More School News Videos on the Web

Several Baldwin County schools are now publishing their school news programs on our district media server. Elementary and high school students are learning how to write scripts, record video and then edit it to keep the school and community informed about what’s happening at their school.  Some schools are shooting their news reports in front of a green screen which allows them to drop computer generated sets into the background for very professional look.

Several schools have been posting a daily video news reports and weekly or monthly highlight programs. Check out these examples:

• Gulf Shores Elementary Morning Announcements
• Pirate News from Fairhope High
• Gulf Shores High Morning Announcements
• Magnolia School News
• See more video at media.bcbe.org

How Can Your School Get Started?

Getting started with a similar project at your school does not require a lot of special equipment.  You really just need a video camera and software to edit the footage.  Almost any type of video camera will work as long as it can be connected to your computer so the video can be transferred.

Once the video is on your computer you can use Windows Movie Maker to edit it.  Movie Maker is a free program that’s already on your computer (look at Start –> Programs or Start –> Programs –> Accessories).  Movie Maker is easy to use and lets you cut, rearrange and join video clips.  You can also add narration over the video and insert images, titles, and credits.  To get more advanced with the video editing you could purchase other programs such Adobe Premiere.

Once you’ve edited the video just create an account at media.bcbe.org and you’re ready to upload your video.  The media site is very easy to use and works similar to YouTube.  After uploading your video you can embed it on your school’s website to make it easy for people to find.

If you want help getting started with this project contact the BCBE Instructional Technology office.