An authentic experience

The teacher in this video assigned 6th grade students to complete a daily news broadcast.

The video, filmed in May of 2000, depicted the students using many technologies. Students were engaged in word processing, digital photography, digital video, editing, internet research and more.

The technology aspect of this project is interesting in itself, but I would like to discuss the way technology helped to facitilate an authentic experience for these students. Since the news broadcast was watched daily by the whole school, the students were engaged in something real and important, i.e. authentic. The students were creating a product which had a direct impact on their school environment and daily lives. Without the technologies which were available, the news broadcast would seem much more contrived, i.e. less authentic.

If the students had to guess at the weather, rather than look it up on the internet, or if they had to simply sit in front of their class to give the broadcast rather than video taping it, the experience would not be anywhere near as engaging.

The most striking feature of this video is the teacher's absence in most of the scenes. The activity is not only student centered, but student directed. The students take responsibility for the necessary tasks, and skills are learned from other students. This voluntary responsibilty is surely due to the authenticity of the activity. Students do not need a teacher breathing down their necks and keeping them on task, because the task at hand is important and real.

The greatest lesson learned by the students is communication. As they learn to write scripts and interviews, and as they teach one another to accomplish the goals of the project, they are developing sophisticated skills in clear, concise communication.

(I could not identify any weaknesses in this lesson.)