Technology drives journalism class

March 2, 2009

When Miramichi students make headlines these days, they really make headlines.

Since last year, students at four area high schools have been producing news stories as part of a broadcast journalism course.

Jamie O'Toole is one of the course's instructors who spreads his time between James M. Hill, Miramichi Valley High, North and South Esk Regional and Blackville schools.

Students at each of the schools take part in the class through a live camera feed so they can interact with their distant classmates.

O'Toole said the students can see what happens in the other classrooms and he can send information to every student's computer when he needs to.

"There's no barrier there anymore. It's pretty much seamless."

As he started the class Friday afternoon, O'Toole did a quick check of the other schools to see which ones were online and had them bring the camera around so he could see who was in the other classrooms.

A TV in the corner of his room displayed the feed and the students' voices came through clear as they unmuted their microphone to check in.

The students knew what work they needed to do so O'Toole didn't have much in the way of instructing that day.

While the class works away every one of the microphones is muted until someone needs to talk and as soon as they do, the camera flips to a feed of their room so the rest of the group can see who is talking.

As the students and teachers respond to each other the camera feed flips back and forth between them.

"It's real time," O'Toole said.

Throughout the course students learn the different concepts of doing a video story, do podcasts, write blogs and create photo galleries on the course's website.

O'Toole said the instructors start by teaching the basics of writing, but they also get the technical skills needed to do stories.

"They also get the experience of using the equipment, of using the cameras."

When they start the course, each student is assigned a school in the area to cover and they do stories for that school, he said.

"It's worked well. From that process we've been able to highlight things happening at every school."

Grade 12 student Schacel Despres is in the journalism course and as she sat in the school's studio surrounded by sound equipment and news set complete with anchor desk and Centennial Bridge backdrop she said people don't realize how much effort goes into making the news.

"I find when you watch the news or read the newspaper it seems like it's done so easily," she said.

Despres didn't have an interest in journalism before she started the course and said she took it because she wants to go into theatre and the class will give her experience in front of a camera.

"Now that I'm in it I find it much more interesting." The only story Despres has written since starting the class in early February was about the Spread the Net campaign to raise money for mosquito nets and she said it was one of the recommended stories on the class website.

"I was pretty proud of myself."

Grade 11 student Brittany Cormier said she took the class because she is interested in video work and writing and the course is a combination of both.

"I had friends who were in it the first year it came out and it seemed pretty interesting."

The first story she did was about the Maritime Idol competition and she admitted to being a little nervous about people reading it once it was online.

"Your first article, I guess I really haven't written them before and I wasn't sure if it was good," Cormier said.

Out of the six students in the James M. Hill classroom she was the only one considering a career in journalism once she leaves high school and might do a co-op program in it next year if she likes the course.

"By then I'll probably decide," said Cormier.

In the past Live at 5 visited the school and broadcast from their studio, which gave the students a chance to work with the CTV crew.

O'Toole said the students also visited the CBC studio in Fredericton and even produced a segment for that night's newscast.

"It's exciting for the kids," the teacher said.

But while they are at school, the students produce their own content and generate their own story ideas, he said.

"I've been really impressed with the content they've produced."