There are certain fundamental resources required for video announcements that may provide an initial strain on the school budget. School wide internet access and video projection capabilities, a camera and tripod, and a computer with basic video editing software are among the barebones components of video announcement productions. At Harkins, we began with only these basics resources in a “Week In Review” style production and made it work for an entire year before upgrading software, sound and lighting. Ideally, having access to current, user-centric software and a school-based website makes the process of preparing video announcements more fluid and user-friendly, especially when managed by students.
In District 16, many schools ranging from primary to secondary have joined Harkins in offering virtual morning announcements. The District subscribes to intuitive software by Adobe called “Visual Communicator 3 for Education” and each participating school has a website and video announcements section that provides a professional feel and experience for students. Visual Communicator has built in teleprompting, video editing, green screen capabilities, graphics and effects. A program like Visual Communicator that permits learners to create original content can be considered a visualization mindtool, according to Jonassen (1998). Students involved with the video announcements are easily able to “…represent and convey mental images…” by using the features of the software (Jonassen, 1998).
After an inventory of resources, the logistics of place, time and student participants must be considered. A small room that locks is ideal to adorn with green screen, lighting, hardware and other necessary announcement paraphernalia. If this is not reasonable, the back corner of a classroom may suffice. The teacher overseeing the project should be within close proximity during production, even if the announcements are meant to run autonomously. From time to time that teacher will be needed for technological troubleshooting, encouragement and behavior management.
Time management issues include deciding when to prepare and when to air the announcements. At Harkins, we have chosen to create announcements during a 30 minute enhancement period each afternoon and then broadcast the pre-recorded announcement the following morning, after nutrition break. Some schools opt for live morning announcements. It is crucial to consult with administration and fellow staff members to decide the best time for recording and showing video announcements at your school. Keeping staff in the loop is helpful, especially since their cooperation in streaming the announcements in their classrooms is necessary. In addition to this, staff must also agree to release student participants from class during the slated production time. Teacher feedback and involvement is vital in making the production successful.
It is possible to involve many students in video announcements. At Harkins, a team of 7 students received software training and a daily schedule was made pairing two of these students together to assist each production. As a group these students brainstormed the quintessential features of the script, including the recurring format of the Introduction and Closing, and sections including the Math Fact of the Week, On this Day in History, and Birthdays. This behind-the-scenes team follow a general step-by-step document (see Appendix A in Formal Paper) from script editing to publishing. They must also re-write announcements emailed to them by teachers and make style choices when it comes to video transitions and backgrounds. In addition to these student participants, each day we alternate grades and choose 2 new students to report in front of the camera. These students are encouraged to add personality and voice to the announcement scripts. We encourage any interested student reporters to sign up on a sheet given to homeroom teachers (See Appendix B in Formal Paper). Teachers are also asked to nominate exceptional student work to showcase via the announcements. The various experiences offered by the process of morning announcements have the potential to engage many students. As S. Sandifer (2011) suggests,
“Involving all students in a lesson can be difficult for a teacher, but through being aware of different learning styles, a teacher can reach more students.”
Offering multiple roles makes it possible to have everyone in the school participate in video announcements, in some way, throughout the year.
