NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS CONVENTION 2007
Why, might you ask, would a high school library media
specialist attend a convention for broadcasters? Why not just attend conventions
concerning themselves with libraries? Although library conventions are
important, they cater to the traditional functions of a school library.
Attending conventions that represent potential functions of an expanding and
more dynamic school library media center are valuable to further empower the
library media specialist / supervisor, and their library media centers. A close
view of what broadcasters do and use to communicate can provide for new ideas
and knowledge and a growing, as opposed to shrinking role for the school library
media center within the school. New ideas and information, from technical
equipment choices, to the dramatic changes presently taking place in the way we
obtain news and information are are all at NAB. Learning about this can make our
function within the school more effective and serve to renew and expand our
functions and facilities. I can say without reservation that this convention is
an absolute must to widen the circle of the high school library media specialist
/ supervisor wishing to maximize the function of the library media center within
their own school. You will find below written reports along with video that will
hopefully convey just a fraction of what goes on at NAB and how it proves to be
useful in education. (Links in green will play in video player) below.
DOUGLAS SPOTTED EAGLE - DV TOOLS & GADGETS
A seminar conducted by Douglas Spotted Eagle included many
tips and tricks regarding gathering video. He went through a variety or
relatively low cost items from a rubber band to “belly cams” to a “Bone head”
helmet that a camera can be mounted on. He emphasized the importance of the
“point of view” shot and how just a few seconds of POV video can make for much
more interesting and engaging media. The Bone Head helmet can provide that
effectively – it even included a laser pointer for helping to line up the shot.
He also demonstrated a battery powered LED light that can hang from the tripod
mount of a camera with an “Israeli Arm “. This setup not only acted to light up
the subject but made for an effective “steady cam” attachment. This was an
extremely useful seminar for enhancing the school library media specialist’s
knowledge in the area of video production. Now, what was the rubber band for?
Well, Mr. Spotted Eagle explained that if looped around your finger and one of
the tripod sticks and pulled across, it makes for a very smooth pan!
Wow! A pod casting studio is just the thing for school
libraries of all kinds. Establish one with a reservation book and let faculty
and students reserve time to create their own material for uploading and
downloading. The capabilities here are worth a serious look. The presentation by
Michael W. Geoghegan is a fantastic resource for deciding on just what kind of
equipment to purchase. On Mr. Geoghegan's site, GigeVox.com you can even
download free software that will help you "compress" audio (even out the loud
and soft) within your digital audio recording.
As the seminars were going on Saturday and Sunday, 1,500
individual exhibitors were preparing for a Monday morning opening. There is no
other show that includes such a wide range of electronics for media. From the
camera lens to the flat panel television and everything in between, it was all
there! My exhibitor visits included many of those manufacturers we already
possess equipment from, as well as equipment and software that we will be
interested in acquiring in the future. Ikegami, Avid, Apple, Leightronix, Zaxcom,
Vinten, Manfrotto, Sure, Masterclock, Belden, Chyron and Ross were just a few on
my list.
Speaking at the Washington Policy and Politics Breakfast, the
senator explained just how important broadcasters were during the devastating
Hurricane Katrina. As a result of this, she is filing legislation that will
designate broadcasters as first responders. Her bill would also include grant
monies for broadcasters for the purposes of purchasing equipment that can help
them stay on the air during emergencies. This certainly would have been handy
for many cable access stations in the Northeast that went down (including ours)
due to power outages!
Upload,
Download and Overload: 2008 Election Media Super Session
(1)
(2)
(3)
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HARD BALL
Chris Matthews launched the session by making a comparison
between the citizen journalists and pamphleteers of the 18th Century with the
bloggers of today. He posited this question: how would the local TV stations in
Philadelphia have reported on the American Revolution in a time of U-tube,
bloggers, My Space, and telephone cameras? He proceeded to show the George Allen
video which reportedly cost him the election. The discussion opened up to a
panel that included Steve Capus, President NBC News and Joe Trippy of the Dean
campaign. An interesting discussion ensued. Towards the end, I had the
opportunity to ask a question concerning the matter of profits / ratings as
opposed to providing a public service (3) 32:22). Steve Capus of NBC responded.
I think this question effects the public, our students, and our schools deeply.
It seems like an interesting time to be in broadcast television and radio.
Just like school libraries, there is a huge transition going on. Mr. Rehr
pointed the important use of language to accurately convey meaning. He faults
the industry for using 20th Century language in a 21 Century world and
encourages the audience to think about language that works. He pointed to the
simple and successful use of term "HD Radio" replacing out the original term
IBOC or "In Band On Chanel" radio. Could library media specialists learn a
lesson here? We use the term "Databases" for our archived magazines and
newspapers. How dull and non-poetic can we be? I think there are large lessons
to be learned in education, and in library media centers in particular from Mr.
Rehr's remarks. We use an archaic jargon and we must rethink our own terms for
the 21st Century!
Meet the Press is the longest running television broadcast and in itself
provides a library of information. Mr. Russert commented that he sees cable
television, talk radio, and bloggers as a complement to Meet the Press, not
competition. He sees, however an extremely important role in Meet the Press
because as the moderator strives to ask the very best questions of the guest, a
very important video record that can be looked back upon has been created. Our
students can learn and be inspired by such a model as they research their
subjects using our library's resources.
Michael Figgis, director/producer/writer developed something called the "Fig
Rig" especially designed for the smaller camcorder. As you will see in the
video, add a wireless video link and Tenafly High School sports broadcasts will
not only be easier to set uo, they will provide more interesting video and a
more pleasurable experience for the student camera person.
NOTES ABOUT THIS PAGE AND THE USE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR SCHOOLS
During this convention, I carried a Sony HVR-Z1U camera and a Dell Laptop
computer connected with Fire-wire. This not only allowed me to record and edit,
but also enabled a live, shared broadcast of the events I attended through
wireless connection. Then pushing the video stream back to a server in the
Tenafly High School TV Control Room, the stream was in turn pushed out worldwide
and shared through this web page with about a 20 second delay from live. It
could have easily been carried on our community local access channel through
scan converting a Windows Media Player in the control room. This kind of
technology can assist in further enhancing a vibrant learning community at a low
cost, in a school, town, or even an entire country.
Many thanks to Ban Kozuch, President of Future Media Concepts (and happens to
be in Tenafly) for permission to upload some of the video accessed through this
page.
