Mark S. Nortz
GRED 614 TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
Instructor: HAL FERGUSON
I found the article for the first topic at the following Web sites;
University Video Communications
Link
The text book is one of the main teaching tools in the education of students. A publisher may update the textbook periodically, but even then it may not contain the most current information.
To keep current, the Internet can provide a teacher with different options. Many companies have web sites that can provide teachers with the latest lectures and tutorials on video or CD ROM. One such site is University Video Communications. It provides a list of their current titles, along with a list of existing inventory on both videotape and CD ROM. One title was "Patterns of Architecture." Clicking on this title linked to a description page where information such as title, format, price, narrator name and biographical information and ordering instructions.
The company's printed catalog would contain this information, but might not have the latest material. Also, rather than having to go through multiple printed catalogs, a search can be done on a specific topic. In a matter of seconds, material on the chosen topic will be listed. with web sites becoming the norm, printed material may soon be the exception.
Mark S. Nortz
Teaching in Education
Paper 2
Curriculum
Euopean Broadcasting Union-EBU
This web site deals specifically with the transfer of audio from one source to another. It has made available many different types of soft ware that can be down loaded and used to merge audio tracks from different sources.
This site could be a big help in long distance editing. The software available at this site would allow the transfer of audio tracks back and forth between reporter and producer over fiber optic lines. This would cut down on the time it would take to get a story ready for air. In broadcasting, it is common to see many different video, audio, and computor formats. This site is set up to deal with the audio part of the dilemma of multi formats.
This would come in handy when a crew is away from the studio and must make do with the equipment at hand. An engineer would be able to trouble shoot problems using information available on this site.
Mark S. Nortz
Technology in Teaching
Paper 3
New Tech
Making Sense of Multicasting
Multicasting is sending many broadcast signals in the space of one wide broadcast signal. ABC TV and Sinclair Broadcasting are researching this now.
What this would mean to the viewer is; instead of one channel of HDTV, you could receive several different channels in the same space. The picture quality would improve somewhat, you wouldn't have to buy a new TV, and you would have access to more channels. The signal will still have to be digital as required by the FCC. This means stations will still have to upgrade their facilities to use digital technology. Either way it will cost broadcasters millions to upgrade.
Why research Multicasting? MONEY! ABC is trying to decide which format will allow them to recoup the money spent on the digital upgrade the fastest. They also must find out what the consumer will go for. Will they shell out the big bucks for a new High Definition TV, or will they be happy with the current signal quality and the opportunity to pick up new channels on a pay-per-view basis. Another question that Multicasting raises is; where is the extra programing going to come from to fill the air time? Instead of one channel, now you have to fill four.
In theory, you should make more money selling commercials on four stations instead of one. But how many stations can a viewer watch at one time?
This is a very interesting topic and I will continue to monitor it.
Mark S.Nortz
Technology in Education
Assignment 1
Broadcast & Cable has long been the bible of the industry. It was simply called Broadcast Magazine up untill a few years ago when "cable" was added to the title to reflect the change in the broadcasting field. This is an excellent source for all kinds of information pertaining to broadcasting.
The web page is set up similer to the hard copy. The contents are broken down into: broadcast TV; cable TV; new technolgy; telemedia; and classifieds. There is even a back issues section that is great for instant reference material.
Each week the cover story features a timely topic. The article can be on the latest in technology, new programming, new laws, or personnel changes within the industry. The feature article often ties in with one or more of the regular topics covered in that week's issue.
It is a great way to keep in touch with what is going on outside of your market. Also the classifieds can give you up to date job listings, the latest trade shows, and equipment rental and sales.
I give this publication two thumbs up!
For the curriculum resource paper, I found a site on the internet at //unite.ukans.edu/explorer/desc/806787664-81ED7D49.html. At this site I found a math game for the students to use, called Bullfrog Math. The game integrates the use of a mouse with number sequences. The idea is to eat as many flies and multiply as fast as the frogs can in order to save their species without the hungry fish eating all the tadpoles.
This could be used in my Course INR as a reward and at the same time they have to do figuring of number sequences to see how many flies they should eat before their species dies out. There is more than one level of this game, which makes it more useful for a school system. Each game, Bullfrog Math I, II, III all integrate the same basic ideas, except at each level the concepts of the game get more difficult. Then, at the end of each game, it tells what part of the curriculum the game reinforces. All I looked at was Bullfrog Math I, and that alone integrated problem solving, mathematical sequences and reasoning, whole numbers, number sense and much more. This seems like a fun way for the students to review, however I wouldnÕt use it as a sole teaching technique, but it is a nice reward for the students.
One problem I have with the program is it might be too basic for 9-12 grade students. However, I often teach 7th and 8th grade math, so some day it may be a useful site.
Mark S. Nortz
GRED 614 TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
HAL FERGUSON
I found the article for the first topic at the following Web sites;
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WIRED SCHOOL HOUSE
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CAREER AND EDUCATION CHANNEL
Under the "Wired School House" section, on the Career and Education page, I came across an article entitled; "The Web as Visual Arts Educator". As the cost of education continues to rise, schools look for ways of cutting expenses. The first to go is usually the Arts. It has long been recognized that "The Arts", whether it be music, theater, or drawing, are very important in rounding out a students education. This article is from the view point that the situation won't change and offers alternatives that will give the students what they need without the high toll on tax payers' budgets. The first thing the article talks about is the educational material that many organizations make available on the Web. Most of the material is what teachers have created in house and wish to share with other teachers who may be looking for fresh ideas. Why is this so important? Not all schools are located near a metropolitan area that would allow them access to museums and art galleries. Web sites, like this one, will allow students access to works of art and information without having to physically travel there.
The article goes on to point out that not all artists and organizations are represented on the Internet. Teachers still must supplement a student's education with the occasional field trips and books from the library. "Wired Schoolhouse" also provides a list of museums and what they have to offer, along with libraries that contain books on pertinent subject matter. I thought this was a very informational article, as well as realistic. It didn't paint the Web as a cure all, but as supplement to traditional teaching methods.
i
Technology in Teaching
Mark S. Nortz
Web site critique
Mrs. Ross Social Studies
This is a web page designed to be a resource for Jr. High social studies. It is set up to be used with the different history units to be covered in class.
I thought this was a very well put together page. I thought the balance of text and graphics worked very well. The articles were interesting and helpful, but not too long. I thought the length was important given the age group this page is geared towards. The graphics were helpful, yet not overpowering. They complimented the text, while not taking away from it.
There was also a great deal of thought that went into the selections of background colors and borders. In the Native Americans unit, the borders were of native design and the background colors were earth tones. I also liked this unit because at the end, e-mail addresses were available. What a great idea, encouraging students to contact the subject matter directly.
I also liked the fact that throughout this page, students were reminded that this site is just one of many resources available on this topic.
All in all a very well done page.
GRED 614
Mark S. Nortz
week 4
Assignment 2 Research Paper
*Hal, this is the ERIC paper that I didn"t get to last week.
Journalism and Research links paper
This site is located at the University of Oregon. It provides information on the college's journalism department as well as research papers on timely topics and issues.
The research papers provided are written by both professors and students. They provide you with the sources of their material and where to find more information on certain topics. As for as a resource for curriculum, this site is very flimsy. The papers were shallow in content and the topics were on the sensational side. I found it a good example of what not to do when writing a paper or teaching a class.
I felt this site was more for promotion of the college. It was a more indepth on-line college catalog, than a resource tool. It even had YAHOO! linked to it. This is not a site I would visit again.
Mark S. Nortz
GRED 614 TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
HAL FERGUSON
I found the article for the first topic at the following Web sites;
Green Productions-High Definition Productions@ Link
High Definition TV
As a professional in the field of television broadcasting, I have found that it is crucial to keep up on today's technology. The biggest change in broadcasting since the evolution of television from black and white to color is high definition TV, or HDTV. This change will mean consumers will have to buy new televisions to receive the benefit of this new technology. It means a major expense for the television broadcaster.
How then can a broadcast station take advantage of this technology without huge capital expenditures? A search of the Internet turns up Green Productions. This company has been using HDTV for a couple of years. they have a catalog of programs that have been shot using the HDTV format, and they also have HDTV equipment available to rent. This will provide the small broadcast operation access to the latest technology without a major capital expenditure.
Sites like this one and others are a great reference and resource when researching formats, brand names, distributors, etc. This web site won't replace a technology trade show, but it may be the next best thing.
GRED 614
Mark S. Nortz
Week 5
Assignment 1 Learning Theory
For this paper I needed to pick one of the Learning Theories. I chose Multiple Intelligence. Multiple Intelligence is the theory that there are at least seven distinct ways that different people have of "knowing" and understanding the world. Each of these is a distinct "intelligence"-a set of skills that allows the individual to find and resolve problems facing him or her.
Through an ERIC search, I found an abstract by Russell Davis; "Learning how to learn: Technolgy, the Seven Multiple Intelligences and Learning". Mr. Davis feels that computors can be a vital tool when combined with the theory of multiple intelligences. Hopefully the two together will help students learn to the best of their abilities and become life long learners. It appears of the seven intelligences only three: linguistic, logical mathematics, and intrapersonal are addressed in the classroom because they apply to the majority of students. The intelligences of spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, and interpersonal may only be touched on because they may affect only a minority of students.
There is available more in depth reading and curriculum on this subject, as well a list of software that can address each intelligence.
Conclusion; a combination of computers and attention to the multiple intelligences will result in a more successful classroom learning environment. I found this to be a very interesting and well written article. A very useful and helpful site.
Gred 614
Mark S. Nortz
week 5, Assignment 2 Research Paper
"The slow, sad sellout of journalism school" by James Ledbetter
This paper looked into the circumstances that have changed the way journalism is taught in today's colleges. Mr. Ledbetter visited the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the University of Missouri. Both have different learning styles when it comes to journalism. At the Medill school, Integrated Marketing Communications, a combination of writing, marketing, and public relations, is a track within the journalism program. Students in this program focus on using the broadcasting medium as a marketing tool. Investigative reporting and story research are only touched upon lightly. This program is designed to give students background in areas that would allow them to work in broadcasting as well as marketing and public relations. College officals feel that the journalism market is getting smaller. So rather than turn out kids with one skill, give them a broad base that will make them more flexable. The problem, students lack the basic writing skills that would land them a entry level job in broadcasting.
On the other hand, the University of Missouri operates it's own commercial TV station. Here students get valuable hands on training. They are very familiar with the different jobs at the station and can carry most of them out with satisfaction. The problem; because this is a commercial station with nightly news casts, students are under constant deadlines. They never learn what it is like to research a story all the way through. They are just happy they got something on the air. This type of environment is more vocational and lacks the nuts and bolts of basic writing that a journalist must have.
Conclusion; schools have changed the curriculum to prepare students for jobs that are associated with journalism, not jobs that are actually in journalism.
Gred 614
Mark S. Nortz
week 5
Assignment 2 Research Paper
The slow, sad sellout of journalism school
by James Ledbetter
This paper looked into the circumstances that have changed the way journalism is taught in today's colleges. Mr. Ledbetter visited the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the University of Missouri. Both have different learning styles when it comes to journalism.
At the Medill school, Integrated Marketing Communications, a combination of writing, marketing, and public relations, is a track within the journalism program. Students in this program focus on using the broadcasting medium as a marketing tool. Investigative reporting and story research are only touched upon lightly. This program is designed to give students background in areas that would allow them to work in broadcasting as well as marketing and public relations. College officals feel that the journalism market is getting smaller. So rather than turn out kids with one skill, give them a broad base that will make them more flexable. The problem, students lack the basic writing skills that would land them a entry level job in broadcasting.
On the other hand, the University of Missouri operates it's own commercial TV station. Here students get valuable hands on training. They are very familiar with the different jobs at the station and can carry most of them out with satisfaction. The problem; because this is a commercial station with nightly news casts, students are under constant deadlines. They never learn what it is like to research a story all the way through. They are just happy they got something on the air. This type of environment is more vocational and lacks the nuts and bolts of basic writing that a journalist must have.
Conclusion; schools have changed the curriculum to prepare students for jobs that are associated with journalism, not jobs that are actually in journalism.
Technology In Teaching
Mark S. Nortz
New Technology
Paper 2
Mercury Digital Video Source
MC.com/mdvs/MDVS_main.html
"Unconnected Islands for video editing a thing of the past"
This was an article out of PC magazine explaining non-linear editing and how it is now possible to add it to a newsroom network. Non-linear editing is the use of digitized images as a source instead of video tape. The article started out by explaining that up until now, non-linear editing was a stand alone operation. With the amount of space needed to store digitized audio and video the networking of several edit stations was not possible. This was fine because non-linear was used mainly in the area of production, for commercials, industrial videos, etc., and collaboration wasn't necessary.
In most of todays newsrooms all PC's are part of a network system using a central server. This allows reporters to collaborate on a story from their own work station, store completed work in a library while not taking up space on their own hard drive. The question posed was: "What if it were possible to do this with non-linear editing?" If it could be done, a reporter could write and edit a story all from the same work station. The old sneaker network would go away. With the use of a server, script, audio, and video could all be saved in a central location for easy access by all involved in the news gathering process.
Mercury Digital Video has developed a bigger and faster hard drive that can make all this possible. It will hopefully be on the market in early 1998. I find this fascinating. This process will eliminate a couple of steps in the editing process. I thoroughly enjoyed this article, it was well written and was accompanied by many useful graphics that illustrated the non-linear process quite well.
GRED 614
Mark S. Nortz
week 5
Assignment 3
New tech
DVC-For Todays Video Professional
DVC, digital video camera, is another format that is available to broadcasters who are looking to make the jump into the digital age. This is an old format, but with a new twist. It allows you to record audio and video on to a video tape, but digitally.
It is much cheaper then non-linear editing, which is good for the smaller broadcaster on a limited budget. It has excellent sound quality and the picture is crystal clear.
The article went into detail on the technology behind DVC and what the future holds for yet another video format. It also raised some valid questions; Is this just a stop gap? Will this format be a "white elephant"?
Like many things that we use today, this is another example of technology changing at an incredible rate.
Hal, here is my assignment. I will be at the library early for our trip to
channel 7
Mark S. Nortz
GRED 614
Curriculum Plan
This program is designed for the college broadcast major. Upon completion of this program, the intern will have had first-hand experience in every area of the day to day news operation. it is based on the typical 8 week summer internship, working five days a week and a 40 hour work week. Note: At the end of each week, the intern should review what has been covered. If they find they need additional help in any area, please notify the news director so they can receive more work in that area.
What is expected of intern
To come away with basic knowledge of day to day broadcast operation
To be able to perform basic everyday tasks
€To become familiar with the computer systems and various applications such
as Associated Press, tape library, and script writing
To find file tape and cue it up to desired point
Know how to operate edit machines
To understand the difference between insert editing and assembly editing
To be able to create voice over news stories, voice over/sound-on-tape news
stories, and ultimately the packaged news story
To understand the concept of two channel audio
To know how to run studio camera for all newscasts
To know how to prepare and execute the stacking of news tapes for each
newscast
To be able to execute simple ENG assignments
To spend time with reporter observing interview and writing techniques
To spend time with Producer observing how a newscast is put together
To spend time with Assignment Editor observing how assignments are
researched, set up and news crews dispatched
The student will conclude their internship with a video tape showing
skills gained in either reporting or shooting
Week 1
Interns will go out with new crew and observe how they gather information for that day's stories. They will observe how the photographer and the reporter work together in the field and in the news room. At this time, they will learn how to use the video tape library in the computer. The library has all the news file tape listed in it. Once they understand how to use this, they will be shown where the file tapes are stored, the order they are kept in, and the difference between a VO/SOT tape and a PACKAGE tape. From here, they will be shown how the edit stations work. They will need to Know how to operate a playback deck so they can cue up file tape that is needed for that days newscast.
Week 2
The day will now be split in half. The intern will spend part of the day in the field, and part in the newsroom. In the field, they will still be observing the photographer and the reporter. At this time, the photographer will begin going over basic video camera operation. this will include shot composition, framing, and audio set-up. The second half of the day will be spent in house. They will sit in with the editor and learn how the video tape is edited. Depending on how quickly the intern understands the concept, determines how soon they will be given editing to do on their own. It is here that they will learn the importance of timing and shot selection.
Week 3
By now, the intern should understand how a crew works in the filed and how the story is physically put together. Now, they will get more detailed training. This week, they will get their hands on the camera and learn basic shooting. They will learn how to power the camera up, what filter to use, how to white balance, how to use the iris - both auto and manual, and the different record switches. Other basics to be covered are correct framing, how and when to use a tripod, the difference and use of the shot gun, hand held, and Lavalier microphones. A tour of the news vehicle will be given. They will be shown what equipment is in each of the two news vehicles and what it is used for, including the cell phone and scanner.
Week 4
More reporting, sit with reporter and write, editing, AP computer system
Week 5
Work with producer, assignment editor and news director
Week 6
Observe other non-news departments at the station
Week 7
Intern will perform simple news assignments
Week 8
Intern will work on resume tape and simple assignments
Note: Not all interns have a broadcast background, and some of these terms may be unfamiliar:
AP
VO
VO/SOT
Package
Reader
SOT
File Tape
Edit Station
Assemble Edit
Insert Edit
Control Track or Black
Cue Tape
ENG
Slate
GRED 614
Mark S. Nortz
Design Model
Analysis
At channel 7, we have many interns who pass through the station. At this point in time, we have no formal way of evaluating them. This is very important as they are receiving college credit for the internship. A structured program is needed to assure the station and the college that the interns are truly earning their credits. Design
Interns will spend time in each department of news. This will give them a chance to experience all aspects of the operation. As they move from area to area, they will be shown how to do each job and be expected to show a certain level of proficiency and knowledge of each job. Implementation
They will start learning from day one. They will be encouraged to ask questions and show initiative. The amount of time spent with the intern in any given area will depend on that individual. This will mean that although interns will start at the same time, some will be at different levels according to each one's ability. But in the end, they will all have to show proficiency in each area.
Evaluation
After the internship is over, the intern's body of work will be evaluated. It is here we will determine what area needs more work and where their strengths lie. We will also look at the intern program as a whole, and see where our program's strengths and weaknesses are, and make changes accordingly.
GRED 614
Mark S. Nortz
Resource Paper
Journalism and Education Resource >a href="http://www.it-komptens.se/journ/jschools.html"> www.it-komptens.se
This site is a very good curriculum resource. At this site there are links to universities all over the world: Europe, North America, South America, New Zealand, Africa and Asia.
I traveled to the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The resources consisted mostly of research papers done by the professors at the various universities. Upon further looking, I did come across some material that could be downloaded. At one UK site, there were many graphics that could be used in a Power Point presentation teaching journalism. It gave right and wrong examples of various writing styles. There were also many lesson plans that used links to other universities. This was a very easy site to use and every college had its own search engine. All in all, a very useful resource.
GRED 614
Mark S. Nortz
New Technology
The Gadget Guru www.gadgetguru.com
Panasonic ED-H70 Compact Cellular Phone
Cellular phones are not new, but this one has many new features. First of all, the phone weighs 5.3 ounces. The Panasonic ED-H70 has a memo record function that can record audio memos up to 20 seconds long. It can store up to 99 sixteen digit numbers, has an address feature, and a "scratch pad." The scratch pad allows you to store addresses, meeting times, and phone numbers all while talking on the phone.
The Panasonic ED-H70 can also be set to receive calls only or send calls only. This new cellular phone also has a limit function which allows the owner to set a limit on how many calls can be made from that phone over a certain period of time. This is billed as a money-saving feature. An added safety feature is the any key answer,which was designed for people who drive and use the phone. It allows the driver to answer the phone by hitting any key. This way the driver doesn't have to look for the answer key. Cost $599.00.