Learning Opportunities for Broadcast Clubs

Learning Opportunities

I love extra-curricular clubs because students have the opportunity to develop skills based on their own interests and aspirations in life. Unlike, math and science which all students are required to take, extra-curricular clubs are electives selected by students based on individual interest. Something magical happens when you bring together like-minded individuals around a collective set of goals. Your homework is no longer a requirement; it’s a passion. I think you will find that the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can learn and achieve in extra-curricular clubs. This course is made for the students who want to go the extra mile and create something special.  

Joining the broadcast club at your school can help you develop skills in several unique roles including web development, social media management, video production, camera operation, announcing, on-camera presentation and organizational management. It’s common for broadcast clubs to work closely with sports teams, musicians and theater departments. Through a close connection with your school and the support of your school’s administration, the broadcast club can provide many hands-on learning experiences in video production, broadcast, radio, photography, graphic design, communications, and other important skills you can apply in many valuable careers.

This online course is going to be fun and the book is going to be a breeze to read or listen to. You can download the audible version of this book and listen to it on the bus or on the walk home from school. This course will build upon your knowledge of live streaming with an exciting finale as we take you backstage to live stream a rock concert. The final chapter of this book will take you into one of the countries most advanced educational live streaming studios at the University of Southern California. It will be here that we will discuss what it’s like to pursue a career in video production.  

For those interested in video production, your school’s broadcast club resources will be an amazing chance to get hands-on with video equipment. This is a great way to explore different types of video cameras, understand how to use camera focus, work with depth of field and camera exposure settings. In this book and our online course, we will discuss how to choose the correct shutter speed and match up your video selections with the live video parameters required for Facebook and YouTube. We will review core camera techniques and principles you can apply to photography, video and live production. More importantly, you will learn about teamwork and the importance of various roles inside a production crew. You will see the real-world production teams from multiple broadcast clubs use teamwork to make the dream work.

For those interested in graphic design, we will discuss industry standard photo and video editing software. We will review much of the Adobe Cloud for Education Suite with a focus on the applications useful to the broadcast clubs including Adobe Photoshop, Premiere and After Effects. Throughout our course, you will learn how graphics and overlays are used inside live video production software. Students interested in graphic design can work with the social media and web development teams helping craft the look and feel of the broadcast club and the live video content. We will look at the “Graphics Chief” role inside a video production crew and review some interesting ways this role can provide real-time graphics for the team’s production.

For those interested in live streaming and video production software, you will get a crash-course in all things live video. We will provide a high-level overview of live streaming software, IP networking and a look at how everything integrates together to create a live broadcast. Learning about live streaming software also requires knowledge about cameras, social media, and graphic design. You will learn all of the vocabulary needed to understand the world of streaming media with an included glossary at the end of this book for your review. In this industry, we always say “the only way to learn about live streaming is to start live streaming.” At a certain point, you will need to get out there and see what it’s like to produce a live production for yourself. And that’s why you joined the broadcast club in the first place right?

Who are the club’s announcers? Your next live sports game is going to need a good announcer and Josh Lewis from SARS High School has included his “Dos and Don’ts” list for good sports broadcasting. Student sports announcers are quickly becoming one of the most popular positions in broadcast clubs. This is a great chance to learn the importance of articulation and public speaking. Plus, who doesn’t love calling the plays of an exciting sports game?

Finally, who are our web developers and software geeks? The web development role is absolutely crucial for the club to maintain an online presence. We highly suggest using Google Sites to manage your website. If your school has the Google for Education Suite, this is something to review your on-campus technology department. Google Sites is great for sharing the management responsibilities for your website with multiple members. Teachers can allow editing access to specific portions of the website for students to maintain and update. We will discuss roles inside your group for maintaining your live show schedule, embedding the latest live videos and updating the public blog with the club’s latest news.  

An important part of joining the broadcast club is determining what your own strengths are and how they can best fit into the broadcast club as a whole. As you read through this book, take note of the topics that peak your own personal interests. Do you have a personal project that can use some of the skills we are talking about in this book? Could some of your own personal aspirations for life benefits from additional knowledge in a specific area of learning?