Multimedia & Advanced Multimedia Syllabi

Pikeville High School

Multimedia & Advanced Multimedia Syllabi

Mrs. Mary Anne Prater – Instructor

Planning Period – 4th – 10:55-11:45

Course Description:

You will be introduced to a number of technical and non-technical skills, including news writing, script writing, newspaper design and layout, directing, interviewing and hands-on camera and studio skills such as lighting, sound and editing. Class projects will include both news-oriented material and creative assignments. We will be in charge of producing a school news show every week. In addition, you will be responsible for working with Pike TV in creating professional programming for our school district.

Characteristics We Value in This Classroom:

Respect. (Show respect for your classmates, your teacher, and your equipment.)

Integrity. (Be honest in everything that you do.)

Work ethic. (Always try your hardest.)

Commitment. (Come to class on time and be ready for production.)

Fun. (Learning about video production and reporting the news should be fun.)

Professional. (Although fun, you must be responsible for getting the job done in a professional manner as our work will be seen by students, parents, and community members and will be representing our school district).

How Do I Receive an A In This Class?

Follow the expectations of the class: Come to class on time every day. Respect everyone and everything in the classroom. Do the work and try your best. Be honest in everything you do. Get involved and have fun. If you meet all of these criteria, the rest will take care of itself.

Late Work:

In the world of Journalism, if you do not meet deadlines, your work will not be aired or published. With that being said, you will turn in all of your work on time. Late work will not be tolerated. If you do not turn something in on time… you may turn it in late for half credit up to THREE days late. If you know ahead of time that you will miss class because of a school activity or other reasons, please see me about completing assignments.

Format:

The format will change a little this year. We will have 3 teams (red, white and blue). The purpose of this is to have the three stages of production in rotation:

Pre-Production / Production / Post Production
Pre-production will be where the whole group together brainstorms a feature they want to create. I want this to be a full day for script writing, planning out how it will be filmed, and what music needs to be used. A script needs to be produced on notebook paper so it can be used during production. Scripts need to be approved before production starts the next day by the teacher. Use the people in our classrooms. If you need to feature another teacher, please request permission in advance. / Students will use the script written by the writers to film the feature. The talent will act out the script on camera as directed by the writers, directors, and camera operators. Once all scenes are filmed, production is complete. / Anchors will do the weekly announcements on Thursday. Anchors will be in charge of getting the announcements on the monitor and the Director will be responsible for videotaping. The editors will be responsible for editing the week’s show. After all announcements are filmed, the school features, commercials, PSAs, etc. will be edited and put into the show.

Roles:

1.) Writer

2.) Director

3.) Editor

4.) Talent(actors)

5.) Camera operator/lighting

Broadcast and Print Journalism:

For broadcast journalism, first and second year multimedia students are required to assume the various roles in their groups. This is a group effort. The groups will be responsible for keeping their written scripts in a notebook with very specific instructions (music, props, etc.) and their role in weekly production. When planning, all group members should be involved. Your grades will be based on the weekly notebook.

For print journalism, all first and second year multimedia students are required to write for the school newspaper, News Express, Medical Leader and/or school website to cover our school and district news. The only exception to this will be our lead editors who will be required to remain after school one day a week to complete the final weekly school news show.

Grading:

20 points: Quality of Copy. Articles will be evaluated for points toward the final grade. Final copies must be typed and should follow AP style closely. Articles should have a strong lead and an interesting angle, use quotes (direct and indirect), and show evidence of good investigative reporting resulting in a significant article.

20 points: Meeting Deadlines. There will be deadlines for ad sales, copy, rough drafts, pictures, cutlines, headlines, final drafts, and layouts. Meeting deadlines will keep our newspaper operation and news show running smoothly and prevent PANIC.

20 points: Ad Sales. The economics of publishing a school newspaper is important. Each staff member is asked to sell $__20__ in ads per issue.

10 points (weekly): Responsibility. Each staff member is expected to make responsible decisions about any matter which will affect the reputation of the newspaper, news show and the rest of the staff. Absolutely no internet surfing or computer games. Deduction of points and school disciplinary action will be taken.

10 points: Time Management. The actions of each staff member should reflect his/her ability to keep on task, his/her willingness to be a working member of a team, and his/her responsibility for the publication. Each staff member should manage his/her assignment and time to facilitate the timely completion of the assigned page as part of the current issue of the newspaper and weekly news show.

30 points: Overtime. Turning out a good publication and news show requires a commitment from each staff member, which includes some work time outside class. Overtime points may be earned by overtime work on layout, video editing, working afterschool and district events (required). You can sign up for events, but your presence is a MUST.

10 points: Attitude. Everyone begins with these points. The assumption is made that everyone will cooperate with the teacher and the staff. In order for our staff to be a success, this must be a staff effort with everyone working together.

20 points: Weekly News Segment based on scoring rubric and notebook.

HOMEWORK POLICY/OVERTIME WORK

Multimedia is somewhat different from other academic courses. From the day that articles and news activities are assigned, the student has a homework assignment which consists of research, interviews, attending extracurricular activities, writing and planning graphics and/or photography for his/her article assignment and news segment.

CLASS RULES AND EXPECTATIONS

1. Each student should be in the classroom ready to begin class when the tardy bell rings. This assures proper use of class time by both students and teacher. School policy for discipline, for cell phone use, for tardies, and for absences will be followed.

2. Because of the intensive nature of the course and the schedule, good attendance should be a priority with each student. When an absence is necessary, the student is expected to notify his/her page editor and to assume the responsibility seeing that his/her assignment is covered by another student or the teacher.

3. Multimedia students are given more freedom and independence than in traditional classroom settings; therefore, they are expected to use their freedom and time wisely and responsibly to complete assigned work.

4. Multimedia students are expected to consider the value of newspaper equipment and to treat computers and camera equipment with care.

5. Students are expected to keep their work environment clean and uncluttered and to clean up the area before leaving class each day.

6. The Multimedia class is like a small school family. We will treat each other with respect and courtesy. Neither negative behavior nor poor work habits are expected. If either occurs, parents are called. Open lines of communication with parents are important. Good work and achievement will be rewarded with good grades, praise, and a first-class program that produces a first class school news show, newspaper, and webpage that reflects well on the multimedia staff and Pikeville High School.

7. Wear identification badges when on assignment (high school, elementary, community, etc).