Broadcast Media Syllabus

What is Broadcast Media?

Broadcast Journalism explores the stories that we encounter in the modern world and how we can analyze, deconstruct and recreate those narratives. This includes the movies we see in theaters and the videos we stream online. It is the music and podcasts we enjoy. It is social media reels, news broadcasts, TV shows, commercials, animated features and so much more. Broadcast Media in a Digital Age examines the effect of stories on our culture, education and entertainment.

Learning Goal for Broadcast Media

To master creative skills in digital media in order become an effective storyteller and communicator. To explore the many professional possibilities that make use of your sophisticated technical skills in the real world and pursue a career in digital media production or broadcasting.

How to achieve the learning goal?

You will reach your goal by creating more sophisticated projects using digital cameras, audio equipment, and video editing and animation software. You will create scrips, storyboards, work in production teams, work with lighting, and use computers to produce podcasts, high quality short films, interviews, public service announcements and a weekly school broadcast. You will also learn to analyze the work of professional storytellers in order to apply their craft to your own productions.

Why is this important?

Broadcast Media and Digital Media is a wide-ranging and lucrative career opportunity. Entire industries are built around technology, storytelling and media production. Great storytellers who can communicate effectively through technology enjoy a distinct advantage in the work place and in our society.

This class is designed to teach you essential production skills and how to use professional tools to create impactful stories, explore important narratives and communicate effectively. Even if you do not end up pursuing a career in digital media or broadcast journalism, these concepts are still incredibly important. Understanding technology, media and storytelling will make you see your world with new eyes and enrich your life in profound ways.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Creative Problem-solving:

Students are able to define a variety of communication problems and solve them using systematic production processes and design thinking.

Communication and Collaboration:

Students are able to read, listen, and observe effectively in order to communicate in visual, oral, and written forms to complete production projects in which they collaborate with each other and with diverse clients.

Self-Awareness, Self-Reliance, Self-Discipline:

Students are able to identify personal strengths and limitations in order to set and meet realistic, measurable goals, making adjustments as needed, balancing time, resources and responsibilities in order to manage projects successfully individually and with others.

Integrity:

Students are able to commit and complete projects with honesty, authenticity, and sincerity while taking responsibility for their actions as they work individually and collaboratively.

Community Engagement:

Students are able to produce media work that demonstrates knowledge about school, local, and global issues and respects cultural differences.

Students use their skills to participate and collaborate with diverse school and community organizations.

Technical Literacy:

Students are able to develop technical skills necessary for college and career success by demonstrating mastery of audio and visual tools, learning and utilizing new and emerging technologies, and understanding the evolving role of technology in the media industry and in society.

Weekly Breakdown

1st Quarter:

2nd Quarter:

Week 1

Introduction and Foundational Concepts: Digital Media Literary

Assignment #1: Students will critique and create a presentation on the elements of passive media consumers and active media producers. Each student will focus on a specific topic chosen from a provided list.

Week 1

Welcome Back & Tech Review

Class Norms Review
Gear review
Premiere Review

Week 2

Digital Media Literacy (Cont.)

Assignment #2: Students will produce a video interview project on the topic of media bias. Students will interview different staff and students about helpful ways to avoid echo chambers or algorithm bias.

Week 2

Ethical Considerations

Assignment #1: Students will produce an interactive media presentation focused on the current state of AI and how those tools are being used in media production today.

Week 3

Digital Media Literacy (Cont.)

Assignment #3: Students will produce a public service announcement that focuses on informing the public about how to recognize and avoid spreading misinformation.

Week 3

Ethical Considerations (Cont.)

Assignment #2: Students will produce a news package that will be broadcast to the school or will be shown in Advocacy on the topic of plagiarism and academic integrity.

Week 4

Integrating Traditional and Emerging technology

Assignment #1: Students will produce a video essay on the topic of emerging technology in the media. In this assignment, students will have to take a position on the benefits or the drawbacks of the technology in question.

Week 4

Production Value

Assignment #1: Students will produce a well researched explainer video on an academic topic using video animations, b-roll they film themselves.

Week 5

Traditional and Emerging technology (Cont.)

Assignment #2: Students will produce an interview podcast on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Students may interview their peers or invite staff to be guests in the podcast.

Week 5

Production Value (Cont.)

Assignment #2: Students will produce a short documentary on a historical event, using interviews with at least one teacher and one student, animations and images of documents.

Week 6

Traditional and Emerging technology (Cont.)

Assignment #3: Students will make use of an AI tool from a provided list in order to aid in the development of a news package for the school broadcast.

Week 6

Refining Professional Skills

Assignment #1: Students will engage in a client simulation project, in which they will be assigned a hypothetical project and will have to interact with a client using the client production process to bring that process to completion.

Week 7

The Independent Creator: Convergent/multimedia journalism/content creation

Assignment #1: Each student will produce a news package where they will act as: producer, director, cinematographer, on-camera talent and editor.

Week 7

Refining Professional Skills (Cont.)

Assignment #3: Students will produce a promotional video for a club or campus organization requiring them to interact with, research and interview students or staff in question.

Week 8

The Independent Creator (Cont.)

Assignment #2: Students will learn and apply the concepts to create a multi-media production company business plan. Students will register a business, create a profit loss statement and learn how to interact with clients.

Week 8

Culminating Project/Experience

See description below:

Week 9

The Independent Creator (Cont.)

Assignment #3: Based on their business plans, students will develop a presentation that shows their own media brand, including a name, logo, visual style and animated introduction for their new company.

Week 9 & 10

Culminating Project/Experience (Cont.)

In this culminating unit, students will demonstrate the skills they've developed throughout the course by completing a final project of their choice. They can opt to create a video reel, highlighting their best work in a concise, professional format, or produce a short film to showcase their storytelling abilities and technical expertise. They may enter a video competition for a chance to test their skills against peers or industry standards. Alternatively, students can choose to craft a video essay, exploring a topic of interest with a thoughtful and analytical approach, or produce a full news package, applying journalistic principles to create a compelling and informative piece. Choosing a Documentary film would allow students to dive into real-world topics with depth and insight, while producing a YouTube or podcast series would show their ability to develop a consistent, creative voice across multiple episodes. This unit encourages students to explore their passions, push their creative limits, and produce professional-level work that reflects their unique perspective and skills in digital media.

Class Resources:

You will be taking this class in the Trailivision production studio. This is is an amazing space full of advanced production equipment, lights, and computers. You will be assigned your own iMac desktop each quarter to complete your projects.

The software you will use and in this course includes the Adobe Creative Suite, focusing specificcally on Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects as well as an online video editor called WeVideo. You will also use other online applications including Canva, Google Drive and Google Classroom.

Other equipment you will use includes digitial cameras, including DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, an assortment of lenses, microphones, audio equipment, mixer and MIDI musical instruments.

Required Materials:

Pen or pencil every single day
Notebook for notes, storyboards and sketches. It can be an art sketchbook, a composition notebook, or even just blank pages stapled together. Minimum size is 5.5 by 8.5 inches

Grading Policy:

Projects will be turned in every Friday via google classroom and they will be graded over the weekend.
Late projects are accepted. However, if a project is turned in late, you lose the ability to resubmit for revisions to improve your grade.
There is a final deadline for any late project a week before the end of the term. No late work will be accepted after that date.
Plagiarized or copied work will receive an automatic 0.
Each major project has a rubric that explains the grading. Please review the rubric carefully before starting AND before submitting your project so you understand the grading criteria.
We have a number of Quizzes during each term. Quizzes are taken each Friday and the same quiz is taken again early the following week. You get to keep the highest of your two grades.

Projects & Grade Breakdown:

This class is a Project-Based Course. Most of the projects have multiple components and each part must be completed in order to receive a grade. The grades in this class break down as follows:

60% - Video Projects

30% - Assignments, Guides and Reports

10% - Weekly Quizzes

Norms & Expectations

This class follows a set of common sense norms in order to create a respectful, positive and nurturing learning environment for all students. The classroom norms outline the expected day to day behaviors and practices for everyone in the classroom. The Content and digital norms focus on the expectations in relation to the technology we use and the content we create as part of this class. Please visit the links below a detaled look at the norms and expectations.

Classroom Norms

Content & Digital Norms

Who is your Instructor

Mr. Sarabia is the C.T.E. Digital Media Arts instructor at Monterey Trail High School. With over 18 years of experience as an educator, Mr. Sarabia is dedicated to help students develop a passion for film, animation, music production, and graphic design. His classes nurture creativity, curiosity and problem solving. In addition to being a teacher, Mr. Sarabia is also an independent multimedia creator, graphic artist, photographer, musician and writer.

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