The Magic of Storytelling





I just found out that the house that I "walked into" every week on TV has been sold.  The house associated with one of the most popular seventies TV familes, the Brady Bunch house, was sold to NSYNC's Lance Bass.  Just seeing this house on TV in these news stories brings back so many memories of family TV stories that I relished as I grew up.  I love TV for the stories it tells.

I've always told students that people will remember more about how they feel after they hear or see your video story, than whatever details you told them during the story.  In class, we are going to talk about storytelling this week and learn, or relearn, the importance, and skills, of telling a good story.

Parents, please be aware that I will ask that students and you look over, sign, and return some forms this week.

After going over the syllabus and class rules and procedures, we are going to dive right in to how to find a good story, how do you write a great script, and how do you add visual elements to make an impression on your audience. 

One of the greatest news reporters I know is Steve Hartman.  He is a cosummate storyteller and can hook and engage a viewer like no one I know.  Just Google Steve Hartman and watch one of his stories and you'll see what I mean.  Here is one example:  https://www.cbsnews.com/video/steve-hartman-goes-on-the-road-with-his-sons-for-the-eclipse/

Writing, audio, visual elements, proper lighting, story twists and turns, and fair, accurate, and true reporting will be the basis of Hawk Talk and we will turn the show into an important element in the school day to find information, news, and entertainment about what's going on in and around our school.

Storytelling is magic. 
It's what connects us as humans.  It's what makes each of us relateable to each other.  It's what has maintained the history of civilizations large and small, and it's what our daily lives are built around.   The importance of learning to communicate with each other cannot be understated.  I hope students learn a lot of how to communicate in my class and I hope that they, too, are able to "invite others" into their stories in powerful ways.  We are really all just storytellers at heart.

Popular posts from this blog

Syllabus and other assignments for level II, III, IV

Image
  Hi advanced classes! Here is a summary of what is due when and some helpful links Please sign up for Remind!  Your class code is on your syllabus. I'd like your syllabus to be turned in as soon as you can, certainly by Friday.  You and your parents should go over it, and then click on the link at the bottom of the syllabus to get to the Google form and syllabus agreement.  Here is the link in case the one at the bottom of your copy doesn't work https://forms.gle/fBLoCrsYRA2Bt4eE8 Your Canva graphic should already be up on Padlet.  It was due today (August 18), but since many people had a hard time getting on CTLS yesterday and again today, please do your best to complete it by Friday.   You should have taken the Employability quiz during class.  I will share you grades with you.  In case you didn't do it yet, please go to your home page for my class and click on Employability Quiz in the Review section of the page. Finally, you should begin...
Read more

Hello everyone!

Image
Here is a message from Mrs. Stewart and another one from me.  Please read both all the way through. From Mrs. Stewart to Parents and Students: Students and Parents, This notification is to inform you of the latest information released by the county regarding your child’s grade.  As noted from the district communication, students have a choice to accept their grades as of March 13, 2020 as final grades for the 2019-2020 school year OR Continue to earn grades for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year to improve their grade(s).  We want to clarify that if a student chooses not to participate, perform or actively engage with his/her teacher(s) and they do not take advantage of assignment opportunities, this will result in their final grade being the grade that they had on March 13 th .  The only way for the March 13 th grade to improve is for the student to submit assignments and participate in the digital learning opportunities made available to him/h...
Read more

Movie Audio

Image
While it's not appropriate to put music over a news package, some video formats call for it. Montages, movies, etc. are some such formats. Since it is so important to understand and respect Copyright Law, I thought I'd post the following article from the Journalism Education Association which includes links to royalty-free music. Don't forget the audio library that we already have: www.Soundzabound.com Enjoy! Royalty-free music and audio for video production Below is a list of sources for royalty-free music and other audio tracks for video production. Although using music in news stories isn’t always a good idea, there are many times when we need music to enhance a video or broadcast journalism project. Intros for newscasts, sports highlights, tributes and slide shows can all benefit from an appropriate soundtrack. For more info on how to use music legally and ethically, check out this story about copyright and fair use, and take advantage of legal advic...
Read more