There is hope for journalism, these kids are proof
Two words my reaction to the video above: shock and hopefulness.
This summer, middle school students from the Porterville Unified School District are learning about journalism at my high school, Granite Hills. And when I say “journalism” I don’t mean it in the traditional sense. They’re learning digital journalism with a cirriculum I have yet to see on a college level:
- Reporting: Interviewing, writing leads, taking notes, editing
- Multimedia: Video production (using Final Cut Pro!), audio editing, photo editing
- Beyond basics: Photoshop, Illustrator, 3D graphics, animated graphics, HTML
- Understanding news: reading the New York Times to understand news article structure and get a grasp for world events
All the mini-sessions are being taught by fresh high school graduates — the very kids who were little high school freshmen when I was editor in chief (including my little brother, the one teaching the HTML session).
My initial reaction was to compare skills being learned by these 12-year-olds to those skills of college reporters I work with. The 12-year-olds win. The video above, although not perfect, is more well-produced than what most Mustang Daily reporters achieve by the end of a quarter on staff. And the fact that recent high school grads can teach skills that colleges are struggling to teach only further mesmerizes me.
And think about it– these are just kids! Listen to the voice of the young girl who narrates the video. She sounds like she should be narrating Sesame Street. She still has six years until she graduates high school, ten years until she graduates college. If kids are learning these skills right now, imagine what they’ll be able to do with it by the time they get to the professional industry.
Back when I went there (2003-2007), I helped get the program on its feet, and I’m so proud to see where it’s come since then.
As I tweeted earlier, I am absolutely blown away. And, also, a little terrified. At this rate, these kids will put me out of a job.
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2 Comments
“As I tweeted earlier, I am absolutely blown away. And, also, a little terrified. At this rate, these kids will put me out of a job.”
Ditto. This is crazy. But awesome.
Lauren,
Thank you for the encouraging remarks in regard to The Grizzly Gazette’s summer camp for middle school kids in Porterville. It was a blast for me to watch the college, high school, and middle schoolers all interact and have fun learning about digital communications. But it is somewhat ironic that the post date for your blog entry was 9/11. That is the day I turned in my request to the district office for a voluntary transfer to Harmony Magnet Academy.
I have always enjoyed working with the students of the Gazette and I am very proud of what all of you have accomplished; however, I don’t know if Granite Hills High School ever fully appreciated the efforts put into making the Gazette a nationally recognized online newspaper.
After the conclusion to GrizzComm summer camp, I received an email stating that a staff member did not want GrizzComm to use her room again because we left a yellow marker partially dried out. We left a box of paperclips partially spilled in a desk drawer. We left a bottle of whiteboard cleaner on the whiteboard shelf. After all of the work that went in to GrizzComm, this is the comment we received. I apologized for our mess, but wondered.
After all of the planning by Gazette staff to implement a Google team approach to our newspaper, decisions were made that stymied our efforts. Only one section of American history was during summer school. Now juniors could not fit a 0-1 block for the Gazette into their schedule. AP Civics was moved to first period; now seniors could not take our 0-1 block. Health was scheduled for 0 period; now freshmen who attended summer camp could not take the 0-1 block. After all of our success, we had only five students scheduled for a 0-1 block. The end of the Gazette as we knew it was near. Our students are working very hard to produce a 0 period paper, but maintaining the quality of the past is going to be very difficult, especially with a very young staff.
Then to top everything off, I wanted to raise money from staff and students to present Jeremy with a laptop to symbolize our appreciation for everything he had done for our community. Many staff members, students, and parents were very supportive; however, several staff members would not contribute to the Rabaino family because of Lauren’s remarks about ASB. I was deeply hurt that teachers would hold one sibling responsible for an opinion expressed my another sibling. Then when we scheduled to present Jeremy with his laptop, after an email had been sent to all staff, only four teachers took the time to come see the presentation. This was the last straw. After having lunch with Christina, I asked her to drive me to the district office; I picked up my transfer request and turned it in after school.
With the reduction in AP classes offered at Granite, the coming retirement of Mrs. Duncan, the lack of effort made to keep the Gazette a viable 0-1 class, and the recent negative comments, I have decided that I want a new horizon, a new atmosphere. Hopefully Harmony will allow me to join their expanding Advanced Placement program and allow me the opportunity to inspire eager young engineers and musicians. I still have one good decade left.