Final Exam Preview. Posted 5/1, due 5/6 - Minor

Interview-Based Video - Final Exam

Our final project of the year will involve creating an interview-based video. You will have multiple options on what your topic is, what type of camera you use, and which video editing software you want to utilize to create your video.

TYPES OF PRODUCTS

Now, let’s examine what kinds of videos we often produce for the Dispatch. 

They include the following:

5W’s and H podcast with video component

Man-on-the-street

Live streaming even coverage

Public Service Announcement

Feature Story

Interactive features

Here is a link to the descriptions for those products:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15SsDziVNA_phDc2cGEAP2afd4v8k3H11/view?usp=sharing

Make a new Google Site Subpage and call it Final Exam Preview and answer the following question:

1. Which of those listed are you most likely to find on the Dispatch website? Explain your anwser.

2. Which of those listed do you like to watch? Make sure to explain why.

3. Think of another type of video-based product not listed that you think would be fun to create.

For this particular assignment, the one that I think is most logical is the Feature Story, although I think it will be important for you to bring in some of the 5W’s and 1 H components to your product. We certainly want to answer those questions for this product.

Here are some examples of the type of video I would like you to create: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_-UDaRi4C4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w65zSS3ZMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg8xjWqWGyY

Here are some examples that were created by former students in this class.

  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v269e-1jlBKeY38aomCIFpXfHTb1JA86/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PxgJWFNOvn4JzKNuoZIVXtb0Zv0xZ3iR/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GzEWwoXKsQYP-13P_CMOgNUiH7XETek3/view?usp=sharing

STORY MAP

The first step in the process is to brainstorm a topic. While this slideshow was developed for a full staff pitch session, the information can still be used by you to start thinking about what your topic might be.

Check out this slideshow:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jac6dG7boEZvIktURHJ1CBev_NG-7XHv/view?usp=sharing

Use this mapping idea to come up with THREE ideas that you might want to explore for your video. 

4. List those on your Google Site.

Here are some suggestions:

Tell the story of an event like a sporting event like a baseball game or swim meet, a wedding, a party. You could document a day in the life of someone and follow them around for the day, interviewing them throughout their adventures and documenting where the go and what they do. You could document making, building, creating or some sort of work thing. For example, mowing the lawn, making something for your room, creating a new piece of art. Another popular one is to document someone making something like cooking or building something like bookshelves or something similar. I am open to a lot of ideas and I want you to think hard about what you could create a video about.

Now go to Canva and create your own Mind Map for one of your topics. When you are done, make sure to export your creation as a .PNG and make sure to share it on your Google Site Subpage. This should be one that you want to make to make your planning and prep easier when we get to that next time.

5. Post your Mind Map that you created. You will need to make sure you SHARE IT PROPERLY.

COVERAGE PLAN WORKSHEET

Once you have a plan for your video, I want you to create a Coverage Plan Worksheet. Here is an example of one:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FU_v7jyrqJLncFO6I342TcMw8dr1e5EF/view?usp=sharing

You can see how they planned for what they were planning to shoot and when. This includes additional supports that might have been published with the video. You won’t need to do that, but the biggest thing I do want you to decide is when are you going to do this project, where will it be done, and what do you need to make it happen. Please download/MAKE A COPY of the following document, fill out, put it into your Google Drive and share it as a clickable link on your Google Site:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zWNBAtdxzmYLZXKdbAoyVHd40XHWq_cJc7DYQpq2p2M/edit?usp=sharing

6. Plan your video. Include what segments you might want to include. Document on your plan worksheet where you will have interview portions and where you will have more "action" live video". Make sure you include where those will be shot. You should have about 4-5-6 different segments that you have edited to make the video flow properly, like the example I have shared above. 

Post your Coverage Plan Worksheet on your Google Site. You will need to make sure you SHARE IT PROPERLY.

EXPECTATIONS

Format - Feature video

Content - The entire piece has a professional, journalistic tone (no blooper reels, overlaid graphics (e.g. pixelated sunglasses placed on someone’s face), or slowed/sped up footage). No AI voices or graphics are used. Subject of each video lends itself to a good video opportunity (motion, sound, etc.) and a compelling storyline. Each video contains at least two interviews. Reporter voice-over is only used to bridge elements within the story.

Camerawork - Each video uses a combination of different shots (wide shots, medium shots, and close-up shots) and angles. The footage is steady and not shaky. All shots have a clear visual focus.

Audio/Sound - Each video avoids using copyrighted music. Music must be credited somewhere in the video or story. The sound/voice quality on each video is clear and not lost in background noise or music.

Images - You will be allowed to include still images as part of your video product if you wish. You may not include more than 10 photos total.

Editing - Length is appropriate for telling a story (at least two minutes, but no more than four minutes in length). Individual shots/clips are smoothly edited together to move the story forward. Technical quality of lighting doesn't detract from the story. All b-roll in the piece is video shot by the staff (no stock footage or still images). If captions are added, there are no spelling or grammatical errors.

Editing Software - You will be able to use whatever editing software that works best for you, including using your phone. As long as you follow the expectations above, I don't care what software you use. You do have the following available in the classroom for your use: iMovie or Adobe Premiere

Equipment - You may check out a DSLR camera from me or you can use your own video equipment or DSLR. You are also able to use your phone for this project BUT REMEMBER that you cannot use them here at school, which means you have to do all the work at home. I will allow you to upload video files to your computer and/or your final project to your Google Drive so you can turn them in.

Final Video - You will be required to share your video with me on your Google Site. You may share a PROPERLY SHARED clickable link to a .mov, MP4, or similar file on your Google Site, or you can upload your video to a YouTube channel and share a link there. If you use YouTube, you are responsible to make sure it is shared properly and that I can watch it. I will call each of you up to my desk near the end of the period to make sure your video works.

I will provide a few iMovie training videos for those of you who want to use iMovie here in the classroom.

Podcast Planning and Prep. Assigned 4/27, due 4/29 - Minor

Today you will meet with your teams to plan your Podcast. You will have this class period to come up with your plan before you go into the office area to create your product. You will have about 30 minutes per team to record your efforts.

I will also expect your team to edit the product using one of the following products:

iMovie - available on your computer now - audio and can be used for video

Adobe Premiere - also available, may need to be downloaded - audio and can be used for video

Audacity - would need to be downloaded - audio only

Do you have one that you like to use? Let me know and I am open to that happening.

We will spend some time next class looking at iMovie so you are prepared to work on that portion of the assignment. You will continue to work with your team during that process so each member of the team can provide input on the final product.

Now, let's come up with a plan of attack to make this podcast happen. 

Here are the steps (the website I used to come up with this plan https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/write-podcast-script-examples):

1. Brainstorm and come up with a theme-based subject. This is pretty open, so pick something you are all interested in. For example, your podcast could be about food, gaming, sports, or any hobby.

In fact this is the exact place to start; your interests and hobbies as a collective. The more passionate about the topic you are, the better it will be.

Come up with a list of ideas and then narrow it down to 2-3 and put it to a vote. If you need a tie-breaker, I will be the tiebreaker for your team.

2. Now decide what your goals are. Do you want to be factual and help your listeners be more informed from hearing about your subject. This would be very journalistically sound. But perhaps you want to be less structured, you could set it up as a Q&A with a single host asking questions that the others answer. Or you could come up with a longer list of questions and ask them at random so all 4 members would be able to respond.

3. Decide if you want to cover your topic broadly, or in a more specific manner. For example, if you wanted to talk about the latest shows on television, you could generally talk about multiple shows available across several platforms and discuss what you liked and didn't like about that group of shows, OR you could narrow your focus to one show and dig deep on the plot, characters, etc of that specific season.

4. Equal time. Since you will have 4 people on your team, you will need to make sure that everyone gets roughly the same time talking. You will be expected to have 3-5 minutes total, so think about what that turns into. Think about this as you work your way through the next step.

5. Script out your podcast. This should really be an outline, but you can be more detailed if it helps your team out. One thing you want to avoid is rambling. This should include the following:

Intro - briefly discuss the topic and introduce the speakers/guests

A sponsor message - this is where you would tell your listeners that this Podcast is a Dispatch Product and a short sentence about the Dispatch.

Consider using a Segue between segments. This can be a sound effect, a phrase or even a musical note.

Summary - near the end, you should recap the topic and give your listeners the key points they should takeaway from your podcast.

Outro - this could be an announcement, a teaser for the next podcast, a closing jingle, resources to share with your listeners to get more information, or even just a set of Good-byes from the hosts.

Some podcasts include a Call to Action for their listeners. For example, if your group decided your topic was climate change, you could come up with a plan to enlist your listeners into some sort of actionable plan. Or you could solicit your listeners for what your next topic could be, or the guests they want to hear next time. You could give contact information here.

6. Think about the best form for your work. Should this be single host with 3 guests, a Q&A, a rountable discussion, a tutorial or how-to or even freestyle (this could be tougher to do, but is totally possible with the right topics and a guide to keep you moving forward)?

Some final suggestions:

Keep it simple. With a group of 4, planning is crucial. Don't be too loose, but don't be to scripted. I strongly suggest you do some practice. I will allow you to work in groups around the room and in the hallway, office and back room so you can spend time together with your topic. You will have ALL of this period to work together. Someone should take/keep GOOD notes.

You will be expected to turn in your notes at the end of this unit for a grade for this portion. That grade will be as a group, and you will each earn the same grade for your planning paperwork. I will be happy to hold on to it for you. I will provide folders and yellow notepads for notes/script planning.

TEAMS

3rd period

1 - Simon, Aubri, Jessica, Shyanne (AI)

2 - Kenta, Max, Clark (Popular Music)

3 - Caleb, Matthew, Le'Relle (Playing HS sports)

4 - Knox, Cooper, Aiden (Lebron v Jordan GOAT)

4th period

1 - Ivan, Caden, Elijah, Emma (AI and Starr testing)

2. Savannah, Jackie, Jack and Liv (WNBA)

3 - Jackson, Connor, Maddie, Brinley (Movies)

4 - Diego, Mark, James, Julie (Summer break)

5 - Nolan, Vincent, Rider, Olivia (2026 wrap-up 9th grade)

6 - Annika, Alicia, Paul, William (fast food comparison)

Next class, we will go over the Podcaster machine in small groups. This will also be your time to go through a couple of Dry Runs. You should have a decent idea of what you are doing by the end of next class. The following class we will start the recording process.

Podcast Preview. Assigned 4/22, due 4/27 - Minor

Podcast Preview

Now we are going to spend a few classes learning more about Podcasting. In this unit we will have a preview activity and a group project where you will team up with a few people to create a short 2-3 minute podcast. 

This unit will be a little more complex that other group projects we have done because I only have one Podcast production machine for you to use. Which means, we will have to schedule times for people to make these podcasts. I am going to dedicate THREE 30 minute time slots per day for your team to create in the office area of my room. So it will take around 3-4 classes for everyone to get their recording done. We will still be working on new things, so when it is your teams turn, you need to get in there and get this recording done. AND you will still need to do the daily assignment for that day. I will spread out the assignments but we still have things to get to.

Now let's get to it....

On your Google Site, please create a new subpage called Podcast Preview.

Go to this website and answer the questions below (REMEMBER IF THESE LINKS DON'T WORK - KEEP MOVING AND TRY TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS - USE GOOGLE IF YOU HAVE TO!!):

https://www.thepodcasthost.com/listening/what-is-a-podcast/

1. What is a Podcast?

2. What are some of the advantages of Podcast has over traditional radio?

3. Where do most people listen to a Podcast, according to the website?

4. What are a couple of differences between a professional Podcast versus a homemade version?

5. What is the difference between a Podcast and a Podcast Episode?

Now go to this website and answer the following questions:

What is a Podcast?

6. What are the four most common types of Podcasts?

7. In a sentence or two, please describe each of the four common types of Podcasts. Make sure to give a specific example for each that someone could listen to.

8. List the top-10 Podcasts for 2022

9. Where can you access Podcasts? List 2-3 places where you can find them.

Finally, let's figure out how to actually start coming up with a plan to make a Podcast. Go to this website and answer the questions below:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/how-to-start-a-podcast

10. List the 10 steps the website suggests you follow to create a Podcast.

11. Refer back to the FOUR common types of Podcasts. Which one do you think would be best for you to use for a short 2-3 minute Podcast that you will create with 2 other people? Tell me which one you would use.

11. Think of FIVE topics/themes you think would be interesting to use for a Podcast that you will suggest to your team. Be sure to be specific and zero in on something that you could talk about with other people for 2-3 minutes.

12. Think of THREE names for your Podcast based on a few of your potential topics.

13. What types of equipment do you think you will need to make a Podcast?

When I return we will finish off Newspaper design with the second project and then we will immediately move into Podcasting. You will be working in groups to create a podcast.

Back up links in case something doesn't work:

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-do-podcasts-work#learn-more

https://www.podcastinsights.com/start-a-podcast/

Illustrator Project Turn-in Instructions AND Reflection. Posted 4/20 - MAJOR

 Today you should work hard on all THREE illustrator creations you have been working on. I expect to see them posted by the end of the class period. You should also complete the reflection which you can find at the bottom of this assignment.

Turning them in is pretty simple. You will need to save them as an .ai file. This is the native file format in Illustrator, so a simple save as should get you to the correct pop-up box. Save the piece on to your desktop. Label it Illustrator 1 (2 or 3) or you could name it to represent the subject like Infographic 1, Political Cartoon, Drawing 3.

Move the .AI file to your Google Drive. Click the Share Button and make sure you change the sharing to Bowie High School. Get a clickable link. Go to your Google Site and use the Embed function on a new Google Site subpage called Illustrator Project and put that link on your site. I want to be able to access the .AI file.

Then in Illustrator do this:

File>Export>SAVE AS

Choose .PNG

In the dialog box choose DESKTOP

It should put a .PNG version on your desktop and that can go onto your Google Site.

Post them on your Google Site - PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DRAG ONE OF THE CORNERS TO MAKE IT AS LARGE AS POSSIBLE ON GOOGLE SITES SO I CAN SEE IT - and you are done for the day.

Sorry I am not there today to help, but you have done something similar a few times already this year. 

Remember - you should have 1 Infographic, 1 Political Cartoon, and 1 more piece of your choosing. 

More Examples from last year in my J1 class:

REFLECTION:

On a new Google Site page, titled Illustrator Project reflection, please answer the following questions:

 Questions

1. What aspects of your Illustrator Project turned out well? Explain your answer.

2. What aspects of your Illustrator Project didn't turn out as well as you hoped? Explain your answer.

3. Explain the parts of the project, as a whole, that were easier to complete?

4. Explain what parts of the project, as a whole, were more difficult to complete?

5. Does your political cartoon have a clear stance? What was your stance?

6. Did you cite your sources for your infographic? What was your source (s)?

7. How would you rate the Canva program in terms of ease of use?

8. Did you use any other programs or websites to complete your task? Please list them and what you used them to do.

9. If you could do your project again, what would you change or do again?

10. On a scale of 1-10 how much did you enjoy this project? Explain your answer and what you would recommend the teacher do to make the project better for future students

Illustrator Project. Assigned 4/15, due 4/20 (at the beginning of the period) - MAJOR

Using Illustrator

You will need to do any of these tutorials and post your efforts on your Google Site for credit on this assignment. Please remember that the object of this is to help you learn how to create art for the newspaper, so try to find tutorials that help with that task. I hope your training using GMetrix and having passed the certification test in InDesign which should help you with these creations. I know we did InDesign, but Illustrator has the same kinds of buttons, tools, and more. It isn't a hard step to use Illustrator.

Open Illustrator:

Once you open Illustrator, click the button on the far left that says CREATE NEW and select the A4 option. You can choose the "Orientation" button on the middle right to decide if you want a vertical or horizontal page.

I believe that Illustrator is a very intuitive program, but it does take practice. One of the best ways to get better is to watch tutorials. Below I have linked a bunch of them. You have two days for this assignment, so you have time to watch a few and learn how to do basics.

Here are some links and both have clickable links to other tutorials and sites so click away!!:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/tutorials.html

http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/articles/20-basic-illustrator-tutorials-every-beginner-should-see

http://www.good-tutorials.com/tutorials/illustrator/basics

You can also just Google Adobe Illustrator tutorials and you will find lots of links.

For your assignment, I would like you to create THREE graphics that could be used in the newspaper. You can do any of the following for these three graphics, but you must do at LEAST 1 political cartoon and 1 infographic. I will give you instructions next class on how to turn in these three graphics:

1. Create an infographic with data and art.

2. Create a political cartoon with a clear opinion/message, that includes symbols & labels, one of the persuasive techniques you learned about last class, and that is factual based. Consider exaggerations that you might utilize with this piece. 

3. A art piece that could be used with a review of some sort (this could be a review of a movie, book, music, restaurant, etc). OR you can create another Infographic or Political Cartoon

Here are some ideas if you need help coming up with something, but feel free to come up with your own ideas and plans:

The upcoming Midterm Elections

Parking on Campus

Rats and insects in classrooms

The "period" drive that was recently held

Too cool for school - the decrease of student spirit or how the school is combatting it

AISD budget problems

Flag Football

Cesar Chavez controversy

Epstein Files

AI use

Class ranks causing stress

Blend vs Google classroom

The Alamo Drafthouse going to all digital - no one takes your order anymore

Character Strong - positive or negative, did it work this year?

Project Hail Mary

Grocery store rankings in Austin

Examples:

Political Cartoons. Assigned 4/13, due 4/15 - Minor

 Political Cartoons

The other big type of graphics we create for the newspaper are Political Cartoons.

What are Political Cartoons?

https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-cartoon

On your Google Site please create a new subpage called Political Cartoons and answer the following questions:

1. What is a political cartoon?

2. Where do most political cartoons appear in a newspaper?

3. What are the usual topics for political cartoons?

4. Are political cartoons based in facts?

5. What is the goal of a political cartoon, according to the website?

Now go to this website:

https://civicslearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/How-To-Analyze-a-Political-Cartoon.pdf

Answer the following question:

6. What are the five persuasive techniques that cartoonists use in their work? In a sentence or two, explain the technique in your own words.

7. List the five questions you should use to analyze cartoons?

Now go here to learn how to plan and create a political cartoon:

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Political-Cartoon

8. List the suggested steps to PLAN a cartoon.

9. List the suggested steps to CREATE the cartoon

Now let's go look at a few cartoons.

https://www.politico.com/gallery/2022/03/18/the-nations-cartoonists-on-the-week-in-politics-00018284?slide=14

10. What were some of the topics you saw as you clicked through these cartoons?

11. List some symbols you saw as you looked through these.

12. Share a screen shot of THREE of these cartoons and answer the following questions about them?

a. What issue is this political cartoon about?

b. What is the cartoonist's opinion on this issue?

c. What other opinion can you imagine another person having on this issue?

d. Did you find the cartoon persuasive? Why or why not?

e. What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?

Infographic Preview - assigned 4/8, due 4/13 - Minor

Prompt Shoot #3

Before you start on today's assignment, please take a few minutes (like no more than 20), to process your 5 images in Photoshop (color manage = Levels, and crop (you have full control, crop what you want). Once you are done with that, please post those 5 images on your Google Site on a subpage called Prompt Shoot #3. Under each photo, tell me what prompt it is, and then write 100-150 words explaining why you think that photo equals that prompt. You don't have to go into great detail and this is entirely your opinion. Once you have that published, please move onto Infographics Preview.

What is an Infographic?

Infographics are just what the name implies: graphics that display information. There are lots of creative ways to do this. The better you are at designing infographics, the more likely people will engage with your story. You are creating a new "entry point" that enhances your overall design package.

There are lots of types of Infographics. Click the website linked below for more information:

Types of Infographics

On your Google Site, make a new subpage called Infographics Preview and answer the following questions:

1. List the 8 suggested types of Infographics from the website.

2. Which type of Infographic might you use for the following things. Please be specific and use the types from the website. Make sure you explain why you think that would be the best method:

a. You want to show someone how to change a tire

b. You want to show the results of a poll where you asked students where they access daily news and you gave them a set of 10 choices

c. You want to show the concentration of voters across the United States and who they chose for the most recent presidential election

d. When you want to guide a group of students into the best job for them in a specific industry

e. You want to show a series of statistics based on age and income growth across time

3. Look at each graphic presented on the website. Each graphic shares some similar elements, what are those things? These are SHARED things that every single graphic had, so do not compare the eight types. What are the things you see in every graphic you looked at?

4. What do you think Infographics add to a newspaper page or spread?

5. What do you think would cause a newspaper editor to decide to use an infographic instead of a photograph or more text?

Now let's make an infographic using a web-based  resource:

Directions: To help you get used to creating Infographics, we are going to use an online service that helps you generate cool looking Infographics.

Step 1: Go to http://infogr.am/ to sign-up for an account. You should be able to sign-in using your AISD issued gmail account, if not, use your personal account.

Once you get logged into the site, click on the Infographics option at the top. This will open up a long list of options for you to use to create your Infographic. Don't pick one yet, you need the data first. Always let the data drive your choices. Content drives design, data drives infographic selections.

Step 2: Go to any of the following to find some interesting statistics that you could chart in an Infographic:

https://www.statista.com

http://infomory.com/category/numbers/

https://www.google.com/publicdata/directory

https://www.usa.gov/statistics

Step 3: Select the best type of infographic that will best illustrate the data you have selected. Start using the infogram options to fill in the appropriate data in the places it needs to go. If you would prefer to do an infographic without using specific data, like a "how-to" or a "timeline" or some sort of "flowchart" you can certainly do that, but you would need to source that information from a specific website, so you will have to do your own research.

Step 4: Make sure you have added a headline and all the appropriate labels for your infographic. You should try to find a way to add the SOURCE of your data to the infographic, but not all of the template options allow for this. Please understand that in the real world, you must include WHERE you got your data from. It is crucial that your readers know the source of all data so they can do their own, independent research if they wish.

Step 5: Once you finish your graphic, post your info graphic to your Google Site by taking a screen shot of your graphic and posting it. If you need support with this, please let me know. I haven't asked students to do this before, so I am not sure the best route to make sure I can see your creation. You may have to use an Embed Code.