has beaten all odds and then, perhaps you have the doctor's who said that he's never walk and they are blown away by his progress, or you have, maybe, the young man's mom who is supportive, but feels like he's bitten off more than he can chew.

Then, ask yourself, what are my visuals? What elements do I need to shoot aside from the basic interviews? Can I shoot the race itself? What about the race route as it's being marked off? What about b-roll of the race organization office as they process applications? Volunteers? The young man at home, putting on shoes to go out for a conditioning run? Him playing with his dog? (unrelated to the race, but good cover footage to show his regular life) Low angle shot of his tennis shoes as they pound the pavement past the camera? What about pictures of him as a boy and his injury? Crowds cheering the runners? ETC. Hopefully, you get the idea. Shoot more than you need. Did you hear me???? SHOOT MORE THAN YOU NEED.

Fourth question....do I have NAT SOUND that I can get related to my story? In this case, YES! Why not mic the young man as he's running and get him slightly out of breath as he works out? Sounds of his shoes hitting the pavement, crowd noises during the race, etc.

Fifth question....can I visualize how I want to open this story, develop it, incorporate the race organizers, how I want to lead the viewer along in my story (in other words, do I hold information about the young man's challenges until later in the story when the viewers have gotten to know him and then surprise the viewers with this?) Or maybe I want to introduce the race first and then say that there is a very special participant this year.

Sixth question...who are my "experts" that I will interview to give my story credibility? Race organizers, orthopedic doctors, occupational therapists, etc. You must have these to give your story credibility. If your entire story is all about opinion...you haven't produced a package, you've produced an opinion poll. There is very little substance to this. You haven't taught me anything new or showed me something that I didn't know already.

Next, do I have statistics, facts, history or other information on the story? How many races are in the Atlanta area? Why is this one new and what do race organizers hope to make this one different from all the others? How many people in Atlanta are members of the Atlanta Track Club OR what is the estimate of Atlantans who are serious runners? What is the prognosis of walking, let alone RUNNING, for someone who has an injury like your guy? Can you take me through the part of his life when he didn't think he'd ever be able to walk? What has he gone through in the last few years to get where he is now. (for this one, don't just tell me, show me.) See what I'm getting at? Your news packages are little research projects - you have to do your homework.

Finally, what happens now? What is the future for the news issue? In your case, what is the future for the young man? Can you show me that he's developed a relationship with the race organizers and now, maybe, he's been asked by them to be one of the race spokesmen? What is his next goal? What does his mom and his doctor's think now?

See...simple. (yeah, right!) But really it is. You're just telling us a story....an amazing story, but a story nonetheless. You just have to do a lot of legwork before you're finished. I bet your runner did a lot of legwork to get where he is today, right? Bad joke. Sorry.

Develop your story here: tell me the answers to all of these questions I've posed to you and show me in your comment that you've thought about how your pkg will be developed. This may take a little thought. You may want to write down your blog response on paper before you write it here so you are thorough. Tell me about this amazing project you're working on and tell me how it's going to blow everything else away on Eagle TV by telling me how you've thought about all these questions. Tell me your story!

2011-01-18T19:12:00.003-05:00

Because we are starting on story creating this week, I'm re-posting a blog from September of last year. It's still timely and informative and gives you a pretty good idea about how to come up with story ideas and how to pose them to me, including the research you'll need to put in your package.

Story ideas. Where do we get them? How do we convince others that we have a good story worth doing? How do we keep our audience interested in the story we are telling?

It all starts with a good story idea that is well-written, has a distinct angle, good characters, relevant to our audience, compelling visuals, well-researched and newsworthy.

The reason we turn in story ideas is because I want you to begin to think in terms of a reporter, producer or photographer about what makes a story worthy of your time and research. I also want you to become better writers and researchers as well as being a good journalist. You have to be able to incorporate numerous pieces of data yet filter out the irrelevant information to focus your stories. That's hard. So, let me tell you what I'll look for when I grade story ideas.

Start out by looking around for something that's interesting to you. Look at local news in papers, newscasts, magazines and radio. Look at bulletin boards, newsletters or subjects that you and your peers are talking about. As your parents what's going on or look on the internet news websites.

If it is a national story, you must localize it, or determine an angle that's relevant to your audience. Your audience would be teenagers in the metro Atlanta area as well as adults (parents and educators) who might see your story on Eagle TV or on Cobb EdTV.

Do research. Do you have information that supports your angle? Are there enough visual possibilities to make it TV-friendly? Are there local experts that are available for you to interview about it? And most importantly, can you tell the story through the eyes, or experience, of someone who has been there?

Once you've done these first few steps, you are ready to write your proposal. The elements that need to be in your proposal are: a statement of what story type it is, a summary, how will you tell the story, who are your potential characters, elements to include in the story and any background information or statistics.

Here's my idea....I recently saw on the TV news the results of a recent study that says that teenagers are physically incapable of waking up early because of their body clocks and a later start time for schools is being pushed in some states. So I did some internet research:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teens-health/CC00019

The Story Idea Summary part of your proposal begins, "this is a story about..." and explains what makes the story relevant or newsworthy? Why would your audience want to see it? This is your "elevator pitch".

This is a story about a new study that says teenagers are biologically incapable of being alert during the early start times of middle and high school. Some people believe that later start times would decrease absenteeism and increase grades.

Telling the Story. Describe how you'll open the story, what you'll go to next and how you will end it. Tell us who we will be meeting and why they are important.

I will open the story by talking about the role sleep plays in our life then spotlighting a student who has had incredible difficulty with staying awake for his early classes over the last few semesters (not just one semester to rule out a problem subject matter) perhaps even find someone who has had sleep studies done. I will then go into the study and other statistics about sleep patterns and teenagers. I will then revisit the student at the end of the story with his solution to sleep deprivation.

Potential Characters. List the characters in their order of importance to your story. Who are the people you want to interview or what kind of people do you want to interview? What role do they play in your story?

I will interview, of course, a student or students who have trouble staying awake in the mornings, parents of those students who can talk about their son or daughter's sleep habits (and maybe frustrations with teacher calls!) and sleep experts from a local sleep study center. I may also talk to a teacher or two. I know a student named Jason who has had a very difficult time in his first block classes over the last few years. Perhaps he would be willing to talk about his experiences.
Elements. This is for you to describe any visuals or pictures that will be part of your story. Very important! How do you plan to cover your story outside of interveiws? There must be pictures or video! Warning...you don't want to "stage" your video!

I will get video (and permission to use it) from a sleep study center and possibly use some of the video of people sleeping, I'll get alarm clock videos, unmade beds, students attentive in class and some with their heads on their desks. Footage of class changes and teachers teaching in class, maybe students drinking coffee or caffeinated soda to stay awake.
Additional Background. This is for statistics and background information that supports why your story is newsworthy. this is NOT copied and pasted research. It is information that indicates that you've done your research and drawn your own conclusions about how it relates to your story and angle. It shows that you understand and care about your story and how it can be relevant to your audience. It could also be background information on your characters who are in your story. It is information that you may use in your story, but not necessarily. his shows me that you've at least done some preliminary research and that you have evidence to support that this is a valuable story and not just piles of data.

According to the Mayo clinic website, our internal clock guides when we feel sleepy or awake. They are called our circadian rhythms. As a young person, our circadian rhythms signal us to get sleepy around 8 or 9pm. As we approach our teenage years, that internal clock doesn't make us tired until about 11pm or midnight. Because studies reveals that teens need at least 9 hours of sleep to feel alert during the daytime, early morning start times for school make that difficult. Countries as far away as Isreal are looking at this data and are beginning to take note by changing school start times in hopes that teens will succeed more in school. The Sleep for Science research highlights why teens are challenged by an early school start.

Lastly, make sure that you attach any supporting materials to your story idea. Print out websites or cut out articles of your sources. Remember that if you quote statistics in your story, you must attribute them to the proper source.

Your question this week, therefore, is what story ideas do you have that you might like to produce? Come up with some good ones and tell me why they are important and who you would interview and what kind of supporting material/statistics you would use.

That White Stuff!

2011-01-11T09:29:00.006-05:00

There's nothing like a good couple of snow days to wipe the extraneous and non-essential off our To-Do list and bring us back to basics. Without the ability to leave the house unless on foot and not many stores open, we are forced to focus on just the necessary needs we might have.

The basics. It helps us focus on meaning and purpose. Do I have enough food in the house to keep me fed until I can get to the store? If we lose power, will I have enough firewood to warm the house? I don't really need that new shirt because I have everything I need in my closet and I can't get to the mall anyway. Are the pets safe and warm? Am I safe and warm?

Each hour that you spend in the house you make meaningful because you invest it with your energy, your intentions, your capital, your decisiveness. There are no distractions. You make meaning to the time you spend with yourself and your family and friends because you are forced to live with just the basics for a few days.

How we live our life with intention should be the path we choose ALL the time and not just when we have a few snow days. Think about school in this way. Don't clutter your life with the non-essential. The drama. The unimportant.

Another aspect to this snow day break includes the ability to be a kid for a minute. I got a chance to sled down the hill in front of my house with a piece of cardboard wrapped inside a trash bag. I'm sure you made a snowman, snow angel, did some sledding, had a snowball fight with your family or friends or at least enjoyed traipsing through the snow up to your ankles.

It is my hope that while we will do lots of hard work in Eagle TV this semester, eliminating the unimportant, that we will have lots of fun while we're at it. We will experience some things that we've never done before and will pave the way for our viewers, down a path that they've never been down before. We will be pioneers and, through Eagle TV, will lead our viewers into adventure. Maybe we'll do a story on zip lines in north Georgia, maybe we'll show SCHS about the gorilla rescue sanctuary, maybe we'll feature a man who teaches young people how to climb trees in order to overcome fear and adversity, maybe we'll show our school a story about someone who has overcome unbelievable odds to follow their dreams, maybe we'll be able to show that Everybody Has A Story.

Eliminate the extraneous and start thinking about how you can use your personal power to showcase greatness. You have the power. Start thinking like a journalist. Show us some amazing stories!

Tell me about how you're excited about your role in Eagle TV. What kind of stories are you interested in featuring? How has this snow storm allowed you to focus on what's important? How can you combine fun and business with Eagle TV?

****Please use full sentences, proper grammar, punctuation, spelling and put some thought into your answer. I want at least 4-5 sentences that make sense. This is a writing assignment, remember!**** Also, make sure you sign your post so you can get credit.

New News!

2010-11-28T18:44:00.002-05:00

Let's get ready! This week and next is practice week!

We have one of the most state-of-the-art news control rooms on the way to Eagle TV. Once set up and everyone is trained, Eagle TV will be incredible! I'm looking at one of the best fast-paced, graphic-heavy, informative and entertaining news shows EVER!

I have some ideas. Of course, your news packages will air; the ones you've already produced. But I would like to have some shorter pieces. Some funny ones, some serious live interviews, some teaching-type pieces, etc.

Here is Kell's second show show http://www.schooltube.com/video/68b640a8643f5cb05774/Hay-Kell-show-2

And here is Allatoona's show:

http://www.schooltube.com/video/36c29d5291495e2937dc/Bootleg-TV

Although, I don't condone too much silliness, a little is okay. Here are some of my ideas:

--An on-set interview called "Eagle Flap", or something like that, on topics that are current. Usually an interview with a staff member who knows a little about this topic.

--Student opinion poll..."Heard from the Bird" on current events.

--"We have Class" A segment on the interesting things we are learning in our classes, or a segment on how to do a certain math or science problem.

--Word to the Wise...a poll to see if students know a word, (funny answers) then the definition. (kind of an SAT word of the week or something like that.)

--"Say What?" a feature on something funny like a question that has no right or wrong answer, most mispronounced words, funny trivia, etc.

--Around Town, a feature on a new place to eat or place to go

--This day in History, a filler....usually without video that we can use on short news days.

--Healthy Choice, a fitness and health segment. Could also feature some type of medical segment

--Read Any Good Books Lately? , a segment about what students and staff are reading right now

--Where are We?, A segment in a different part of the campus that not everyone has seen before (particularly timely with the construction)

--Before They Were Teachers, a segment on what teachers did before, well, they were teachers!

--Talon Talent, a spotlight on someone who has an unusual talent

--Pimp my Locker, spotlight someone's locker that is especially decked out

--Life Lessons, Students who have learned life lessons like getting to class on time, solving arguments, completing homework on time, etc.

--Dress Code Diva - a segment on dress code rules hosted by someone who is a diva.

--Laughter is the Best Medicine - a funny segment such as the birthday segment from Kell.

--???? What's your idea?

Come up with some segment ideas and a solid idea on how to produce it. It must be able to be produced in one week. Only a 30-40 second segment and it's needs an Open (5-10 seconds).

In order to do this show, we'll have to be sure to be really polished production-wise. We'll need to be able to think quickly on our feet, be able to be sharp on the air while questioning people and have a good sense of timing.

What do you think?

In what ways are you lucky?

2010-11-15T18:46:00.002-05:00

Of course, 'tis the season to give thanks. It's predictable that every year about this time, people ask, "what are you thankful for?" But, I'm going to ask it a different way: In what ways are you lucky?

We all have plenty to be sad and upset about. In my case, I have a good friend my age who is suffering through brutal cancer treatments that probably won't cure him. I'm not the (rich and famous) writer I had dreamed I'd be at this point in my life, I have terrible headaches that have plagued me since I was 15, I don't have enough money to travel like I had hoped in my adult life and I my body doesn't look or feel like it used to.

But, I'm lucky that I have relatively good health, I have many students whom I think the world of and I have a wonderful, healthy family. I still have time to write that book and I am lucky to have a comfortable home and a steady income. I have many close friends and I can find humor in a lot of things.

As far as work goes, I have a job that I enjoy, I get to play with cool editing and videography equipment, my students make me laugh (most of the time) and I look forward to what's in store for Eagle TV. I also have lots of colleagues who happen to be my friends and I have been very lucky to have seen many of my students succeed and care enough about my role in their life to come back to tell me of their successes.

Now, it's your turn. Talk about what you feel lucky about in your life, both personally and with school. Don't end by telling me...tell your family and your friends too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cobb County Short Movie Extravaganza

2010-11-07T20:51:00.002-05:00

Short post...how are your movies coming? I'm excited that we'll have entries this year! Tell me how it's been going....exciting moments, tough moments, are you feeling good about your stories? etc. Fill me in, I can't wait!

Self-Motivation/Rewards Later

2010-10-24T18:59:00.003-04:00

I always thought that Eagle TV was somewhat insulated from the spoils of regular public education. The students who have come through my (no longer existing) double doors have been driven, motivated, excited journalism students who can't wait to sink their teeth into a good story and do their best; if only for personal satisfaction and nothing else. But, alas, things have changed.

The traditional educational model, in my opinion, is that too many students are being told by teachers that if they do their work, in the end they will be happy that they did it. There is no internal motivation by the student to work hard and that the payoff will be personally rewarding. That has seemed to be the case in many classes in the last 5 years or so, but not so much in Eagle TV; until this year.

Whether I speak about student or teacher, child or adult, to do our best...to reach our highest potential, we have to care. We've all done something in our lives that we never thought we could do and had we never cared enough to try, it wouldn't have happened. Your amazing accomplishment began with caring. Getting to that pinnacle of accomplishment is peppered with setbacks, disappointments, discouragement and DEFINITELY hard work, but throughout the journey, we knew that it will be good in the end. We just had to be patient and do our very best in the meantime. I'm afraid that the number of Eagle TV students willing to play the game of "do-your-best-and-the-rewards-will-come" is shrinking. Student apathy is at an all-time high.

And I feel all alone. I just can't carry you anymore. I am exhausted from the cheerleading and encouragement that is met with mere blank stares and inactivity. I am running all over the classroom, getting equipment together for you, writing scripts for you, telling you which project to edit or handing you a tape of already-videotaped-footage and all you have to do is take it from me and finish it. But you won't take it. You won't do it. You just sit there.

I've run dry. I've got to refill my well somehow and it's not happening here, with you. You have had opportunities to send video to our local NBC affiliate for airing on their TV station - you haven't grabbed that opportunity. You've had phenomenal story ideas grab you by the hair (one of which already had the interview already lined up) and you turn around and walk away. It's too hard, you say. You've had the opportunity to participate in a nationwide video competition where I've volunteered to pay for your contest entry and you've just looked down into your laps. You flop around like fish out of water when you are faced with checking out equipment yourselves for a project that has already been started for you. Disappointing. It makes me cry.

I can't tell you anymore that the show, when our control room is done, will be unbelievable. And in an effort to give you a fun assignment while building content by doing MOS's, I'm met with dark, non-white balanced footage that you can barely hear. Bummer. So sad, Level II, III and IV. I give up. I suppose we'll start having to work out of the book.

You have to work for what you want. It's not handed to you and I'm certainly not going to run on reserves for you anymore. You all are some of the most talented students in the school, yet you're wasting the time you have in class brooding over the fact that we're not on the air yet, or that it's "too much work to carry around a tripod or check audio".

Show me some initiative. Show me some interest by asking me questions about how to do stuff yourself, not asking me to do things for you. Show me that YOU will be a big part of what makes Eagle TV great. YOU can stand out. YOU can become popular just by the amazing stories you produce. YOU have had the door opened for you, you just have to walk through it. It starts when you get out of your seat and WORK.

I will not ask you to respond to this with what I can do to help you get motivated and moving because I can't anymore, but what YOU can do to motivate yourself and others. This is our last chance. You're going to have to start running, just to keep up with the others racing against you in this field. Don't you want to be the best? Eagle TV will be on the air soon; how will it look? You came through those double doors expecting to be the best....now is your chance!

Sports News....

2010-10-03T20:58:00.004-04:00

This blog appeared in part on the HTV Magazine Blog for Hillcrest High School and it contains information that I'd like you all to know. This was written by Dave Davis, broadcasting teacher at Hillcrest High School.

Football is Fun, Football is NEWS

Posted by davis on 04 Sep 2010 | Tagged as: Classroom, True Stories, The Story

"School is back in session and that means high school football takes center stage on Friday nights. Too bad, because in our town, that often means mediocrity gets the spotlight.

We have five public high schools in Springfield, MO. In years past, we have had our success stories. Some excellent teams have put together great seasons, but we have not had a state champion yet in the sport that dominates the headlines every September, October and November. And lately, it’s been ugly.

Here is the thing with football. It costs a lot of money. It brings in a lot of money. It involves a LOT of kids. Think team, band, cheerleaders, pep squads, dance teams, and so on. It is the ultimate squeaky wheel. A lot of people have an investment in the sport.

Another thing we TV teachers know. Football is one of the absolute best sports to cover. So many great visuals, so much wonderful sound, so much emotion. I just wonder if we actually “cover” our football teams like we cover other news topics. I mean, that is what a football game is. It’s a news event. People come together, things happen, and some go home happy, some go home disappointed. Money is involved, taxpayers’ money. The games bring in money, but it still takes our tax dollars to turn on the “Friday Night Lights.”

From what I have observed, high school TV shows rarely scratch beneath the surface of the game being covered. We get caught up in the action, the emotion, the school pride, and avoid practicing “journalism” at any cost. When is the last time our kids asked tough, but fair questions about the team, or the game? It almost never happens.

While we preach to our kids the importance of objectivity in journalism, where does objective news coverage go when it comes to the school football team? How long can losing seasons and poor participation continue to be ignored by the school NEWScast? Is your district pouring money into football when it may involve only 30 or 35 players, while it ignores classrooms with outdated technology, leaky roofs, a textbook shortage, or a library in need of a serious update? Those things impact your entire student body every day, not just on Friday night.

I challenge you, this fall, to teach your kids to cover football, and all sports, like you would cover anything else. Avoid tip-toeing around issues that deserve to be examined, questions that need to be asked.

If your school journalists continue to ignore serious issues related to sports in general, they might as well wear team jerseys when they anchor your show."

Recently, Shonda had an opportunity to "run with the pros" by shadowing the Marietta Daily Journal videographer during a Friday night football game. She got some of the best shots that have ever come back to Eagle TV after a weekend game. She observed storytelling by videocamera firsthand. So...what stories can you produce at a football game? Give me some ideas. Think outside the box and come up with ways to cover the news of sports!

Eleven

2010-09-26T18:24:00.005-04:00

I'm going to start thinking about eleven as a magic number. I hope that when you finish reading this, that you also think that the number eleven is significant.

Let me start by saying that yes, I knew Kenny McKinley. He was in my beginning class and once you're a part of Eagle TV, you're always a part of Eagle TV. I even remember where in my classroom he sat. Just like everyone else, the most prominent thing I remember about him was his manners, incessant smile and seemingly constant happiness. I marveled one day to him about how I couldn't get over how he was so happy all the time and he said to me, "there just isn't anything to be unhappy about, ma'am." I used to joke with him about how he must be up to something to just sit in class and smile all the time. When I was teaching, if I caught his eye, he would just smile wider, right at you. He knew all along about a life skill that making others feel good around you makes you more interesting a fun to be around. Kenny had a lot of friends, not because he was a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, but because he made people feel good when they were around him.

I have a poster in my classroom that says that you should smile at everyone you come in contact with because you don't know what kind of day they are having. It is based on the premise that everyone can make a difference in the lives of others, just by how you look at them.

The one life skill that Kenny didn't remember in his darkest hour, however, was the notion that we all have choices. Many of them. And, even when you are at your darkest hour, or having such a bad day that you can't imagine climbing out, or when you feel stuck, you always have choices. You might just have to ask for help or list them in order to see them.

Kenny's choice has affected others. His mom and dad and sister, his 1-year-old boy, his Bronco's family, his South Carolina family, his South Cobb family, his fans and this teacher.

Nothing in this life of yours is too hard to recover from. I promise. Even severe depression. You just have to ask for help. Please just remember this trick: write down your choices....write down eleven of them...whenever you feel stuck or have to make a decision. Ask for help if you need to, but the important thing to remember is to reach out; to a person, or the universe or whatever.

Everything you do, apart from a reflex. is a choice. Everything. When you get up in the morning--choice; opening your eyes when you wake up--reflex. Pulling your hand away from a hot stove -- reflex; turning on the stove to make breakfast, choice. Completing your homework -- choice (a good one); cringing when you stub your toe -- reflex. Saying something nice to someone, or choosing not to say anything if it might come out mean might be a choice that would influence someone else's day.

Here is an example of how I might write down eleven choices I have about what to do on the weekend:

1. Sleep in

2. Wake up early

3. Sleep in then pad out to the living room and turn on the TV; watch TV in pajamas

4. Get up, take a shower and go hang out with friends.

5. Get up, take a shower and chill around the house.

6. Wake up early, walk the dog, feed the cats, go to the arts festival

7. Wake up early, decide I'm too tired and go back to bed. Sleep 'til 2 pm.

8. Wake up at 2 pm and call my dad to say hello. Finally get a shower and get dressed.

9. Sleep in, do homework in pajamas, watch TV in pajamas, take a nap.

10. Stay up all night Friday night, go to bed at 4 am Saturday morning. Sleep until dinnertime.

11. Sleep in a little, hang with friends a little, do a little homework, spend time with family.

I have been wrestling with a personal decision for a long time. This past week, I took the time to go to Florida to see my dad and the beach and list my choices. Putting them on paper or talking them out always seems to help when things don't seem too clear. It has put things in perspective for me and has made my life a little brighter knowing that I DO have choices. It was on this trip to Florida that I heard about Kenny.

If there is anything that you take away from this is the following: as human beings we need and influence each other more than we realize and we ALWAYS have choices. Be kind, help people, tune in to others, and be there for someone who might need help seeing that they have choices. Remember that you, too, have choices and you make them everyday. Make good ones and when you have trouble seeing the forest for the trees, ask for help. I wish Kenny had.

Please respond that you read the blog and that you acknowledge the advice I have given you.

American Idols in Eagle TV!

2010-09-12T21:10:00.007-04:00

The outgoing American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, has the right idea.

Life is tough. Not everyone is perfect at what they are doing. You have to practice, practice, practice to get better. You also need a coach along the way.

That's where I come in.

I've never held back my comments with my students when they don't give me their best work. I can see right through it when they "phone it in" and I let them know. Most of my students think I'm too critical, but how will they get better if I don't set the bar high?

I try not to be mean about it, and with the constructiveness comes a suggestion or an idea for improvement or the offer to help. Here is where most teachers fail.

It is our job to make students better by holding the bar just out of reach until students can hit it. I'm not about to appease a student and his/her efforts just to make him/her feel better. I want to be brutally honest with them. They deserve that from me. If they are receptive to it, it makes them better.

I'll never forget a teacher I had in college, Dr. Jane Bick. She was one of my journalism professors and a teacher I had over the course of several semesters. She had given us an assignment to write a 20-page paper on an overview of a career field from a public relations-management point of view. I chose the airline industry. With my parents having been in the industry for many years, I felt as if I knew a little about it. I was flying on planes from the time I was months old. Many a summer was spent flying around the country visiting family, friends and even to New York city for a haircut!

When it came time to get feedback from Dr. Bick about our paper, she was brutally honest with me: "you are not the writer I thought you were, " she said. I deflated like a popped balloon. It was crushing to me. I left school that day so mad and upset that I wasn't sure how I was going to handle all my rage. I wanted to just give up writing altogether. Maybe I had picked the wrong thing to major in. I'll just go confront her on Monday and give her a piece of my mind about what an insult that was! I was ready.

In the meantime, I worked and worked on that paper over the weekend until I thought I had it so fine tuned no one could find fault. I was ready to turn it in. It was, now that I looked at it, much better than it was the first time I handed it in.

I went to class a little earlier than usual, hoping Dr. Bick would get there early too and I could have a few minutes with her alone. She did. I started to speak and told her that I was completely taken back by her brutally brutal criticism of my paper and my writing. She responded in a way I will never forget: "Lisa, you are one of the best writers in this class. If I don't hold the bar higher for you than I do for others, you will never realize your full potential. My criticism of you and your writing, I hope, will make you a better writer, not give up."

I've never forgotten those words. I saw Dr. Bick later on in life when I worked at the TV station and she told the folks I worked with that I was one of the best writers she had ever seen come through her program at Georgia State. I never expected that! She was incredibly critical of me. I didn't even think she liked me! I dreaded her classes because she was so hard, but over time, she and I became friends. I'll never forget her pushing me the way she did. She pushed me because she knew I had it in me to be excellent and I just wasn't giving it my all.

So remember that even though I may be hard on you (my job as your teacher) it is because I have faith in you and your skills. Blog about a time when you might not have done your best and I caught you. How did it make you feel? Did it help you to improve, or just get you down? What motivates you to get better at whatever you're attempting? How can a little reality check be good for you?

Because just appeasing you and filling you with sugared praise is not doing you any good. Simon has the right idea.

Cagle's Family Farm

2010-09-05T11:14:00.008-04:00

Lions, Tigers and Bears...oh my! Well... not really, but lots of animals.

Four generations of the Cagle family have kept Cagle's Family Dairy Farm going, just north of Atlanta with cows, goats, a huge vegetable garden, ducks, cow-herding dogs, a sheep who gives back rides to chickens and a 5-acre corn maze.

Although no longer a working dairy farm, the current, twenty-something owners, Ben and Vicki Cagle and their brother, Levi, have redefined their farm to educate people about what working on a dairy farm really is like.

Rosie the cow is kind enough to offer us a demonstration of milking techniques, old and new, and Tip the dog, rounds up the herd to say hello to the hayriders at the end of the farm tour.

The baby animal barn includes a shy calf, a bunch of ducks, chickens and roosters galore and Mabelline the black sheep who gives rides on her back to chickens who perch on top of her.

Office manager, Isaak, has been working at Cagle's since he was thirteen. Now 19, he enjoys every minute of it.

((I love working here. The Cagle family really know what they are doing to re-define the farm and make it more attractive to the younger crowds.))

An enormous bounce pillow offers the young and old alike the opportunity to feel like they are jumping on the bed and a corn launcher shoots corn cobs way off in the distance. The 5-acre corn maze's two routes challenges visitors to lots of dead-ends and false turns, but it is not impossible to exit the maze. Usually, however, you are greeted by energetic, cheerleaders in the form of farm employees, encouraging you to explore all the routes.

The tours have been going on since the early '90s. The Cagle family thought it was important that everyone should know where their food comes from.

((Every urban child should learn that their food, including milk, is produced on a farm and not just a product of the local grocery store.))

Fall tours include a pumpkin patch and a haunted barn. Cagle's Family Farm is located in Hickory Flat, Georgia, just north of Canton.

I hope you enjoyed my story.... now tell me one! I hope that your stories are informative and entertaining with amazing video and great soundbites. What is the next story you plan to tell? How will you tell it? What video will you have? Start thinking about your next package now.

Expecting the Unexpected (or how to keep from pulling your hair out)

2010-08-30T19:59:00.004-04:00

We've had some surprises this semester. How do you keep from going crazy when the unexpected happens? Well, you plan for it....the worst-case scenario. You plan for setbacks. That way, when they happen, it's not such a big deal because you have a back up plan.

Let me digress. I certainly didn't plan to have a flood in my room on Monday. And, certainly didn't expect it to happen again on Thursday. But instead of throwing up my hands, my (lesson) plans adapted well to the situation. We worked exclusively in the edit rooms or went out to shoot more footage (that you evidently needed anyway). Beginning class went out to do more interviews and I turned the dehumidifiers and fans on "stun".

So, extended deadline in place, talk about what set you back during this assignment and how you plan to keep that from happening NEXT time. What will you do in order to cushion yourself and your group from getting trapped by the ticking deadline clock? How will you work next week on your next assignment? What, to you, is the value of getting a project finished early instead of past deadline? How do you make that work? Please give me at least a paragraph of reflection here for your blog; but don't waste time staring at a blank page...you've got work to do!

Wasting Time

2010-08-22T21:33:00.005-04:00

Allow me this observation before you accuse me of being critical; I noticed this week that you're wasting time. What I'm talking about is that instead of chewing on your stories to see what they are made of, you're spending time viewing them from afar. As a result, many of you....halfway into your allotted time before deadline...have decided to change stories.

There is one big problem with this. If something is wrong with equipment or your tape, or your edit bay, your interview doesn't come through etc., you don't have time to fix it before you reach the eleventh hour. Most professionals I know begin working as soon as they get the assignment BECAUSE there is likely to be problems. That way, they can account for that time lost and still come in on deadline.

I'm sure it's my fault, so here is what I want you to do: when you come up with your story idea (on the first day of the assignment...because you have been looking all week for story ideas, right?) I want you to begin asking yourself some questions. Does this story have visual elements? Are the experts that I want to interview for this story likely to be available in the time I need? Are there local experts available at all? Is there someone at the school who I could ask about this story? Are there any students at the school who have experienced this? How can I find out if there are? What do I want to accomplish with my story; entertain, inform, create action, manifest empathy? What will be the element in the story that will tell your audience something that they didn't already know about your subject?

Talk to me about your story. What have you been thinking about it over the weekend and what are you going to do this week to make sure that is it a well-done, well-researched, tell-me-something-new story. Will there be surprises in your story? Will your photography be different and artsy? What will make it stand out? What will make it the best? Time is NOT a renewable resource. Once it's gone, it's gone; make the most of it!

Welcome 2010-2011 School Year

2010-07-27T19:00:00.005-04:00

Welcome to another great year of Eagle TV! This year will be full of exciting and innovative stories and shows!

You'll learn a lot more editing skills, shooting skills, classroom management skills and lots of outside projects!

Welcome back to the Eagle TV Family!! I can't wait to see you!

Please post a comment about your outlook for Eagle TV and your contribution in here. Let me know what you're excited about for this year.

Cliche' Advice from Your Video Production Mom...

2010-05-10T21:41:00.002-04:00

You're going to get plenty of advice your entire life, but at graduation time the advice seems to be free-flowing and generic. I'm going to give you some of my own advice, based on what you've learned in BVP. Whether you're graduating or I see you again next year, remember these words:

1. You are more marketable when you know as much as you can. Know everything about editing, shooting, producing, Final Cut Pro, Live Type, Photoshop, etc. You should know a lot of this already and if you don't, you weren't listening or learning on your own. (Learn everything you can in life. You never know when you'll need to use that knowledge.)

2. I've told you before, that every video you do should be the best that you can do...every time. Your name will be on every project you turn in, every sentence that is uttered from your mouth and every action that you do. (Do your best, always.)

3. If you get so wrapped up in your video that you find yourself so put off that someone criticizes a part of it, you're too invested in your work. You will be disappointed throughout your life if you become unwilling to accept any constructive criticism about something that you do. Distance yourself a little from your work to let in another, maybe better, idea. (Don't be married to your work.)

4. I've always been impressed by your ability to not be shy to ask me for anything. Like, going out to your car to get your cd's or doing homework in MY class for another class that you failed to do over the weekend or give you Outside Project credit for just "being" at the football game standing near the camera, but, in the words of the Rolling Stones, "you can't always get what you want." (Ask for what you want, but expect nothing...you won't ever be disappointed.)

5. Don't expect to be a perfect editor/shooter/producer/reporter if you haven't studied or practiced. Don't even pretend to be. There will always be someone better than you and you will always be better at some things than others. You have to practice your craft. Even when you don't have a video project to work on, you should be playing with the edit machine to learn more. Additionally, you won't make a lot of money right out of school in your career, nor will you have a top-level job. You will most likely have a job that entails writing something for your boss, getting him or her coffee or making the phone calls that he or she doesn't want to make. You may have to work the odd hours that no one else wants. (Work for what you get.)

6. Remember that I am always the boss in the classroom. I get to make the rules and you get to follow them. That's the hierarchy. When you grow into a place of authority in your career or your life, you can make the rules. In the meantime, remember that I (and others who love you) have your best interests in mind when we say "no" or that we have a better idea. Enjoy the guidance. (Love your parents and family and those who help you.)

7. Getting along together is always a good job skill. You don't get to pick your classmates any more than you get to pick your family. You must still get along with everyone. I've always told you that working in a group takes skill and you must have a well-developed sense of empathy. You must treat each other's feelings gently and with care, as you would want to be treated. Involve others by encouraging, smiling and starting civil conversations about your ideas and thoughts. As much as Eagle TV is a family, I certainly hope you keep in touch with each other and me forever. (Cherish your friends and be a good friend to others.)

8. There are times in Eagle TV where we evaluate each others' work. It's an exercise in developing our sense of stepping away from our videos and looking at them from a fresh eye. Most of us have very definite ideas about what looks good in a video or sounds right in a story idea. We have to communicate with each other and be kind in order that we don't hurt others' feelings. But we always want others to know that we feel strongly about something...for instance a certain way to shoot a story or a certain angle or story idea that we think is great. (Be soft in your criticisms of others and but hard in your convictions.)

9. Some of the best videos I've seen you guys turn in are videos in which you took a chance on something unusual or on yourself. You must experiment and not every idea works, but some hit spot on. Although your deadlines loom, allow yourself enough time to experiment and try something new. Challenge your comfort zone and step out of your box every now and then. (Go out on a limb every once in a while.)

10. I've always wanted you to challenge yourself and work hard on every project. One of my favorite sayings with you is that if "you aren't working as hard as me, you're not working hard enough." You are studying a field FULL of hard-core, go-getters. People who will do anything to secure a spot in broadcasting. You MUST keep up. (The race of life is very competitive and you must run fast just to keep up with the guy running next to you.)

11. If you like a story idea and it's do-able, do it! Put 100% into your interviews, your shooting, your editing, your writing, etc., but stick with it. Don't give up. If you originally thought it was a good idea and it caught your interest, than there must be something to it. Put your all into it until it's done. Don't let anyone else discourage you. See #8 above. (Follow your dreams.)

11. Smile a lot!

There are more lists of advice, but I'm going to copy one that I think is a good one. http://www.fenichel.com/graduation.shtml Take what you want a leave the rest, but know that many people have experienced many things that yo haven't and they may have a perspective that you don't have...yet. Don't be so caught up in yourself that you forget to listen to others.

With that, I want to hear you. Tell me some advice that I can take with me into next school year or into my future. Give me some perspective that I don't have about myself. Tell me what I should or shouldn't do next year, over the summer, or when I move on to another adventure. Give me advice I should know about me, about my teaching style, about the way I motivate you, about my relationships with you, about how I influence you. Tell me what advice I need to do better or what I do that's good and need to develop or tell what to never change. But, be gentle. :-)

How Influenced by others are you?

2010-04-25T20:07:00.006-04:00

Interesting story on Dateline NBC tonight. The title of the show was "What Were You Thinking" and it was all about a few social experiments that tried to prove that most people will follow a crowd, despite feeling that it may be risky or not the right thing to do.

http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/04/23/2233419.aspx

Here are a couple of their experiments: The first one (on the link above) was that they tried to convince an entire 5th grade class that their teacher had ESP. They showed the class and their teacher a video where a guy on the video was thinking about a kitchen utensil. The teacher appeared to guess correctly every single time, because when the moderator clicked on the corner of the "play" button for the reveal video it corresponded to the answer the teacher gave. The ENTIRE class was convinced she had ESP!

Another experiment consisted of a room full of people, only one of whom didn't know what was going on, filling out an application. Smoke began to fill a room from under a door and the people who were in on the experiment remained totally calm and didn't do anything but continue to fill out their forms. Although most of the subjects, victims, whatever you want to call them, became visibly disturbed by the room filling with smoke, they didn't do anything because everyone else appeared unconcerned.

Yet another one, and a little more disturbing, was one where a guy was hooked up to an electric probe in another room and he had to answer questions. When he got the answers wrong, the "unknowing subject" had to flip a switch to administer electric shocks, each one getting a little stronger for each wrong answer. There was a moderator in the room with the subject who continued to encourage the "shocker" to keep going, despite increasingly agonizing screams from the other room. (The guy in the room was never being shocked, just acting like it.) At some point as the subject increased the voltage up to 200, then 300, then 350 then 450 volts (regular house current is 120 volts), the guy being shocked quit responding to questions and the shocks, making the subject think that he or she was really hurting the guy in the other room; yet they continued. Only one person stopped the shock treatment saying that they refused to hurt someone any more than they already had.

Studies show that we are incredibly social beings and will go along with a crowd, despite our best defense that we make decisions individually. Sigmund Freud first theorized about it and called it "Crowd Psychology". Carl Jung called it "Collective Unconscious". A laymen's term that I've heard is "Mob Mentality" and although this collective thinking can bring about big social change, it also is very dangerous because individuals become unaware of the true nature of his or her actions. When you look at what is actually happening, it is not the crowd that is making a decision, it's really a few like-minded individuals or one person who is the leader who ultimately convinces others that his idea is worth supporting.

Standing out from a crowd is difficult when everyone else seems to be doing something different from you. It takes courage and strength to stand on your own against the majority. Most people want to fit in and follow the crowd; after all there is power in numbers.

However, here's some advice: I ask you that every decision you make be made with some thought, despite what others may do, or think. Don't just go along with the crowd. Stand on your own. If your decision is consistent with the crowd, then you can always say that you made the best decision for yourself, not what everyone else wanted you to do. If your decision doesn't go with the crowd, so be it. That doesn't mean you can skip Changing of the Chairs this week! Some of the best decision-makers in our history have stuck to their beliefs despite overwhelming opinions to the contrary. Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei come to mind.

For this blog week, I would like you to describe two things: a moment in school (or in video production) where you went along with the crowd or with someone else even though you knew it wasn't the best thing to do.

Then, describe a moment in school or in video production where you stood up to the common opinion and expressed yourself even though it may not have been the popular decision. When you went against the grain, so to speak.

And, still.....NO you can't skip Changing of the Chairs!

Be the Change You Want to See in the World...

2010-04-20T21:30:00.007-04:00

You have a lot of power. Even though we've all been through a tough span of time lately, I see change. I see you getting more and more excited about the senior video, your video projects and your future. This change has begun a domino effect of EVERYONE changing. I feel it. It feels good. You're attitude and the way your carry yourself affects all of those around you. In that way, you have enormous power.

The thing that I've wanted you to realize this year, with some of our struggles, is that in order for things to change, you must change yourself, not others. You have to change the way you look at things, the way you interact with others, the way you think about things; you can't wait for others to change....it has to begin with you.

As most of you embark on the next chapter in your life, I want you to remember something: when things don't seem to be going well, look inside yourself first. Don't blame all the others around you for your discontent. As you look inside, you might discover that you didn't understand your perception at all and that the problem was with you all along. Most of the time, we are not always the best judges of ourselves.

I want you to read the article attached. http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/spirit/archives/be-change It's a short article. I want you to carry these ideas with you as you head into your next adventure. I hope that you always enjoy learning new things in your life, but that you stay grounded and remain the person that you are; aiming to improve yourself each and every day.

You can do this...I've just seen us make a big change in class and I think it took us looking within ourselves to be able to make it. The senior video deadline looming was probably a motivating factor too! :-) We're still not out of the woods. We have another 5 weeks, but we can forge ahead with this newfound energy.

Let me know what you think about the article and tell me what thoughts go through your head as you read it and reflect on how it applies to you. How can you be the catalyst for change in your life and in the lives of others around you?

Dreams and Aspirations

2010-04-11T20:32:00.006-04:00

Let's talk about something that's doesn't have anything to do with Video Production lessons. We will be completely immersed in it for the next 6 weeks, so I thought I'd give you a short break and start off the last few weeks of the school year talking about.... dreams.

Face it...our Eagle TV seniors will be leaving us in the next month and a half to pursue the rest of their lives. Certainly, we've all had dreams about our future and as a tight-knit Eagle TV family, it is our responsibility to propel each other into greatness. We need to see to it that none of us falter as we pursue that hard-knock road to success.

Even as you go head first into your future, there will be other things that you'll want to accomplish in your life that aren't necessarily career-related. Please don't ever tell yourself that you can't do these things. You MUST do them. It's your bucket list, of sorts. Always follow your dreams with enthusiasm and vigor and guide your life towards those dreams.

What is it that you want to do as a career? What are you most suited to? What do you want to do for fun? What do you want to be good at? What experiences do you want to have? What parts of the world do you want to see and why? How can you make your mark in the world?

I'll start:

All of you know I love to write and am working on a novel and another book. I would like to be a published book author.

I want to be a mommy.

I want to learn to surf.

I want to go to lay on a beach in Tahiti.

I want to ride on the back of an elephant and swim with a dolphin.

I want to be a public speaker and continue to teach others.

I want to travel overseas with my dad and brother again.

I want to hang glide.

I want to see the great pyramids.

I want to bike ride through France.

I want to learn to dance to African drums with an African band. (Actually, I've attempted this one!)

The list can go on and on.

I've thought a lot about my life lately and what would I do if I didn't have much time left and I can't imagine not doing all these things. I also heard a favorite author of mine say last week at a book signing that if you don't do those things that grind at your very being before you turn 80, it will be very sad for you. You will have had a lot of good things that happened in your lifetime, but you will be focused on the regrets. Lastly, another author...Wayne Dyer, says that "it is rarely those things that you do in life that you regret, it's the things that you didn't do."

So tell me what you're going to do. You have your whole life in front of you, don't waste it! What do you want to do? What are you thankful for and who are you thankful for? Have you told them? Tell me what you are passionate about and how will you fulfill your dreams? Then, get back to video production!

Spring Break

2010-03-28T20:58:00.003-04:00

Friday is the last day before spring break. When we return, we will have about 30 days of the school year left. If I think I've had a hard time motivating you up until now, just wait until April 12th!

It has been a difficult year in advanced class. I can't seem to get some of you to understand the importance of deadlines, of the responsibility of doing a service for our school, the concept that once you miss something, that's it...it's over..you can't recreate it; like the entire swimming season, for instance, the relationship between shooting outside school events and the quality of our senior video; our ONLY fundraiser of the year for us.

We're missing taping opportunities and news stories right and left. Senior nights, the teachers cheering on juniors last week during testing week, plays and chorus concerts, GE tutoring for juniors and the list goes on and on. These are stories that are laying down right in front of your feet, and you have to practically trip over them to get to the computer to check your email.

All that being said, I'm still optimistic. There is so much incredible talent in the room, that there just has to be some way to tap it. I can nudge you by saying, "hey...why not do the best news story of the year in the next few weeks?" or "you can hardly believe the power you hold in your hands by doing this news story on the dangers of....fill in the blank!" "The entire school will be looking at our senior video and I hope that you're proud of it." "You have the Eagle TV legacy in your hands, let's go out this year with a bang!"

Yes, I know you have senioritis....it's a bad case, but we still have work to do. In fact, it's more work than we've had all year. When all other classes are winding down, we are ramping up. We have another package to produce, a senior video segment, a report on our favorite news story, videos for Mr. Hosey and others, preview DVD of the senior video, the DVD format for the senior video to begin, the VO/SOT that is due, more Friday Live! shows and Morning Updates to do. Your senior video needs to be complete in about 15 days after we return from Spring Break!

So, finish this week up by turning in a great assignment. Then, take your much-deserved spring break and rest up. because you will be doing your best work in the next couple of weeks. You're going to need to show me what you got; and I don't mean the sand in your shoes!

What Will You Make of It?

2010-03-14T10:29:00.003-04:00

Time is blowing by. Before long, many of you will be walking across a stage and shaking hands with our principal and dreaming big dreams. Eagle TV will be in your rearview mirror and the image will get smaller and smaller. Although, hopefully, it will never disappear!

There is no denying that we've had our ups and downs this year. For the first year in the last 5, we were not able to go to the STN Conference; an amazing experience for any young broadcast student. I regret that we weren't able to attend and that we missed that opportunity to jump start and re-energize our skills as student journalists.

I also regret that, nationwide, they have done away with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student (Emmy) Award competition. I'm afraid that our economy hits us all hard and because of that, there will be many missed opportunities to showcase our best work.

We've had a few tense moments and disputes within the four walls of our classroom, a process that happens to the best of ALL families. Many times those disagreements have had a negative impact on our work and our productivity.

Eagle TV members have experiences grief in the loss of a couple of our teachers and a couple of our friends. On top of all that, each one of us has had many a personal crisis that we've dealt with that we can't help but carry into the school with us every day. We've had a change in administration and the school "feels" different. It's been a very difficult year.

But I refuse to have a "bad" year. My 2009-2010 school year will not be defined by what happened to me, but how I react to it. The richness of the experiences that I've had can't be denied. We all have plenty of time left in the year to build many more good memories and fuel numerous personal successes.

I can't ask for a better group of students and a better program to be in charge of. Eagle TV has given me so many profound experiences as a teacher, colleague, friend, mentor, mother, coach that my life is so much richer because of it. Because of you. Because of the wonderful opportunities I get by spending time seeing you, my students, succeed. By seeing you stumble, but get up again to brush yourself off and plow ahead to try again. By the intense drive to "move on" that you exhibit when things don't go your way or succeed the way you hoped it would. By the support that you give to each other and to me. Complete with our ups and downs that we experience together, we are the Eagle TV family.

So, with months left to go, I intend to make the most of it. I will continue to push you to do better, to try harder, to experiment and to plow ahead when you feel like giving up. The best part of the year is coming up. I feel it. Just like I felt the energy in the show on Friday. It was palpable and electric. No one had to say anything....it was a common electricity felt by all of us. We are linked to each other. We are a team and we have to keep moving ahead together. Let's let go of the petty stuff and grab hold of the powerful. I can't wait to see what you bring to the TV screen! What you do to move people, to make them laugh and cry and then laugh again with your stories. The power you have to move people with your video and your writing can't be denied. You have the power, use it!

So I leave you with two things: the first is the question....what are you going to do with the time you have left this year in class to make your mark? To make the best of the semester? To produce your best work? Can you feel the energy? I can.

The other thing is a story that I got from Dave Davis, video production teacher from Hillcrest High School who recounts on his blog a comment made by the Nebraska football coach, Tom Osborne at their football banquet. He was recalling a conversation that Osborne had with another high school football coach in the area and Osborne had asked that coach what kind of year he had. The high school coach listed the wins and losses and commented that they just missed the playoffs.

Osborne looked at the other coach and said, "I didn't ask how many games you won. I asked you what kind of year you had."

Despite wins and losses, what kind of year will you have?

Good News....

2010-03-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

No Blog this week.

Suitcase in the Middle of the Road

2010-02-28T09:36:00.003-05:00

I am copying a link to an article from one of my favorite authors, Hollis Gillespie. She lives in Atlanta and has an amazing way with words.

I feel that it represents how class has gone this week and I'd like everyone to read it.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/a_suitcase_on_the_freeway/Content?oid=190708

Reinventing Television News

2010-02-21T16:39:00.004-05:00

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a student say that they don't watch TV news or read a newspaper is because it's boring. Well, in many cases, I agree. I mean, after all, how many different times can we hear about a traffic jam, murder, fire, robbery, city council meeting, taxes, politicians, social security, homelessness, joblessness....you get the idea. Television news is often a steady stream of predictable stories, with predictable soundbites and predictable endings, often far removed from our own reality as students.

News can be varied and informative...not just sad. Case in point: Here's when news is crazy.... Zebra snarls traffic in Atlanta... (there are so many creative lead opportunities here!) or here's when news is unpredictable...wow, what a basketball player! (see video below)

Or when news invokes a certain awe or warmth in your heart...Unlikely friends or when news inspires us to be like others...Helping kids like Diane Parrish.

The one thing I want you to remember more than anything in this class is that News is About People. Not things, not events, but people. There is so much that is bad and sad going on in our world, but there is even more things that are going on that are good; why don't we see it?

11Alive News is changing the format of their news and I'm really excited. Their news stories are becoming much more of what we do here on Eagle TV. Uplifting, caring, happy, entertaining, REAL. Real stories that are about our neighbors, our friends, our family doing and experiencing things that we can relate to. Not some far-removed political movement or a tax hike aimed at the rich, or some depressing story about someone losing their life savings.

And although those hard news issues are important, there is so much more that is going on in the world that is good that it seems we ought to be focusing on some of that. Maybe the reason our society has become so disenfranchised, rude, selfish and callous is because we don't hear about the good in people much anymore. That is all changing thanks to 11Alive and its innovative, brave news director, Ellen Crooke. Ellen is going out on a limb to showcase some of Atlanta's untold stories and put the human touch back in news.

I challenge each one of you to watch WXIA at least once in the next few days and weeks and let me know what you think. At the same time, focus on your stories and what can you do to make your story humanistic. How can you create a feeling of awe or of warmth or inspiration in the stories we show on Eagle TV? How do you reach out to your viewers and get them engrossed in your story? Which one of you will air a story that gets the most "great show!" comments in my email? What are you doing to make an impression on people?

Keep in mind that people will remember how you made them feel longer than how much you teach them.

The order of things....

2010-02-09T13:17:00.005-05:00

There is order to the world. I'm not talking about the precise angles and cubes that a crystal forms or the fact that the earth orbits and tilts around the sun which gives us days and nights and seasons, over and over again.

I'm talking about crawling before walking, walking before running, using training wheels before you use two wheels and so on. You can't write a book report without reading the book first nor can you be a doctor without studying medicine first. A diamond goes through many steps as a piece of coal before it becomes a diamond. It's a process.

I'm trying to teach you the "process" of producing news stories and you aren't listening. As a result, you get in the edit room, pull down various clips in no particular order, move this one here and that one there....dang, it still doesn't sound or look right! Then, you realize you need b-roll of this or that. Oh, that b-roll won't work because it's not white balanced or there is no audio. Ooops, what are we going to say in our VO? You don't know because there is no "order" to the way you produce a package. You have to go through the proper process; just like professional broadcast journalists/photogs/editors, etc.

I'm going to put it in a nutshell for you here, but I'm holding you to it in class. I am grading the process this time, not just the finished product. And, here's how I want you to do it....

Step 1. Dig for story ideas. There are story ideas all over the place. Find a topic that is visual, do-able, interesting, different and tell me something NEW that I didn't know before.

Step 2. Do research. Find out any organizations that are related to your topic. Find any statistics that will support your story and give it credibility.

Step 3. Pitch your story to me. Write your focus statement or angle that you're committing to, tell me why this is an important story and who might be interested in it. Tell me what I'm going to learn by watching your finished story and how it will look/sound/feel. How will your package open, will you have someone telling it through their eyes (most of the time the answer to that question is yes because news is about PEOPLE), how will you find that person and how will they add credibility to your story? Show me that you've done your homework and that you already know a great deal about this topic and that you've explored resources to make it a reality.

These above 3 steps should take one class period.

Step 4. Planning. Write a planning sheet. Who will you interview and when? Write down a shot sheet. What shots do you need to get? What are the necessary or primary shots? What might be the secondary shots? How about creative shots? Visualize your story and write down your vision on a planning sheet. What nat sound or b-roll must you get?

Step 5. Get on the phone. Call those people in those organizations and find out who is the expert that you can interview. Set up interviews.....don't take no for an answer. If the answer is an emphatic no, then ask them who else you could talk to. Set up times and dates. Tell them you're on deadline and need to schedule the interviews here at the beginning of your project...not the last days before your deadline.

Step 6. Draft interview questions. What questions MUST you get answers to? Then, don't stay married to your question list...you must listen to your interview to come up with additional, follow up questions. What things can you find out about this topic from research? Can you use that knowledge you got from research to come up with more in-depth, probing questions of your subject?

These next steps...4 - 6 should take the second day of class.

Step 6. Gather your elements. Shoot your interviews. Shoot your b-roll, nat sound, your stand up. And then shoot some more...........and when you think you're done, shoot even more!

This one step (6) may take a couple of days. Certainly, if you've set up your interviews for the beginning of your week, you should be done by day 3 or 4.

Step 7. Log your raw video on a log sheet. This is NOT the time to Log and Capture, but use the logging sheet to watch all the video you've gathered and write down the time code of the shots you got and the ones you plan to use in your package. This is on paper....not on the computer. Log sheets are in the form shelf.

Step 7 should take you a day to a day and a half.

Step 8. Now...write your script. No, you're still not editing yet. You MUST write your script now that you have looked at your footage, your nat sound, your sots and the b-roll that you've gotten as well as the information you've learned by doing interviews or research on your own. Come up with a creative way to tell your story.

Step 9. Record your Voice Overs. Since you have written your script, you know exactly what you are going to say in your video. You can record these on the same tape at the end of what you've been logging on your log sheet. Just don't record over your video...make sure that tape is cued to the end!

Eight and 9 should take one day.

Step 10. Log and Capture footage on the edit machine. NOW you get to edit. Because you have identified the SOTS and B-roll that you plan to use by time code, this should be very easy.

Step 10...one day or less.

Step 11. Edit A roll, then B roll. A-roll is the primary footage such as SOTS, stand ups and VO's; the backbone of your story. Place your voice overs on the timeline. Then, place your interviews on the timeline, then place your graphics (lower thirds, etc.) throughout your package and slate at the beginning on timeline last.

Step 11...a day or perhaps a day and a half.

Step 12. Write anchor lead in, TRT, etc. on your air confirmation form and turn it in! You're done and it only took about 8 school days! That's less than 2 weeks! You're on to your next awesome project! Right!!!???? (The answer is yes)

That, my dear Eagle TV student, is the order of things.

Tell a story with sound

2010-01-24T17:55:00.002-05:00

I wrote about Natural Sound (Nat Sound) back in September, but I want to revisit it with you. News stories that are told only with Nat Sound and no VO are very powerful because the viewer feels more like he/she is IN the story.

Try to find at least one nat sound opportunity in your packages that you'll be editing this week. Telling an entire story with only sound is very difficult, but you should look for at least one bit of sound that will help transport your viewers into your story; give them an experience they'll not forget.

Most people remember what they FELT after viewing a news story, not what they learned. Check out these Nat Sound pieces from one professional photojournalist and see if you can at least find a way to tell your story with a little sound and not just voice overs. http://www.newslab.org/2010/01/13/natural-sound-stories-a-how-to-guide/

Study your story and tell me what kind of sound that you will look for while you are shooting video this week. Really learn how to do this well, and you'll be on your way to really nice packages.

Perfection is not necessary....yet.

2010-01-17T08:36:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I was driving down Barrett Parkway on my way to Target to return a few items when all of a sudden, traffic stopped. I was the second car behind all the activity, so when I drove around a wrecked car in the middle of the road, I looked to my right. A minivan had careened off the road and down into a 30-foot ravine, near I-575, landing on its driver's side. I had to stop.

As I watched the driver of the car in the middle of the road get out of his car and disappear down the hill to see if the driver in the van was okay, I, and several other people did the same thing.

It was raining and slick, but in 45 seconds there were about 7 of us down there with the van and the driver, who was trapped, in shock...and scared. She kept closing her eyes. I was afraid she'd go unconscious.

We spoke to her through her closed windows.

"Stay awake"

"Put the car in park!" Car wouldn't go into park.

"Take the key out" She was too much in shock to figure out how to do that.

"Are you okay?" She motioned that she hit her head.

"Are you alone or is there someone else in the van?" She was alone.

"Can you unlock any doors?" No. She was trapped and we couldn't get her out, despite someone climbing on to the top of the van to try to open the passenger doors, which were facing the sky.

The men were trying to upright the van, but it looked like it wouldn't stay upright because it was on a hill. The van was teetering, looking like it would go over on the top any minute, so it was decided that the guys would, together, hold the van up so it didn't go over until help arrived.

I, and another woman, positioned ourselves in front of the van where the driver could see us through the front windshield and we kept speaking to her, reassuring her that she'd be okay. We heard the sirens, we told her. Help was coming. She nodded. She began to tremble from shock. Don't forget to take deep breaths, I told her in an effort to help her with her body's reaction to shock and to put her mind on breathing and not on the fact that she was nearly upside down in a ravine of water and trapped inside her flipped car. I'm sure that's not exactly where she planned to end up when she was driving around running errands yesterday.

After help arrived, I smiled at her and made my way back up the hill to watch the rescue from a 20 foot distance. I was joined by another man who had also stopped to help. He asked me if I saw what happened. I said no, but was one of the first ones down to her. I also mentioned that I felt very helpless to do anything, other than talk to her. I'm not strong enough to right the van or force a door open and even if I could, I couldn't pull her out. He said something very significant to me. Something that I had lost sight of.

"It's not always your strength that helps, sometimes it's your heart."

In some small way, maybe I did help. Maybe having me and the other woman in front of the van to talk to and focus on helped that trapped driver take her mind off what she had just been through. Maybe it was enough to keep her awake and going until help arrived.

It made me think of the beginning of each semester with students. Particularly my advanced students. I don't expect perfection right away, just effort. You have 4 packages to do before the semester is over, among other projects, and I just want to see improvement. I want to see that you are trying and that you are putting your heart into each project. Your strengths will come later as you learn. I know that. Sometimes it's just your heart, not your strengths that are important.

So, do your best. Put your heart into each project and know that your skills will get stronger every day, as long as you concentrate on improving. Small, concentrated baby steps.

Respond to my blog by talking about how it feels to not be perfect when you try something the first time. How you deal with the fact that there are other people who are better at things than you are while you are learning? How do you improve yourself? How do you get better at things? How do you make yourself feel better while you're learning? What keeps you going when you get discouraged? Do you remember learning to ride a bike when you were a kid and you couldn't ride more than a couple of feet before you tipped over? What did it feel like when you finally "got it" and rode? You weren't perfect. You were wobbly, but your body learned what it felt like to keep a bike upright and moving forward. How did you get better at riding your bike? Did you eventually learn tricks on your bike? Talk about your experiences at learning something new and then getting really good at it.

On your mark, get set.....GO!

2010-01-10T17:24:00.002-05:00

The beginning of a new semester and the new year does wonders to erase the past, start anew and motivate us to begin with a clean slate. Whether it's because you have a New Year's Resolution or you just promise yourself that you'll do better....here's your chance!

Our video production semester promises to be a busy one. You'll have 4 news packages to produce, 5 outside projects, a short documentary, a presentation on one of your news stories, a senior video segment, weekly blogging, bi-monthly news stories and other assignments as they come up. You only have 18 weeks to complete this, on deadline, with a high level of mastery.

Whoa!...you say? How on Earth will I be able to accomplish this? You can do this! I promise. I'll walk you through it all. I have made a new resolution myself and that is to spend more instructional time with you. You'll just have to hold up your end of the bargain to keep yourself motivated and in pursuit of excellence for yourself. Everything you put your name on should be the best you can do. Always.

So...on your mark, get set, let's go! Tell me what will keep you motivated this semester to stay on track, on deadline, and on target. What will you ask of yourself? How will you improve every package, every blog, every story idea, every interview and every editing session every time?

Can't wait to hear your responses. The race is on!

Family

2009-12-18T09:12:00.002-05:00

If you look up the definition of "family" on the internet or in a dictionary, you will get numerous definitions. It's because there is not one single way to describe what a family is or what family means to each of us. Families are formed in many, many different ways. I am learning that through my journey in adoption.....and have learned that from you, my students.

Family, to me, could be biological, but it can also be a collection of people, who spend time under the same roof for a regular period of time, who experience happiness, joy, pain, rejection, depression, laughter, feelings, tears, successes and failures...together. People who support and love one another, even though our differences are as great as our similarities.

DeAndre came to me yesterday and asked if he could read out loud his poem that he wrote about the class, to the class. In all the finals, cleaning, picture-taking, etc. I forgot. I deeply regret that because what he had to say to me, you, and all of us needs to be heard. If you ever believe that you don't make impressions on people in your life, think again.

Below is the poem he wrote for all of us. Enjoy. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and if you're moving on, please keep in touch with me, your friends, your family.

Love to all,

Mrs. Watson

BVP-CCP
Lights… Camera… Action… for all the world’s a stage and we… we are its mere actors… but what use is a stage… the lights… the camera… or any action… without friends…no… dare I say... I do dare… without family

I’m gonna miss it… for you see this semester… will be my last… So I have no choice… but to miss… miss it all… from the bro’s that have my back… to the sisters I could never replace… from Cody’s unique joy to bring happiness on a cloudy day… or Pricilla’s strict attitude to keep us all in line… but still it’s with love… or Malike’s Swagnificent Hustler’s attitude… or Tyrell’s cinematic happy go lucky attitude… to the little argument’s we all have had… I will miss it all dearly… but even still… hands at each other’s throat’s… and even through the blood sweat and tears… we made it… to see each other one last time in this room…

But what I will truly miss… more than anything… more than my experience…. Is my 2nd mother… Ms Watson… Watson… You actually did it… you actually sparked the creativity in me… and awoke the outgoing young man who lied dormant in my soul… you kept me going when I thought there was nothing left… even on your worst days you were the shelter to me in my great storm of depression… You showed me I’m not as worthless as I was told to be… or as worthless as I thought I was… You made me a better person…and turned me into a better man… a man that I can be proud of…and doing all this and watching over me with great love… and for that I thank you.

So you see I couldn’t let you all leave… I couldn’t let you go… not without saying this… you all to have helped me grow… grow for the better… and not for the worst… I can never repay you all… or really let you all know how much you all mean to me… I could spend an eternity writing s novel and still… it would be inadequate… but I digress… I will sincerely miss you all… and I hope you all won’t forget skateboarder kid… grim… Dre… or sprite man… because these are the names I will always remember and cherish as well… so stay in touch… for I could not have prayed for a better family… because I Closely Cherish Peoples (CCP)

Love Grim (Deandre)

Your choice.....

2009-12-11T12:15:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

As we wind down the semester, let's reflect on how much about the business of video production you've learned this semester.

I think that some of you understand the importance of lighting a little more than you did before. Most of the time when I help you light your interviews, you are somewhat impressed and surprised how much it improves your video. Lighting is key! Learning how to use it for special effects will be your next trick.

The importance of writing your script BEFORE you edit can't be understated. It helps to put your thoughts in perspective, it helps draw a picture in your mind of how your story will develop and it gives you an opportunity to get creative with your words.

The credibility that an outside source adds to your story is important. You haven't done very well with this aspect of this class and we need to work more on that skill.

Related to that, I think that we need to develop your skills for pre-interviewing. Figuring out who is the right person to add credibility to your packages is vital. Many times you guys give up before you even figure out who your expert is and that contributes to you losing steam.

I think that your writing has improved. Although there is plenty more to work on, I think you understand the nuances of writing to the pictures, creating a story that moves people along and creating interest through words and pictures.

You have been able to choose your own stories. That doesn't happen in a TV station. Stories are assigned. Very rarely, unless you can propose an amazing story, does a reporter, photographer or anchor get to choose their stories. This is where we differ. Next semester will probably be different. We'll see.

For now, talk about what you've gotten out of this semester of Eagle TV and what you would've liked to have done differently. What would you like ME to have done differently? How can we improve upon the daily class? I want to hear your opinion.

I want you to also know how much all of you mean to me. Advanced class gets me up every morning. You guys are my family, my kids and I love each and every one of you. Have a nice holiday break! :-)

Just tell me one thing....

2009-11-29T16:17:00.005-05:00

Coming up with story ideas is easy; it's telling them that's hard.

After all the research and interviews are done with your news story, coming up with the script that will put all that information together in a cohesive tale that flows is difficult. But it's even harder to come up with an interesting story.

Here's how you know if your story is interesting or not...are you telling your viewers something they didn't already know? That's the key. Don't tell me the same old story with a teenage point of view...tell me a new story with interesting facts that I didn't already know, with a teenage point of view. Tell me through the eyes of someone who has experienced it, or give me a perspective I didn't experience before. Do something different!! Make it interesting, visual, engaging. Just tell me one thing I didn't already know. One thing.

Use all the storytelling tools I've taught you for this last story. Surprise, parallel parking, nat sound breaks, silence within the story, etc.

I'm going to ask you to propose your story to me. You will need to complete your story, a separate VO/SOT, a presentation on your best story and quite possibly a documentary. Three weeks is all we have. Get going.

For your response to this blog, I'm going to ask you to tell me what motivates you and what you want to get out of this class this semester. What are you going to improve upon or what do you want to know more about? Be your own advocate for your learning.

With three weeks left in the semester, I'm going to ask you to work harder than you've worked so far this semester. We have a lot to do.

In the meantime, check out this story by Steve Hartman about Unlikely Friends. Some of you have already seen it, but it illustrates what makes a story interesting. Watch it again.

Are you a Real Journalist?

2009-11-15T18:32:00.002-05:00

I've always treated each one of you as a journalist. In my mind, there is very little difference in what you do and what employees of a news organization do except that you get a grade... and they get a paycheck.

I'd like to see more from you, but I've seen some really good stories. I've seen a lot of you take chances, ask tough questions, and get phenomenal video and write moving stories. I want more. I want you to not give up when it gets a little difficult; when someone doesn't call you back right away or when you don't get the answers you want. What ever happened to the corn maze story, for example? Did we give up because someone couldn't make it? Do it without them!

You stand a better chance of getting a job in the journalism industry if you show that you don't back down. You show that now, while you are in high school. You're building your resume as we speak. In fact, in college, you're expected to do daring interviews if you major in journalism...in high school, it's a surprise if you do. And, very impressive, I might add. Show what you got. You ARE real journalists...act like it!

See the short excerpt below from Advancing the Story Blog and let me know what you think about how you can be more driven. Take advantage of the unique opportunity you have right now. Don't let life's moments pass you by; you'll regret it later. Trust me.

Are J-school students really journalists?

Posted on November 10th, 2009 by Deborah Potter

If a journalism school offers real world experience, should the students who participate be protected by reporters’ privilege? That’s a key question in a case involving a professor and students at Northwestern’s Medill J-school.

David Protess runs the school’s “Innocence Project” in which students investigate old crimes looking for wrongful convictions. In the past decade, the school says, “[they] have uncovered evidence that freed 11 innocent men, five of them from death row.”

Protess and his students believe they’ve found another wrongful conviction and Northwestern’s legal clinic has filed a petition for a new trial. But local prosecutors are suggesting that the students may have been under pressure to prove the case in order to get a good grade in the class. As the Associated Press reports, the prosecutors have subpoenaed the students’ grades, private emails, notes, unpublished memos and expense claims. That kind of information would typically be protected by the state shield law but the prosecutors claim the students aren’t journalists, so they’re not covered.

The case raises concerns for all students who do “real world” journalism as part of their course work. And it underlines the need to bring shield laws up to date in today’s multimedia world when anyone can be a journalist. The latest draft of a federal shield law does just that, by covering anyone who does journalism, even if they don’t get paid for it.

Breaking Legs!

2009-10-25T07:36:00.002-04:00

"Break a Leg!" It's the phrase people say to wish performers good luck. It's what we did on Friday with our first Eagle TV show, Friday Live!

After three weeks of practice on increasingly harder and more challenging shows and broadcast elements, the Eagle TV crew really pulled it out on Friday with one of the best shows I think I've seen in a long time! I'm so proud of my students.

It could've been different. It's live. The potential for a million things to go wrong are there. We experienced that, rehearsed that already. During rehearsal we had to start over many times when the video switcher froze up or the TelePrompTer wasn't keeping up or when the wrong camera was punched or when audio screwed up or when the cameras made jerky moves, etc. We rehearsed the mistakes and flubs and technical problems. We were prepared.

We also had a live audience with Mrs. Ausenbaugh's class. They came in right at the beginning of the announcements and scurried across the set floor to take their places at the corner of the studio. They couldv'e been loud, they weren't. There could've been problems... there wasn't.

Right before the show began, the last VCR in our system (the one that's downstream to all other equipment and the last component that our signal hits before going out to the school) kept turning off. It has to stay on in order for our signal to go out to the school. This was significant. We determined quickly that it was a tape stuck in the machine. As I sent Candice running to my office to get a pair of tweezers, Mr. Hosey's announcements began. Quickly with the tweezers, I got the tape out, turned on the VCR and still, it turned off. Mr. Hosey began to introduce us, I opened up the tape door and pulled out a tape label, turned the VCR on and then we rolled the open. Whew! Just in the nick of time! Everyone stayed relatively calm, which is the key to doing live television. We went on with the show and broadcast an incredibly professional product.

I'm incredibly proud of my Eagle TV staff. I have one of the most hard working group of students who care deeply about our show and what they have to offer. I have students who want to learn more and more and who are excited to learn more techniques. I have a group of students who are invested in what they are doing and are always wanting to improve on their last project.

Evidently, at the end of the show, I jumped up in excitement and re-injured my broken ankle a little. I don't think that the phrase is "re-break" a leg, but I see an irony here. The injury wasn't severe, just a little irritation, but I had to put my boot back on. I hope all shows are like this....I won't be jumping up and down for a while, but the excitement in the room was palpable after the show. Nice job, Eagle TV crew! You make me proud.

Comment on the show for your blog. What was your experience during the show or during the weeks rehearsal leading up to the show? What could we do better? What did we do well? What did you feel during the show? Did you feel like we were doing well? How can we keep this energy and professionalism going? We have a lot more shows to do!

Gathering news

2009-10-19T18:38:00.004-04:00

Sorry you've had to wait so long for the weekly blog. We've been really busy getting ready to go on the air with Eagle TV! We debut on Friday the 23rd and have a few tricks up our sleeve for the show.

That being said, we will resume gathering news stories next week. Eagle TV students seem to be pretty adept at telling a story and editing a story, but getting the story seems to elude them. Knowing how to GATHER news stories will get you the best material to work with when you're in the edit room and when you want a really strong package to show your audience.

Let's start at the beginning: Research. You have to do research in order to know WHO to ask questions about your story. Let's say you're doing a story on teen sleep disorders. You need to first call someone....oh, I don't know.....maybe a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders. So, you call a doctor at a sleep disorder clinic. The person you get on the phone happens to specialize in geriatric sleep disorders, not teenage problems. What do you do? Ask that person to refer you to someone they feel is more appropriate to answer the questions you have. After all, they know a lot of people in that business.

While you're on the phone with these people, you happen to ask them to send you an information packet or press kit about sleep disorders and if there is any interesting recent studies on teenagers and sleep. Voila! It just so happens that a doctor who works in their office released a study last week that says that teenagers who get less than 6 hours of sleep do better on standardized tests! (Ridiculous, I know....I made this up for the sake of the blog). There is your "hook" and the angle of your story! You also need to set up an appointment with this particular doctor who released this study.

Let's also talk about camera work. Please, please, please, please hold your shots....steady....for at least 10 seconds. Please don't shoot your video as if you are frantically scanning the crowd for a movie star! If you are all over the place with your video, I worry that you're having a seizure. Also, panning is evil. It's called "firehosing" because it looks like your holding a water hose instead of a camera and trying to put out a fire. The ONLY time it's okay to pan is when your subject refers to something offscreen and/or points then we'll need to see what he/she is talking about, but do it slowly! Try this experiment: focus on something to your left. It could be a spot on the wall, a pattern in your bedspread or a lampshade. Then, find something on your right to affix your gaze to. Then, go back to the item on the left, then to the right, back to the left, then again to the right, then back to the left. Were your eyes panning? Or, were they just "cutting" from one object to the other? If you said, "panning", I suggest you get an eye exam.

Frame your shots properly. Watch for backlighting and weird background clutter. Pull people AWAY from the cinder block walls we have at our school. Don't cut off their heads or, conversely, their bodies. Do some close ups! Frame sequences: wide, medium, tight. Look at that viewfinder....don't just point the camera in the area of your subject. Put some thought into the parts that make up your entire picture.

Interview people while you're at all events. You have an entire football stadium full of people who would love it if you asked them a few questions about the homecoming game or the track meet. Why not get a few good soundbites while you're there? You don't have to use them, but what if your package could use some perspective? Get those interviews. Every time!!

While we're talking about interviewing......let's talk audio. Wear your headphones. Every time you take out a camera. Listen to that audio. Is it clear? Is it combined with other distracting audio? Is the air conditioner on or the hand dryer in the bathroom blowing? Move that mic closer to their mouth so we can hear them! Don't be afraid to get close to them. I promise they won't bite. They are probably more likely to step back away from you!

Ask the right questions. What is your angle and ask questions pertaining to that angle. What do you want your story to sound, feel, look like? Keep that in mind while you're formulating your questions. Ask a lot of questions. Ask them to add anything else that they'd like to add.

Respond to this blog by talking about what you do well out in the field and what you could use some work on. What will you work on? What other things can you think of that we need to work on?

Can't wait to see what you guys turn in next!

Objectivity in the middle of chaos

2009-09-27T14:45:00.005-04:00

I've always told you guys to be fair, accurate and true when reporting your stories. Fair in that you show both sides of the story, accurate in that you never report false information and attribute everything you say and true in that you stay true to the nature of the story and the angle that you chose to report. Good journalists are objective in their reporting. You are never part of the story.... but what if the story happens to you?

That was the case last week when Austell residents and other areas in metro Atlanta saw unprecedented flooding. According to news reports, an estimated 500 homes in Austell alone were destroyed. Many Eagle TV students and their peers at South Cobb lost everything. Undeniably, this will be the talk around school for a while and given that Eagle TV students latch on to the latest buzz as the subject of their next story, I'm sure I'll get many story ideas in next week dealing with the flooding. There will be many angles to the story. But you have to step back from the story in order to do it justice.

That's hard. Everyone has an opinion about things that they experience because we live the experience. We're not just being told a story by someone we're interviewing. We were there. We saw it, we smelled it, we heard it and we felt it.

So what are the angles to this story? There are many. Maybe an angle could be a subject that is unknown to you. Perhaps the story of someone who moved here from New Orleans to start over after Katrina who is now looking to start over again. (No, Chris, you can't do this story) Or maybe the story of the kids of Clarkdale...unless, of course, you have a little sister or brother at Clarkdale. Or maybe the slew of perfect strangers who have donated time to help clean up or items for those in shelters or maybe a story on how much money the Red Cross is spending daily to take care of those in need.

Tell me the angles that you would report on. Tell me how your experience may or may not allow you to be objective. Tell me about your experiences and then ask someone else to do the story. In the meantime, check out this documentary of a female CNN photographer who became part of the story she was reporting on. It's in two parts, very heavy, but extremely well-done. This woman has a lot to tell us about strength, courage, living life to the fullest and not dwelling on the bad. She also tells us a lot about how to objectively report the story, even when you're part of it. There is a big surprise at the end of Part 2.

Part 1 of the CNN documentary, Fearless: The Margaret Moth Story (TRT 14:00)

Part 2 can be accessed after you've watched part 1. Below the video box will be another video you can click on and it is titled, "Camerawoman Fights Back". (TRT 10:00)

It's Showtime!

2009-09-20T17:08:00.005-04:00

Okay folks....we're getting close. Close to our 2009-2010 broadcast debut of Eagle TV! I hope it is better than ever. My hope is that we are one the air Mondays and Fridays beginning in October (maybe Oct. 2nd?) and once a month on Wednesdays starting at the end of October.

We have a unique opportunity with the way homeroom is this year to feature Eagle TV in a longer-format show once a month on Wednesdays. This opens doors for us and I want us to take it seriously. That means showing up for class, on time and ready to go on the air....that means 8am, or as close as you can get to that time.

It also means we need to make our news packages better all the time. Try to outdo your last one. Get better and better. Keep learning and keep improving. As I know that you want to make your news packages better and better, we need to really concentrate on two things...the big picture and the little details. Let me explain.

The little details of each story you do require you to be aware of good audio (or bad audio) for EACH soundbite and piece of nat sound. Every shot must be perfectly framed and you must be aware of how light hits your subjects and how to adjust it if it isn't right. You must be able to pick out soundbites that advance your story and write a script that is compelling and will move people...to tears or laughter or both. You must make every edit be seamless or have your edits make a statement.

The big picture is what do we want our news show to be? What do we want to convey? What kind of "style" do we want? Casual? Formal? What elements do we want to feature? SAT word of the day? Or, the best places to eat around Austell? Quizzes, information, fun stuff or all of the above. Do we want to interview news makers on the air, or do we want to comment on our pieces after we come out of them? We have to have a consistent style and we have to be interesting and informative but not too flippant and silly.

As I always tell you to do, check out the following Steve Hartman (CBS News Reporter) stories for format and AMAZING writing. Many of them are You Tube videos so you'll have to check them out at home. I hope you check out all of them. It will take you about 20 minutes and I think your writing will benefit.

In the meantime, tell me what you want our show to be like. What do you want it to do? Inform? Entertain? Do we want standups? Do we want to feature our own students in a montage at the end of the show? Do we want to talk about news, features, sports or all of the above? Do we want to stand at the set or sit? Do we want a green screen and what will it be used for? Do we want to preproduce it or do it live? Talk about our new show and look at the examples of good work below. And....let's get going!

ASSIGNMENT AMERICA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-anXzjA1poo

shoe shine guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U

Unlikely animal couple

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVHFyUa3QaU

on the road good Sam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzcXqhYB6PQ

pen pals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAgrjuAYnWc

Will and his Hill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V38QRUMMVU&feature=channel

America's oldest worker

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=608578n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Geraldine Spring

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=620847n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Suzanne Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzcXqhYB6PQ

Sounds Abound!

2009-09-13T16:14:00.003-04:00

Hey! Do you hear that? It's Natural Sound or Nat Sound. It's the element in a news story that is pivotal in telling your story.

Nat Sound can add credibility to your story and also a great deal of spark. It adds a sense of place to your stories and puts your viewers in the middle of the action. Sometimes it even tells the story for you!

Watch this story below produced by the National Press Photographers Association 1st place winner for photography. There are numerous nat sound breaks throughout the package. Listen for them.

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=158888

It is really important that you close your eyes and listen when you go out and shoot. Not only do you want to listen for sounds that you DON'T want in your packages, such as the a/c unit or buzzing from a fluorescent light fixture, but you want to listen for possibilities for natural sound in your stories. Let sound help tell the story. Shoot for sound.

Below is an interview with the news photog about collecting nat sound for his news stories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EB2c-BF-nw

I found a new website resource called Newslab. Click on it to brush up on tricks for your videos and check out their featured blog....it's about shooting for sound!

What possibilities does your next story have for natural sound? List them. Tell me what your story is about and what nat sound you plan to shoot. Think in terms of audio and start your story with sound and no VO. Use your ears and shoot with your sense of hearing. Sounds abound all around!

Story Ideas Assignment

2009-09-07T13:06:00.006-04:00

Story ideas. Where do we get them? How do we convince others that we have a good story worth doing? How do we keep our audience interested in the story we are telling?

It all starts with a good story idea that is well-written, has a distinct angle, good characters, relevant to our audience, compelling visuals, well-researched and newsworthy.

The reason we turn in story ideas every other week is because I want you to begin to think in terms of a reporter, producer or photographer about what makes a story worthy of your time and research. I also want you to become better writers and researchers as well as being a good journalist. You have to be able to incorporate numerous pieces of data yet filter out the irrelevant information to focus your stories. That's hard. So, let me tell you what I'll look for when I grade story ideas.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/teens-health/CC00019

This is a story about a new study that says teenagers are biologically incapable of being alert during the early start times of middle and high school. Some people believe that later start times would decrease absenteeism and increase grades.

Telling the Story. Describe how you'll open the story, what you'll go to next and how you will end it. Tell us who we will be meeting and why they are important.

I will open the story by talking about the role sleep plays in our life then spotlighting a student who has had incredible difficulty with staying awake for his early classes over the last few semesters (not just one semester to rule out a problem subject matter) perhaps even find someone who has had sleep studies done. I will then go into the study and other statistics about sleep patterns and teenagers. I will then revisit the student at the end of the story with his solution to sleep deprivation.

According to the Mayo clinic website, our internal clock guides when we feel sleepy or awake. They are called our circadian rhythms. As a young person, our circadian rhythms signal us to get sleepy around 8 or 9pm. As we approach our teenage years, that internal clock doesn't make us tired until about 11pm or midnight. Because studies reveals that teens need at least 9 hours of sleep to feel alert during the daytime, early morning start times for school make that difficult. Countries as far away as Isreal are looking at this data and are beginning to take note by changing school start times in hopes that teens will succeed more in school. The Sleep for Science research highlights why teens are challenged by an early school start.

Lastly, make sure that you attach any supporting materials to your story idea. Print out websites or cut out articles of your sources. Remember that if you quote statistics in your story, you must attribute them to the proper source.

Your deadline is Wednesday, get writing!

Challenges

2009-08-30T09:53:00.011-04:00

In the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to view life from a different seat than I'm used to. A broken ankle severely limits your mobility, but it does so much more.

The simplest things have become a challenge, such as getting through a door or narrow places. Cooking is impossible (try standing on one foot for 15 minutes) and driving my manual transmission car is forbidden.

I'm thankful that my disability is temporary, but it has raised my awareness to those who have struggles that last a lifetime. We all have things to overcome in our lives; some are temporary and some are permanent. Hopefully through those hard times, we learn lessons or change our perspective and have a greater appreciation for others who have to overcome obstacles in life.

One of the things that Senator Edward Kennedy will be remembered for is his advocacy for those who don't have a voice. Those who are starving, poor, in need of medical help, the homeless, children and the civil rights movement. He put a focused light on these things so everyone else can see them.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112268401&sc=gaw&gclid=CN_kgZfOy5wCFURR2godFDT4Iw

One of the wonderful aspects of being a journalist is that we can show others a perspective that others may not see. We can shine a light on a problem or a concern and teach others that sometimes we DO have influence and compassion for those who obstacles to overcome.

I want you to start thinking about doing a story on someone who has overcome obstacles or someone who has shown great strength in dealing with challenges in life. Someone who is strong in their conviction that despite the fact that they may not have what others have or have to work harder than others that they are an incredible inspiration to us all. Do you know someone like that? Can you think of a story like that?

I'm not talking about someone who has just broken an ankle and has to be in a boot for 8 weeks. I'm talking about things that really bring out the strength in themselves and others. The Crazy Story is a good example. Consider this story of an autistic young man who became his high school's basketball hero.

Comment on this blog what story you have in mind. Surely you know someone who has had to overcome a challenge in life with a strength in them that would make most of us buckle. I'd like to see what kind of journalist you are. Go out there and find a great story and then tell others. Change people's perspective.

Welcome to a new school year!

2009-08-04T09:39:00.003-04:00

Welcome To Eagle TV!

Eagle TV is the award-winning broadcasting program here at South Cobb High School and we're really excited to start a new year full of new adventures and REACHING FOR THE STARS!

I hope that you stay tuned to the blog and check out what projects we're working on and news from our studio.

Students in this program learn how to write, interview, shoot video, edit, produce and broadcast all genres of programs, primarily news. Teamwork is essential as well as a strong work ethic. Deadlines are non-negotiable, so students must keep themselves on track and keep producing amazing work. Because of our dedication to our program and our pursuit of excellence, we have garnered three National Student Award of Excellence Awards and two Honorable Mentions from the Southeastern National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the same people who award the Emmy awards) and three Student Television Network Awards.

We produce numerous community projects through the year in addition to our regular curriculum and students have opportunities to work in the field with professionals every once in a while.

For the past 5 years, a select group of Eagle TV students have attended the national Student Television Network Convention in early spring where they network with news professionals, their peers, take part in rigorous competitions and participate in numerous break out sessions.

The students' experiences build on each other year after year and there is certainly a sense of purpose, ownership and pride in being part of Eagle TV. Let's make this the best year yet!

To my kids....

2009-05-12T20:07:00.006-04:00

Teaching is typically thought of as a one-way endeavor. It's usually a teacher's job to influence students. We are given the task of molding minds and shaping young people in an effort to ready them for "the real world", whatever that means. We teach students how to think logically in math and evaluate story lines in literature and how to find Europe on a map in Geography and how to use the scientific method. We teach foreign language, sportmanship, how to write an essay and how to play an instrument or put together a newscast. Very rarely is much attention placed on how much students teach their teachers. So let me turn the tables on you a little and tell you what YOU have done for me.

You teach me how to juggle. Having 28 students in one class, all doing different projects, all needing my help or attention and most yelling my name asking for keys, or to check out equipment or to tell me that the edit system has a problem, while others need hugs or discipline or to be chased after is tiring and challenging. Somehow, I manage to keep all the plates spinning in the air, most of the time without dropping one. Oh, I'll miss someone's request for my attention here and there, but I almost always get to you.

You teach me patience. Watching you SLOWLY learn a new skill is more rewarding than frustrating. I love seeing you get it and get excited about learning something new, even though it takes you 4 days to learn it! Before I became a teacher, I had little patience for those who took too long to complete a task. Usually, I'd end up doing it myself. I've learned from you that if I wait long enough, you'll get it and to step in and do it myself is a disservice to you.

You teach me that I'm needed and loved. There are days when I come to work not feeling very good about myself or feeling blue and you always are there for me. Whether it's because you need me to extract a broken tape out of the VCR or because you notice that I'm a little off and you offer a hug, I feel needed and loved. And, also that Jocelyn (Not Kayla!) wrote in the blog that I was needed more. There is also the flip side of this and that's when you want me to go away and not be in the control room during a show, or not in the hotel hot tub when you're playing truth or dare at the Student Television Network Convention in Orlando!

You teach me to ask for what I want. Because your social "filters" are not always well developed, when you want something you ask for it, no matter how ridiculous or out of touch it might be. That's refreshing.....and the answer is still "no".

You teach me that friendship knows no bounds or limitations. When I stand before you every day, I look at a sea of faces that represent a mix of differences. I see black, white, hispanic, small, medium, large, loud, soft, happy, sad, female, male, talkative, quiet, bossy, submissive, social, lazy, active, and more...all learning, sharing, laughing and enjoying each other's company, in and out of my classroom. I hope that you all keep in touch with each other for years down the road.

You've taught me that relationships are more important than paperwork or meetings. I can't tell you how many days I've spent in my office trying to get through piles of work when someone asks me to come look at their video that they are proud of and before long, I realize that there are a bunch of us in the edit room talking and laughing and sharing with each other and I've forgotten about that pile of work. Of course, the work still needs to get done, but spending quality time with you is more valuable to me in the long run. I'll remember how I felt when I am around you guys long after I've forgotten what that paperwork was all about.

You've taught me that it's safe to sit back and relax and trust. On those days when I'm not there, I stress. Will the show go on? Will you behave? Will there be a problem while I'm not there? Nearly every time, I am delighted that you've taken it upon yourselves, to be adult enough to conduct class and the editorial meeting or do a show when no adult is even in the room. Some of you have even helped the subs from other teachers in my dept. I've trained you to be self-sufficient and that is a very valuable life skill.

You've taught me that even though I've never had my own child that it doesn't make me any less of a mom. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed getting mother's day gifts and text messages all day on Mother's Day saying that even though I didn't give birth to all of you that you think of me as a mom. What an awesome compliment! I think of all of you as my children. I love you just as much as if you were my own.

You've taught me that the expression of love takes many forms. From hugs that you've given me to notes that you've written to me, to things that you've said to encourage me, to Teacher of the Year videos, to all the wonderful things that other teachers tell me that you say about me and each other makes my heart swell with pride and makes me feel like one special individual.

This is always a tough time of year for me (and no, not just because of the senior video!) because I have to let go of my seniors and the class culture we've built over the year has to give way to a new group of students and a new class culture next year. This year seems especially difficult for me to let go of. The seniors that are graduating are students that I've become especially fond of and have close relationships with each and every one of you. I will never forget your support of me as Teacher of the Year, the ice skating, the band trip, the Kangaroo conservation center, the daily grind of getting your stories done, the hoodies, the music videos (Beyonce') ALL the laughter, your phone calls to make sure I was okay when I had pneumonia and the headaches that sent me to the hospital, the STN trip, the stanky leg, the many, many, many memories that we create with each other throughout the year. You all are my rock and my hard place!

I have the best job ever! I never had wanted to be a teacher and even after it fell into my lap, I still wasn't sure. I'm pretty sure now that I'm right where I need to be and feel like it is alternately the most frustrating and difficult, yet rewarding and exciting job anyone could ever have. I'm very lucky to have such a great group of students to share my life with; and I hope it's a very long life with lots of sharing. I love you all with all my heart. Thank you for being in my life.

Tell me your final thought about this class, your classmates, Eagle TV and give us some closing thoughts. Then, have a GREAT SUMMER!

Waving "see ya"

2009-04-26T19:56:00.005-04:00

By now, most of you seniors have gotten every lesson you're going to get out of me. And I hope you've learned something. Even if it's that Watson hates it when you miss deadline then I know you've been listening to me.

I wanted to share with you one last resource because it's not like me to waste ANY time that I have left with you. :-)

http://liveapartmentfire.com/2008/09/23/addition-by-subtraction/

This is an amazing website/blog. It is authored by someone who used to work in television and there are some very good points. Points that I hope you've heard in one form or another from me. I hope that those of you who go into journalism in one form or fashion bookmark this page and refer to it often. You never stop learning, you know.

Always try to make yourself better, whether it's journalism or plumbing or fashion design. If you stop learning and improving, you stagnate. Have you ever smelled stagnant water? Yuck!

And you know that I'll always be there for you if you need me, but please call first! I've always lived my life with a huge IN Box. Type A. I can't relax, but I'm learning how, slowly, but the odds that you'll catch me on a day when I have nothing to do but catch up with you is rare.

This is a really hard time of the year for me. I get incredibly sad because I have to wave "see ya" to a lot of students that I've grown incredibly fond of. I always hope that I get to see you again and keep in touch, but sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes I get visits for a few years and then those visits slowly taper off and I become a mere blip on the radar of your life.

That's okay, I guess. The whole idea of what I do for a living is to get you outta here. But being the sensitive, sentimental type, I forge these relationships with everyone of you in a very unique special way that I will always hold in my heart and it is bittersweet to see you go. I promise that I won't forget how we had fun in Eagle TV. I may forget our specific conversations, but I won't forget our relationship.

Let me know in your comments what you learned from me this year and what you would've liked to have learned more of but didn't. Tell me if I gave you what you needed as a BVP student or even as a person. What did I give you that was valuable. Promise that you will keep learning, over the summer and over the years and for those of you who are coming back next year, what do you need me to teach you next year?

So, do me proud, keep in touch and remember that to all of you, it's not goodbye....I'll just wave "see ya".

Book Covers....

2009-04-21T21:30:00.004-04:00

I'm sure most of you have seen this link by now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Most of you probably don't think much of it, but it holds a lot of meaning for us here in Eagle TV. Let me explain.

First of all, and most obviously, you should never judge a book by its cover! Susan Boyle had everyone in the audience, the judges panel and everyone sitting at home poised to hear another disastrous rendition of "insert popular song here". We were all incredibly surprised. Why were we surprised? What made us think she couldn't sing? Her appearance, right? As if appearance has anything to do with the ability to sing. We all pre-judged her. Shame on us.

In all the "life lessons" we've gone over in class, I'm sure this was one of them, but I do distinctly remember a certain lecture about interviewing. In it, I said, "don't let your opinion of your interviewees looks, mannerisms, speaking, thoughts, feelings, or demeanor cloud your objectivity about them." This is good advice for a reporter and good advice for us all.

The Susan Boyle singing example holds another lesson for us here at Eagle TV: that of letting your talents shine. Let us all see how creative, talented and special you are. Don't hide it.

Susan Boyle was asked by Simon why she hadn't pursued a career in singing and she said that no one had given her a chance. The truth is....she never seeked out opportunity. You can't just wait around for someone to discover how good you are at something. You have to take chances and put yourself "out there". Let us see how good you are at.....editing....shooting.....producing ....writing....story-telling BY SHOWING US. Don't wait for us to discover you because it may never happen. Don't hide it. Get up on "on stage" and show off a little!

What are you good at in video production that you haven't really shown anyone? What do you think you'd be good at, given the chance to try? Why haven't you pursued this? How can you improve? What do you want to be really good at in video production? What do you want to be really good at in life? What are you doing to make sure people see and hear you? Are you taking steps to put yourself in a position of showing off your excellence? What are you afraid of?

All it takes is a brief walk up on stage.

Alive or Dead...lines!

2009-04-13T21:19:00.007-04:00

I love a good laugh. My mom always had a very infectious laugh and my brother inherited it, although I'm told when I really get going, you can't help but laugh when I get tickled too. My dad always likes to laugh too.

I like working with teenagers. They can be very funny and I gotta tell you...some of the hardest and loudest laughs I've had, I've shared with my students.

It's always a good idea to find humor in every day things, especially things you stress about. For instance, the recent hijacking of a ship by Somali pirates is disturbing. What makes me giggle about this story is that we are talking about "pirates"! I think of the bandanna-wearing, eye-patched, sword-bearing, knicker-wearing mean guys on the high seas in Disney movies, NOT modern day criminals...which is what they are. When the Nightly News anchor says "pirates" in his broadcast with a straight face, I can't help but giggle.

There is a guy who is writing a book about procrastination, William Pannepacker from Hope College....but he's a year overdue getting the book to the publisher! That's funny! I heard about this the other day and it's true. Life is funny.

Deadlines are the banana peels on the sidewalk of my students. Deadlines cause more slips than a lingerie factory and more trips than an overworked AirTran flight attendant for my well-intended video production kids. Not sure why. But I don't find it funny. Procrastination is a symptom of this disease for which I know of no cure.

I'm told that procrastination happens because you are anxious or nervous about completing something. Some studies say that some personality traits predispose certain individuals to do things...manana. We talked today in class about looming deadlines. We have a LOT to do and NOT a lot of time to do it in the next few weeks. This causes me GREAT anxiety, but not because it's something I have to complete...it's because it's something my STUDENTS have to complete. I have to relinquish control to my great, loving, grateful-to-Mrs. Watson-dedicated, talented students. Did you hear all those compliments? What are you afraid of? I believe in you; not for what you can do to ease my anxiety but what you can do for yourself and how you can put your stamp on this program! You're great!!!! I really believe that.

No, I'm not trying to butter you guys up, but I'm trying to encourage you to do your best work, as I've said before. That work that I've seen before. You can't drop the ball now. Hit the ground running this last six weeks. Show me what you're made of! Surprise me by doing really fine work and turning it in early! Make me incredibly proud! Learn some new tricks and incorporate them into your final few projects! Ask questions! Answer questions of other students! Don't waste one minute! Stay in the game! Don't let these last couple of deadlines bite you on the booty! An injury there is not pretty! One of my former students at Mount Zion had to have 13 stitches there...because he missed his deadline.... jk...he fell off an anchor chair, but it still wasn't pretty.

Here's my deal....dig deep in your tired, homework-depleted, worn-out-from-11-or-12-years-of-high-school self and find your second wind for the last part of the race. You do that, and I'll try not to be too stressed. Deal? Let's laugh and have fun these last few weeks because we have nothing to stress about because you're going to turn your stuff in by or before deadline.

Blog back to me about how excited you are about your last projects...your documentary and your senior video segment and your "how did I do this package" presentation. I want to hear motivation and excitement. You can do it. Tell me how you're going to do this. How will you keep yourself motivated and on-track. You've been given much by Eagle TV...give back, in a big way! Go out with a bang! What can we expect from you?

Proposing Story Ideas

2009-03-29T18:08:00.004-04:00

In my endless quest to get you guys to write well (not "good") I have you write story proposals. These little gems force you to think about your story ideas from all angles and sell me the idea that you're proposing. Let's just say, I'm glad I'm not relying on you to convince my supervisors that I need a raise.

Based on what I grade of your story ideas, none of you have the persuasiveness, the objectivity or the thoroughness to do this well, even though I've taught this skill many times in the classroom. We've looked at examples and I've given you a story idea to write up in front of me and then we all discuss it, as a class. Let me see if I can teach you how to do this, one more time.

1. Use full sentences. Let's start with the basics. If I walked up to you in the hall one day and looked into your eyes and said, "A federal law making it illegal" would you know what in the world I was talking about? This is not a full sentence. Try this instead, "A federal law making it illegal to sell toys with lead in them and includes all terrain vehicles went into effect a week ago."

2. If you have a strong opinion about the story and can't be objective, save the story for someone else. As a reporter, you are to keep your opinion out of the story. Tell me if you think this is un-biased and neutral: "If you don't have your financial aid forms in by the deadline then they charge a 50-dollar fee. If you had the money, you wouldn't be applying for financial aid. What about those students who work extremely hard in school and they can't go to college because of the expense?" I felt like I was on the cusp of an emotional rant that was very personal for this student. No where in the list of people to interview in this proposal was anyone in a financial aid office. Biased? What do you think?

3. There are two sides to every story. See above.

4. Don't base your story idea on a passing thought you had. Unless you can back it up with facts. Here's one: "I was listening to the radio and noticed that since Obama became president that urban radio stations are more politically inclined." This comment reminds me of the phenomenon that when you buy a Honda, you suddenly notice all Hondas on the road. This student needed to check on radio station formats and do research to see if formats had actually changed, before the story idea was turned it. It is possible that her theory is true, but I'm not going to say go ahead to a story proposal that is not based in facts. You have to convince me that there is merit to what you are saying.

5. Your story must be pertinent to as many people as possible. "I want to do a story on a family who had a tree fall on their house and it ruined their night." Why not do a story on how my sink clogged up and we had to call a plumber, or how our gutters overflowed and rain poured in close to the foundation of my house? Those things certainly ruined my night! But it's not a story. No one was injured or changed permanently. This didn't have a lasting impact, neighbors weren't affected and after a week or two, there's no story anymore, or any available b-roll. It's not newsworthy. I've had a tree fall on my house before and although it was a real pain in the butt for a few days, I didn't see any live trucks parked in my driveway!

6. Be specific. There are two examples for this one that I can show. First one, "this is a video about youth interested in different areas of work." ??????? What???? I have no idea what you're talking about. Let's keep reading: "Some of these kids have already begun to pursue them regardless of their age." Figured it out yet? Me neither. After reading the entire proposal, I think this is about young people finding their careers and beginning working in these fields long before they graduate from high school. Find a way to succinctly say what you're talking about in a way that we all understand.

Here's another one: "Every city has its own hidden treasures. In this story, we would reveal some of our city's own hidden gems that are right under our fingertips." Are we talking about Geraldo Rivera-go-in-a-cave-to-discover-a-treasure-chest-type of hidden gems or are we talking about places to visit, or things to do, or stores, or attractions that many people don't know about or what? Give me some examples of what you're talking about.

Here is a story idea that a couple of people suggested, but neither proposal hit the mark as far as a well-researched, thorough story. Let me show you how I would do it:

Bus Radio.

About one year after the debut of bus radio in Cobb County, it has proven to be beneficial in keeping order on the buses as the kids are more likely to sit quietly and listen, than to start something on the bus. According to the Cobb County Annual Report, (www.cobb.k12.ga.us/annualreport08/operations1.htm) bus drivers have reported significant improvement in discipline and behavior since starting Bus Radio. Bus radio advocates say that all programming is age-appropriate and socially responsible. The company says they encourage their sponsors to deliver positive messages and they actively seek partnerships with sports and activity-related companies as well as those that provide healthy food and drink alternatives.

www.busradio.net/press_room.php?pr=20080905_fox_rowdy_students.html.

Alternately, however, concerns about wasted money on GPS systems which bus radio systems come equipped with have some parents and board members concerned in this era of budget cuts and cutbacks. www.mdjonline.com/content/index/showcontentitem/area/1/section/21/item/124303.html.

I would interview bus drivers. students of all ages, parents, school board member and maybe a phoner from the Bus Radio headquarters. I would also interview Jay Dillon our PR rep. for the county. Because the story includes speculation about cost of the built in GPS and our district is in the throes of cutting back, I might also see if I could get an interview with our Superintendent. I would shoot video on a bus where bus radio was being played. I might open the story by showing that students were listening (or not listening depending on the case) to Bus Radio and interview students as they are riding the bus to see if they even hear it. Then, maybe go into the psychology of why music has a calming effect or distracting effect and then close the story by showing a bus leaving the school. The story would be different depending on the age group that I was doing the story on. I think that the most impact bus radio would have would be on middle schoolers, because they don't drive yet and rely on the bus and because social status and peer pressure seem to have the biggest impact on their actions.

See. It's really not that hard to convince me of your story idea. You have to be persuasive and un-biased. You have to write correctly and with good grammar. You have to show both sides and show me that you've done a little bit of legwork. You have to back up your story with relevant facts and trusted sources. This is your homework in BVP. You have to put a little bit into it.

Now, go find a good story idea and SELL IT TO ME! But first, respond to this blog by telling me why you are not doing your best on story proposals. What questions do you have? What can you do to make yourself do better with this?

We Got Third Place!

2009-03-22T19:50:00.003-04:00

Sorry a couple of days have gone by since you’ve heard from us. I was banned from blogging.

Jackie Medley and I are great partners on these trips and apparently, she believes that my sleep at this point in our trip was much more important than posting a blog and pictures. I guess she’s right. Managing 18 students wandering around a hotel is not an easy task. I feel like a border collie….herding cats…in a thunderstorm…at night. You get the picture. At least they all have been focused on the task at hand. I make it sound much worse than it was. Overall, our kids have been very good.

At least, as I sit on this plane flying back to Atlanta, I am convinced that coming back home with the same kids you left with is certainly right up there on my list of field trip successes.

The kids have been excited to show us their finished videos and, barring the technical problems that the conference coordinators had, I’ve been able to see about half of the projects. We can’t wait to show them to you.

One student, Elon Sanders, made friends with another school and at that point, we had a hard time keeping him with us. I found him yesterday morning eating breakfast in the restaurant with them. We had a talk. Making friends, good – wandering off, bad.

We’re exhausted. Friday’s contest day was a whirlwind of activity, just like Thursday. Kids all over the hotel and surrounding areas, cameras and mics in hand with looks of determination on their faces dotted the landscape. Some kids were really excited about how they did with their competition, some not so sure. The best news to come out of the contest days is that we got third place in the Music Soundtrack competition! Congratulations goes to Laura Garcia and Hannah Davis!

Saturday’s closing ceremonies was fast-paced and began with a video compilation of all the schools who sent in video set to high energy music. We saw ourselves. We also were supposed to hear from keynote speaker Bob Woodruff from CBS news, but he got sent oversees on assignment and his wife spoke on his behalf. A journalist herself, she was an amazing speaker. Student emcees presented the awards and we saw snippets of the winning pieces, the format much like the Academy awards, minus the acceptance speeches.

With the awards ceremony over, we decided to check out Universal Studios for the second half of the day. We got a half-day pass to both Universal and its sister park and rode rollercoasters, saw shows, ate sweets and bought souvenirs. Frankly, I’m not sure how they had the energy to do any of this, but we ended up staying past 9pm to watch the parade and the Mardi Gras celebration. We all got beads thrown from the floats as they rode by.

We were the best dressed, most mature group of students at this conference I believe. Jasmine Walton agreed with me when I said it to them out loud. “We ARE a good looking group!” she said with enthusiasm. They have been fun to travel with.

We look forward to seeing you guys Monday morning.

I've had to give in to some demands

2009-03-20T21:42:00.008-04:00

I've had to give in to some demands.

Some kids didn't finish shooting last night until 11:45pm, then had to report to the ballroom to edit at 6:45am. Kids in Live Reporting had their contest meeting at 7am, Documentary was at 7:30am and Music Soundtrack was at 7:15am. Countless technical problems due to the editing systems at the conference (not our equipment, thankfully), the stress of competition and a rapid-fire schedule of breakout sessions punctuated the day. "Sleep, Watson", they cry. "We need SLEEP!" I've had to give in a little to the mutiny.

After seeing several kids, who were up at 7am for their contest meeting face down in the bed at 10am, sleeping so soundly that a bomb wouldn't roust them, it becomes evident that perhaps they need a little shut eye. Students - 1, Taskmaster - 0.

I'm so proud of the fact that all day long, our students have competed with the video production cream of the crop across the country. They have taken ideas and tips from the breakout sessions and incorporated them into their contest videos. In the face of equipment malfunction or editing snags, they've remained cool and resourceful. With only a little panic in their voices, they've all been able to make deadline and breathe a sigh of relief when they come back to the hotel room with a project that they are proud of.

It hasn't been all work and not play, however. Once the grip loosened a little, students were able to relax a little and enjoy some down time in the pool.
They didn't get much downtime or rest. Unfortunately, while this teacher was making sure her students were in bed at curfew and in their rooms, other teaches/advisors didn't take that job too seriously. We were up until 2am Sat. morning listening to the loud rooms from the other schools. I guess I'll have more demands for sleep tomorrow morning.

First Full Day!

2009-03-19T22:24:00.003-04:00

It's easy to be a chaperone and teacher at a conference where all the students are really into what's going on. The hotel is nice, the food is good, the speakers and the breakout sessions are really interesting and our kids are so stoked about the competitions!

There are 1250 students, representing 33 states here at the conference. The opening ceremony was packed with students as far as the eye could see, nearly everyone of them aiming a camera. There's no "what happens in Orlando, stays in Orlando" here. EVERYTHING is being video taped, produced, edited and broadcast! It's a little like being followed around by paparazzi.

Today and tomorrow are on-site competitions where the students have a limited time to produce, shoot and edit their videos, which they don't even know what they will be until the initial competition meeting.

Anchor John Roberts of CNN was the keynote speaker and gave the students a lot of advice about the journalism field. The STN Student of the Year said a little something and then it was off to the races. Luckily, the competitions are staggered so when they are not in the middle of shooting or editing, they are attending workshops. The rules are strict and the competition is stiff and they are not even allowed to speak to me while they are working, lest they be disqualified. We have students competing in Public Service Announcement, Music Video, Commercial, Music Soundtrack, Live Reporting, Anchoring, Broadcast News Writing and Documentary. Tonight the deadline for one of the competitions is at 11:30pm and then reporting time for another competition tomorrow is 7am. There is no rest for the weary or weak here; just like the broadcast field. You have to run fast just to keep up with the guy next to you. It's a very good learning experience.

Our kids have made friends with students from around the country and that has fueled a little bit of personal challenge among competitors. Darius Marcus is taking part in the Live Reporting competition tomorrow, one of the most challenging of the on-site contests. Students have to write a news story with a little bit of Associated Press wire copy, present it on camera live to an imaginary "anchor back in the studio" complete with live interview with a newsmaker involved in that story. That "anchor" asks a question of the anchor who then has to ad lib an answer to that question correctly and then "tosses" it back to the studio. It's a competition only for the student with nerves of steel. Darius got into a discussion with another student who seemed overly confident in his abilities to defeat Darius and everyone else. It has stoked Darius' competitive nature and he's fired up about going toe to toe with this kid. If you know Darius, you know he doesn't get to excited about a lot of things...he's one of the most laid back kids I teach. I can't wait to see what happens!

Les Rose from CBS news presented several great workshops and Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute will be here on Saturday. There are professional journalists all over the place... just hanging out with the kids. Our students are involved, engaged, working hard and very proud of what they are doing and like I said earlier, it makes a chaperone's job very easy.

Having a big hot tub doesn't hurt either.

First (Loooong) Day!

2009-03-18T21:59:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I've done this trip with Eagle TV kids for 5 years now and you'd think I'd be used to it. The exhaustion I'm feeling is beyond words. It's the kind of all-consuming tiredness where you feel dizzy. Bloodshot eyes, headache, can't-form-words kind of tired. Yet, I'm exhilarated. We've had a great day. A few unplanned snags, but we've arrived with the same kids that we left South Cobb with (18 of them) and they are, at this moment, all in their rooms getting ready for curfew check. They are all talking about how excited they are about being here and learning something new, making new friends and, hopefully, bringing home an award or two.

After giving the kids the "don't pack too much stuff, don't lock your suitcase, don't bring liquids through security" speech yesterday, you just know someone is going to not be listening.

We got all the way to the last child at baggage check and all of a sudden I realize that there is a small gathering around her suitcase. Her bag weighed a whopping 60 pounds and we needed to redistribute her stuff into some other carryon to avoid the $25 fee. Simple, right? Not if it's LOCKED!!! Bolt cutters came out from the back and we were on our way. Hurdle number one!

Going through security...another speech, "make sure you have your ID out and keep track of EVERYTHING", says Watson. Ms. Medley is behind Jourdan McIntosh who is handing her boarding pass (with Kenya's name on it) to the security folks, just as Medley says Jourdan's name.

"Who's Jourdan?" asks the security guy who is holding that boarding pass with Kenya's name on it, as he looks up, his eyes narrowing. Uh, oh. Hurdle number two.

A gate change 5 minutes before boarding to another concourse, and an hour wait on the runway (we were # 30 in line to take off) before leaving polished off our morning, but we finally got here.

The hotel is teeming with high school students with every kind of tripod, camera, microphone and television tool you can imagine. We've started shooting video for our Eagle TV story about our trip. Of course, South Cobb students have already made many friends and have checked out the "digs" including a dip in the pool and the hot tub. And, yes Dr. Rivera, I've made the juniors log on to SkillsTutor already tonight!

Tomorrow is opening ceremonies with keynote speaker John Roberts from CNN, briefings for the competitions that begin and countless breakout sessions from 1pm - 6pm. Then a quick break to get ready for the Student Television Dance tomorrow night.

Time for curfew check. Sleep beckons.

We're Trippin'

2009-03-15T09:15:00.006-04:00

We are two days away from getting on an airplane and flying to Florida to attend the 6th annual Student Television Network Convention. It's the only convention of its kind devoted only to high school and middle school broadcasting students. We've done this for 5 years now. Just to make sure no one is caught off guard, I'm here to tell you that this convention is a lot of hard work, both before we go and while we are there.

The first year we went, I couldn't believe how exhausted I was. I needed a couple of days after the convention to recover. It took several full days of packing before we left; labeling, checking, cleaning....the mics, firewire, the cameras, the lenses, tripods, wireless lavs, cables, cleaning cassettes, lens wipes, tapes, batteries for cameras, batteries for mics, etc. At the convention, I was the first one up and the last one to bed. I hooked up our editing system (yes, we brought our own edit system that first year complete with monitors and vcrs) and missed countless breakout sessions that I wanted to go to because of equipment malfunctions or student meltdowns.

Students worked their tail off every second we were there. Contests were hard and deadline oriented (no there's not extending deadlines here!) Students aren't allowed to even speak to their teachers during contest day or they face disqualification. If there's a problem, students have to figure it out on their own. Meanwhile, there is a lot of competition from students who are really good, so stakes are high! If students weren't participating in a contest, they were attending a breakout session or they were getting their equipment ready or they were stuffing down a quick bite before opening ceremonies, or they were getting ready to load the buses for the dance, or a tour, etc. There is NO DOWN TIME.

Every year it has been the same. This convention is the best learning experience these students can get in video production. Stakes are high, time is short and excellence is the rule, not the exception. Your work is up for public scrutiny. Nothing but the best work will fly here. Its fierce competition and they love it!

And, as always is the case, students come back to the classroom energized and excited and more than willing to share their experiences and new knowledge with the ones back home. There is a different feeling in the air at Eagle TV for weeks afterwards. I love that. I love that my students get a real world experience. I gave them the tools, here is where I sit back and watch them use those tools, hopefully.

I can't wait. I don't care that we'll spend hours packing, checking, labeling and tirelessly going over rules and expectations. I don't care that I'll be exhausted for the entire trip. I don't care that we may not have the latest software or our batteries can't seem to hold a charge for very long. I don't care that our tripods are old and one leg seems to not want to stay extended. It doesn't matter because what is being judged here is not the equipment you use but what you do with that equipment. Your knowledge and artistic expression. Your talent. Your expertise and your creativity. South Cobb BVP kids can do THAT. We got that part down!!

So for those of you going, tell me what you want out of this trip. What do you want to learn? Do? See? Hear? as it relates to video production or this field.

For those of you not going, what do you want us to bring back for you? For Eagle TV? What do you want us to learn and tell you about? How do you think it will benefit you and Eagle TV? How do you want Eagle TV to change as a result?

Because we're all in this together. We're a team and what benefits one, benefits others. We all have an investment in each others' excellence and fine work. We are all part of something very special. A special family that are making some pretty special memories whether we're in Austell or Orlando.

Just let us get a little sleep after the trip before you start asking us questions.

Commitment....or the need to be committed!

2009-03-09T21:16:00.003-04:00

I have issues. Commitment issues.

I am taking 19 students to the Student Television Network Conference in one week. I drive students to Kangaroo places. I drive them home from school sometimes and am there for them when they need someone to talk to. I encourage them to take chances, to cold call someone so they can do a story on the Dialogue in the Dark exhibit or the Atlanta International School. I help students write scripts, I help students with other classes, I praise, I encourage. I've promised someone from the League of Women Voters that we'll be there on Saturday, our day off, to record what seems to be one of the biggest events that we've ever covered, complete with mics on podiums and multi cameras and numerous individual interviews and I still only have two people who said they'd do it. Most teachers would run out of their classrooms, flailing their arms as if their hair was on fire before they did this much work in a day, or in a week, or in a semester or a year.

Not me.... I think I need to be committed.

Sometimes I don't know what keeps me going. Especially lately. For the past couple of weeks, I've spent the majority of my time during my advanced class herding kids into edit rooms as if I'm swatting at flying bats. I'm tired of that. I need my well refilled because it has run dry. I need it filled by you showing me your commitment to Eagle TV and to your work.

We started out great! For the past two deadlines, everyone has met them. Every story, script and air confirmation form had been turned in on time. Most people have blogged and most people have turned in two story idea assignments. This last assignment, however, has been a different story. The only difference in MY mind is the fact that I extended the deadline, which I said I WASN'T going to do. My BIG mistake. But the slack started much earlier.

Two days into the assignment, half my students didn't know what they were going to do their story on and sat around "discussing" it; for TWO DAYS. A group of students spend half the period over by the windows taking pictures of themselves and then when I try to redirect, the group moves like an ameoba toward the computers where they settle in with feet up on the desk and earplugs in their ears checking out the latest tunes. The two students who got a chance to do an internship with the Marietta Daily Journal...the MARIETTA DAILY FREAKIN' JOURNAL...just didn't get back in touch with the publisher. That's it. Just didn't call when he didn't give them specific days they'd work. Oh well. Most students would jump at this chance and would call every day until you worked out a schedule! Are you kidding me? And opportunities to really shine and get creative with the senior video segments sit unassigned.

"Who can tape the tennis match today?" (cricket sounds)

"okay, who can shoot the career fair and make a quick VO out of it?" (more crickets)

I gave you 3 packets of great tutorials (requested specifically by one student) to go through while I was absent one day. Nothing. New information and skills continue to go unlearned. (whine)"But it was too hard, Mrs. Watson" (more whining) "I didn't understand it."

Yeah well, YOU HAVE TO READ IT! Unless you possess some magical ability to acquire knowledge through just passing by it, like you stare and pass by the radishes on a salad bar, then you actually have to put some work into it!

My editorial meetings consist of 28 melting faces as you stare at me like I'm speaking Russian. Or....you are conducting your own verbal experiments into who can talk the most and the loudest while Watson and Kayla speak about things that are, I don't know.... IMPORTANT TO THEM! "I'm sorry, what did you say, Mrs. Watson?" "huh?"

You can't get something from nothing. You have to work for what you get. It is not handed to you. It will be a cold, hard slap in the face for you when you figure that out outside of high school. They don't repeat things in college.

It's getting old. You're wearing me out. I work way too hard for the crappy handout I'm getting in return.

I need commitment. From YOU!

There aren't many teachers that take students to conferences....or go with them while they do stories off campus or look for opportunities like the Emmy's or the Prom party PSA competition and really encourage you to take part in this stuff. You know why? Because it's a lot of work, that's why. I work really hard for you and this program. I need you to work hard in return.

So, tell me, what have you been slack about and why??? I really want to know. I also want to see and hear your re-commitment to what you do in here. Why aren't you taking a perfect opportunity to do an Emmy-award winning package? Why don't you spend time in the edit rooms learning on your own new techniques in FCP or Live Type or whatever. Don't tell me it's my fault or tell me what I need to do better, because this is a self-reflective assignment. I'm giving you the tools but you have to put your hand out and take them, and USE them. Pledge your commitment here. Tell me how you're going to shine and excel and what you plan to do to leave your legacy for Eagle TV.

I'm committed. Are you?

Adventure!!

2009-02-25T14:42:00.006-05:00

When I was a kid, my favorite summers were those when we traveled and that was almost every one. When you have parents who work in the airline industry, that means that you travel a lot.

We'd go to Utah to visit Grandma and Grandpa Slaugh and play in the featherbed in the attic bedroom or find toys in the hidden staircase or float leaf boats down the street after a rain.

We'd go to New Mexico and visit Grandma and Grandpa Heeren and eat hot sopapillas and buy handmade turquoise jewelry from the native American Indians or listen to road runners run across the roof at dusk or ride on grandpa's tractor.

We got to feed horses sugar cubes and dig potatoes at my Aunt Lela and Uncle Bud's house, we went to a family reunion at a beach house in Hilton Head, SC. I've eaten ice cream in Italy and French Onion soup in Paris. Strolled through gardens in the south of France, walked in castles in Austria and danced the night away on a rooftop nightclub in Montreal, Canada. I've been to almost every state in the country and have traveled 12 of them, by car, in 24 days.

Adventure and travel. I LOVE it. I love experiencing something new or hearing about something new. I guess that's why I love journalism so much because you get to experience things that most people don't get to through other people and by meeting other people, in their places. Places that most people don't get to go.

A group of our students got the chance to do a story on the Kangaroo Conservation Center in Dawsonville, Georgia. It was awesome. We did an interview with a really nice, very informative facilities manager, met someone in the gift shop in charge of tours who was super accomodating to us and locked eyes with many different creatures that we had never seen before. Kangaroos, wallabees, wallaroos, blue pigeons, bearded lizards, fan lizards, a rat kangaroo and kookaburras. We heard kangaroos make noises (we didn't know they made noises) and got to see a Joey crawl into a pouch.

We spent several hours getting a behind the scenes, exclusive tour when no one else was on the property. The students who went said it was one of the best stories they've every done, yet they worked harder on this story than they have on any other and they have not even started editing. It was truly an adventure.

Try to find adventures to take people on. I'm not asking you to try to snake (to use an animal analogy) your way in to get a free tour of someplace you'd like to go, but find a story or a place or a feeling that you want your audience to experience. What a distinct honor to be the vehicle with which people can see things, experience things, learn about things, THROUGH YOU!

Try to come up with innovative stories. Things no one has thought of before. Take people on an adventure with you.

Where will your next adventure be????

What is Progress?

2009-02-15T16:08:00.003-05:00

How can you measure progress in a broadcasting class? There are so many variables that students can excel with one skill yet fall behind on another.

Some examples:

Students now seem to understand the need for an external mic, but when some of them edited their story on Carey, the young girl who lost her mother to alcoholism, the audio was recorded on two channels and for whatever reason, they didn't notice this when they edited so no adjustments were made.

I see more and more students putting their subjects next to a light source and/or using light to enhance their subjects. You can see this is the Ivy League vs. Traditional College story where students used the window as a primary light source for their interviews or as a really nice aesthetic element for b-roll of a student, yet the framing of the interviews didn't allow for enough nose room for their subjects.

Students are using writing techniques like nat sound breaks and "parallel parking" in their stories yet still don't understand how to use the basics of b-roll to cover jump cuts or backtiming with their SOTS.

And my personal favorite...I SEE a lot of tripods leaving the room, but I see more shaky video than ever, as if my students had been shooting during an earthquake. Note to students: a tripod is not a fashion accessory!

Eagle TV is in its 8th year. When we started in 2001, we were in a science room (room 524 in the Magnet building) without any equipment or books. For an entire semester, I taught video production using old college textbooks, videos and my experience. The room that is now our studio was used as a technology lab and there were no edit rooms, no carpet in the control room, no stairs to the control room, no shelves in the equipment room, and nothing but old drill presses and aerodynamic wind tunnels littered among ancient computers on modular tables sprinkled about the room.

Now, all my students and I have to do is look up in the front of the classroom to see a smattering of award certificates, look in our equipment room, hear former students talk about their favorite stories and experiences and sit in an edit room with state of the art Final Cut Pro workstations to know that we've come a long way in a short amount of time.

Many stories have marked the timeline along the way. The Six Flags documentary, the story for the S.E.T.S. program, the Hawks Press Pass Program, The Crazy Story, the beginning of our annual senior videos among other milestone accomplishments have all made their mark on Eagle TV.

I think that the bar is higher when students enter this beginning class than it was 8 years ago when they entered for the first time. Many students have paved the way for excellence and shown, by example, how it's done. Certainly much more is expected of my advanced class than ever before, but I've seen them rise to the challenge...as long as they don't forget the basics.

We can measure success in years, months, weeks or days. Eagle TV sure has improved in the last several years. I hope that my students are better now than they were 6 weeks ago when they stepped into this classroom in January. Will the students that I take to the STN convention be better journalists when they return 5 days later? I hope so.

There is a saying in this business that you must run fast just to keep up with the guy running next to you and that's no joke. If you want to be serious about this class, and certainly this business, you must always strive to get better, to learn more and to do more. Be better and more professional than the guy running next to you. Constant improvement. This is the proving ground...not after you graduate. How do you measure your success? Are you better now than you were 6 weeks ago? Are you a better editor? Shooter? Writer? What do you need to get better at? What did you learn today? Yesterday? Last month? What do you want to learn tomorrow? Do you have what it takes to be competitive in this class and in this field? What kind of experiences are you having in here? How will YOU make your mark on Eagle TV?

You must do your best work. Every time.

I've come to know that we all have power....

2009-02-08T18:43:00.003-05:00

I want to first say that Jocelyn, you're comment hit me hard, but I needed to hear it. I know that I have been so busy, but I really didn't realize that you felt that I was too busy for you guys. I've always just prided myself on the fact that you guys are so self-sufficient and didn't need me, or even want me around. During the morning annoucements, most of you don't want me to be in the control room at all.

I was at Ms. Smith's memorial service this afternoon and there were many lessons about life and how to live that I heard today. Many of those included the underlying theme of REALLY living life and making connections with people. I'm missing opportunities to spend time with you all. I'll change that. It's the part of my job that I love the most anyway. Believe me, it's not the paperwork!

When I first started studying journalism in college, I really loved that it brought me into a place where I met people. Perfect strangers, with stories. Those stories turned into messages and these messages were there for me to put out there; for people to see. I love the fact that what we do in this class sometimes has the power to change perceptions, opinions, perspective. We have the power to inform, to move people to action or to tears or laughter. I don't take that responsibility lightly and I try to instill it in you all. With that power comes responsibility. And most of the time, I think you all get it. But we also have the power to make deeper connections with those right around us. We must never forget that. I must never forget that.

Do both. Move people with your powerful stories and make deeper connections with those right next to you. You (and your stories) won't be remembered by what you said or what you told people, but how you made them feel.

Good journalists are those with feelings. For this week, I'd like to hear from you about how you connect with people, both with your stories and in your personal life. Maybe the two ways overlap. How can you use what MOVES you and is POWERFUL to you and make it part of your stories? How have you made connections with people in this class? Or with me? Have I or someone in this class said something to you that made an impression on you? How can you make an impression on others? How do you let people into your life and how do you get a glipse into theirs? What is your legacy?

Okay, I feel like I'm speaking to a brick wall....

2009-02-01T10:24:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure if it's my failure to communicate clearly or it's a function of my students not listening. I tend to think that my students aren't listening.

I created this blog for several reasons:

1. Writing practice. It's really important that we practice writing in this class. This is broadcast JOURNALISM, for heaven's sakes and journalists write! All of them, not just reporters and producers. You have to write more and more in order to get better at story telling (yes, that includes editors and photographers).

2. So I can get a feel and some feedback for what students are thinking about studying this field and so students can reflect on their work in here. I don't want students just going through the motions. I want every move, every interview, every edit decision to be thought out. "Why did you put a dissolve there instead of a cut?" "Why did you use that soundbite?" "Why are you putting off getting your b-roll until tomorrow?" You know, questions like that. If you start to really think about what you do in here (title of last post) than you're more likely to improve. There is a saying in the broadcast field that you have to run fast, if only to keep up with the guy next to you. If my students don't improve....all the time....then we fall behind. We have the talent, we have the tools, sometimes we lack the drive and work ethic. I'm asking you to run faster.

3. So we can all be on the same page. I want my other students to read these posts and see what their classmates are thinking and doing. A good team thinks alike and if we don't share our thoughts with each other, than how do we know when we're not thinking like a team?

So, my advice to my students is to "Really think about what we do in here" (there's that phrase again) and everywhere else. Don't respond to a questions that is not asked and stay on topic. Pay attention, pay attention, pay attention. Do you think that reporters zone out during an interview? NO, they don't. They pay attention to EVERY word and process it in a way that gives meaning to a story. Please listen to what I say and pay attention to what I'm asking you to do. That is the only way you'll get better at this. You're grade will be influenced by it to.

READ MY POSTS AND RESPOND TO MY POSTS...ONLY. Don't tell me what you had for dinner last night or what you did over the weekend. Don't say "hi" to your buddies in BVP or tell me that your computer crashed. Yes, an occasional shout out to your friends who do great work in here or during homeroom is okay....as long as you've addressed what I've asked you to do first.

Save the att-a-boys for Facebook.

Really THINK about what you do in here!

2009-01-26T05:15:00.002-05:00

I've posted my initial "Let's get Started" speech but what I REALLY want to do is to get you guys thinking about what we really do in here. What is Eagle TV? Why is it important? Why do we win contests or get recognition? Do we just slap something together or do we work at it?

Dr. Rivera picked up a camera during the Washington trip to shoot video of some of our sleeping beauties, exhausted and on the floor from the rigorous schedule we had been keeping with the band. We were at the Pollard's house watching the parade from the comfort of their den after having spent 8 hours in arctic weather since 4am. He turned to me and said, "Is that all there is to it, Watson? Just point and shoot? I could pass your class!" I got to thinking that on the surface, it really does appear as if we just point a camera and push a red button, but it really is so much more.

I was reading a blog by Hillcrest High school's teacher, Mr. Dave Davis, and felt that he put into word some of the things that we do in this class that may not necessarily be obvious to the general student population or our teachers, but they are the things that make us good journalists. If you aren't already thinking and doing these practices, you need to start. Mr. Davis talks about these characteristics in the form of contests. I've reprinted Mr. Davis' blog in partial form here:

*Journalistic Integrity Contest. Say it, prove it, and be ready to defend it. As a student reporter, lesson number one is, “accuracy.” Don’t fudge, don’t cut corners, don’t cheat the viewer by providing only part of the truth. (Never prompt someone to give you a soundbite in your words, never stage news footage, never mislead by altering intended meaning in the edit bay) Play fair, all the time.

*Year-Long Improvement Contest. This one begins the first day of class and concludes at the end of the school year. Students must enter their first and last stories of the year. The winner is the one whose entry displays the most improvement. Hopefully, this will be a tight race.

*Magic Moments Contest. Stories that touch us the most have those golden “moments.” They can be soundbites, visuals, or occasionally, even a great voiceover. Teachers should be looking for those all the time. Students should be striving to find them and include them in their stories.

*Characters Contest. If “moments” are important, great characters usually provide them. Give an award to the most memorable character to appear on your show this year. That will only emphasize for future staffs the importance of people to any news program.

*It’s Not About ME Contest. This one goes to the best team player, the student who is always willing to help others, the one who makes the show the best it can be. It can be the kid who keeps the hard drives humming, the cameras clean, the assignment board up to date, or the reporter who does not insert him or herself unnecessarily into the story. It can also be the producer who always helps others find great topics. This contest should have a lot of candidates by year’s end if the staff is focused on what really matters: The Show.

For your blog this week, I'd like you to comment on these points above. Are you pursuing journalistic excellence? Why or why not? Is every story you do an award-winner? Where are you cutting corners? What motivates you to do your very best?

Mrs. Watson

Let's get started!

2009-01-04T17:22:00.005-05:00

There is always a lot to talk about in Eagle TV! Writing it all down helps us put our thoughts in perspective, allows us to share our thoughts with others, gives us a chance to improve our story pitching techniques and gives us a forum to reflect on the projects and stories that we work on every day.

We are touched by the stories we come in contact with, whether we shoot them, edit them, produce them or watch them. They make us sad, happy, reflective, and hopefully a little wiser with each assignment. We meet new people, we learn new things and we get a chance to broaden our horizons by stepping out of our comfort zones every once in a while.

Sharing these stories is what we're all about. Educating, entertaining and informing our viewers is what we want to do. Hopefully we will reach others in what we present on Eagle TV.

We are passionate about some stories and some...not so much, but with every assignment, it is my hope that you continue to learn to be a responsible reporter; be fair, accurate and true and tell a good story. There are a lot of them out there!!

START WRITING AND PRODUCING!