Lights, Camera, Literacy!
Grant: Soundproofing and other equipment for videopodcasting
Amount: $2,793.87
Teacher: Bob Jefferson, Amy Polito, Katherine Troy, Carol Willard
Students benefiting from grant: Junior High
STURBRIDGE – Tantasqua Regional Junior High School (TRJHS) students will be taping events at the school and creating their own original television shows, thanks to a grant for “Lights-Camera-Literacy!”
The $2793.87 grant, secured by TRJHS teachers Robert Jefferson, Amy Polito, Katherine Troy and Carol Willard, was provided by the Tantasqua Education Foundation (Ted.) and allowed the teachers to purchase new equipment for a television studio, such as a video camcorder, tripod, headphones, mixers, microphones, lighting and more.
The new studio will be built in an old band practice room.
The entire Literacy Committee – comprising 15 people – collaborated to write the grant. The purpose of the program is to incorporate literacy and technology.
“Technology’s the new way and we thought we’d give it a try,” TRJHS English instructor Amy Polito said.
But they knew they couldn’t do it alone.
“We recruited people who are technologically-talented, to help those of us who are not,” TRJHS reading instructor Nancy Bazinet said.
So TRJHS computer instructor Jennifer Santos and technology instructor Matt Guertin signed on to serve as technology consultants. They also work very closely with Jefferson, who set up a podcasting club last year with Ted. grant money. The Lights-Camera-Literacy! Program will be building on, and working in conjunction with, the podcasting program.
High school English instructor Steve Tieri, who runs the cable station at the high school, also signed on. Because Lights-Camera-Literacy! work will tie in with the existing video studio at the high school, the committee is also hoping to, in the future, provide an opportunity for high school student interns to share their knowledge at the junior high level.
But what does creating a television show have to do with literacy?
“We are working on 21st century technology skills,” Polito said. “Literacy is not just pen and paper work anymore. Kids tend to be very tech-savvy, if we can hook them into presenting in this way, they are still presenting. We’ve just given them a new venue.”
Santos explained that a successful show relies heavily on good literacy skills. For example, they need to come up with tangible questions to ask during interviews, create a storyboard, work on sequencing, write text-overs, do large amounts of editing and checking and make sure they are conveying their message clearly.
Several students are already working on creating shows in an afterschool film club. So far, they have taped the Junior National Honor Society induction and a volleyball game. Last month, they worked on a flu public service announcement that ran on the morning announcements.
Rocky Graham, of Brookfield, said he joined the club just for fun.
“I really wanted to make movies,” Graham said.
Shannon Cibien, of Brimfield, said he hopes to make film his career choice.
“I’m good with computers,” Cibien said. “I think it’s fun. I like the effects and the animations.”
Tyler Martin, of Wales, said he is thinking also about film as a future career, and thought the club would be a good way to find out if he liked it or not.
“My friends were telling me about it and said it was fun,” Tyler Martin, of Wales, said. “I like shooting.”
Eddie Fisher, of Wales, agreed.
“I like to shoot the film,” Wales said. “I like to hold the camera and tell people where to go and what to say.”
Bazinet said setting up the program has been a learning process for everyone, including the students and the teachers.
“This has been a very collaborative process,” Polito said. “The Literacy Committee came up with this, but we had a big buy-in from the teachers and students. Literacy involves communication in all forms and speaks to MCAS frameworks.”
Bazinet said that she hopes in the future teachers from all content areas will find a use for the studio.
Both Polito and Bazinet raved about their experience with the Ted. Foundation.
“The Ted. Foundation absolutely provided us with a way to enhance the learning experience the students have here,” Polito said.
“[Ted.] is a great resource,” Bazinet said. “Never could we attempt to do this without them.”
A total of $11,612.91 has been awarded to six projects in the 2009-2010 academic year.