Lights, Camera, Learn! Content Creation & Newscasts in Schools

Classroom Dynamics is supported by Logitech. As education continues to evolve, so does Logitech Education, your partner in content creation for the classroom. With Logitech's cutting edge technology, students not only learn, but also become content creators. Whether it's in-person or online, Logitech's tools are designed to inspire educators and learners alike. Capture every educational moment in stunning detail and edit, produce, and share your creative journey with ease.

Logitech Education, inspiring the next generation of creators. For more, visit Logitech.com/Education, transforming classrooms, one innovation at a time. Welcome to Classroom Dynamics, a teacher podcast. I'm your host, Adam Todd. Get ready to tap into the power of motivation and innovative teaching strategies. Together, we'll ignite a love for learning in your students, fostering an inclusive environment where every child can thrive.

Join us on this transformational adventure that empowers you to unlock your full potential as an educator. This is Classroom Dynamics, where inspiration meets innovation. Calling all educators, are you ready to inspire creativity and engagement in your students? Unlock their full potential with content creation. Imagine empowering that with cutting edge tools like the Blue Sono microphone from Logitech, which ensures crystal clear, audio quality for impactful projects.

Logitech offers a full range of content creation solutions from audio equipment and cameras to lighting and editing software. Plus, they have a suite of education solutions tailored for classrooms, elevating the learning experience for students and educators alike. Empower the next generation of creators by exploring the possibilities at logitech.com/educationtoday. Welcome to Classroom Dynamics,

a podcast where we explore the ever evolving landscape of technology and education. Hi, everybody, I'm your host, Adam Todd, and in today's episode, we're diving into the fascinating and newly evolving world of content creation in schools.

Specifically, we'll be shutting light on the incredible potential that school newscasts hold, the role that content creators play in the process, and how technology like state-of-the-art webcams, microphones and applications like Zoom is transforming the way students collaborate, communicate and connect with their peers and communities.

We'll also chat with a principal from a New York City school that has successfully implemented such a program in heart school and a student who has been part of this new trend in education. So what is content creation anyway? For educators who may not be familiar with the term, content creation is the process of making educational materials like videos, articles, or interactive lessons that help students learn in a fun and multifaceted and engaging way.

But instead of standing in front of an interactive whiteboard and delivering a lesson, digital tools are being used to create interesting and informative lessons that students can access online, whether it's creating YouTube videos or writing blog posts about math tricks, content creation helps teachers reach students beyond the classroom in ways that have rarely been explored.

But in today's digital age and digital creator world, a new and untapped way to enter the world of content creation is through school newscast, which can take on a whole new level of interaction and visual engagement. School level newscast can also serve as a powerful platform for students to showcase their on-air talents, their creativity, and passion for journalism. And for older students, it also provides a spotlight for those talented digital creators and online influencers.

It's no longer just about reading announcements over the PA system. Those days are long but gone. It's about producing, engaging, and informative content that captures the attention of both students and, in many cases, the wider school community. To achieve this, schools are leveraging cutting-edge equipment from companies like Logitech to bring this to the forefront of 21st century education.

With their wide range of affordable cameras and other audio-visual tools, Logitech is empowering educators and students to produce high quality newscasts that, in some cases, can rival professional broadcasts. And the use of audio-visual equipment on a consumer level with a professional feel has truly revolutionized the way schools can think about and approach content creation. But it's not just about the gear. It's also about the educators and the students themselves.

The heart and soul of any school newscasts are the talented media teachers who are leading the way and students who are in front of the cameras. From news anchors to behind-the-scenes operators along with writers and editors, these students are gaining invaluable skills in teamwork, leadership, and multimedia production.

And as far as a platform to deliver those newscasts are concerned, Zoom, a tool that has become indispensable in recent times, most notably because of the COVID-19 pandemic, can play a crucial role in this equation. Platforms like Zoom enable seamless communication, regardless of physical location. So whether students are delivering the news live or recording news specials by conducting interviews with special guests, communication apps like Zoom connect them in ways that were once unimaginable.

And beyond the technical aspects, school newscasts also foster a sense of community, not only within the school walls, but beyond those walls, and into their surrounding communities that they serve. Newscasts also bring student, staff, and parents together strengthening bonds and creating a shared sense of pride by reporting on school events, achievements, initiatives, and even the weather in sports.

These broadcasts highlight the positive aspects of school life, promoting a togetherness and support that has rarely been seen before in education. And in an era where information travels at the speed of light, these broadcasts serve as a vital link between the school and the broader community. They keep parents and school staff informed about school activities, foster a sense of transparency, and highlight the incredible talent within the student body.

As we get deeper into this episode, we'll hear an inspiring story from Monique Panagua, an elementary school principal from New York City, and a former student from her school. The student, a popular newscaster on their school's BTV Daily Morning Newscast will also share his experience with us. We'll also explore how the technology and equipment has transformed their approach to producing a live, daily, five-minute newscast and the remarkable outcomes they've achieved.

So whether you're an educator looking to enhance your school's communication strategies or update those outdated morning announcements, whether you're a student eager to make your voice heard or apparent curious about the impact of school newscasts, this episode of Classroom Dynamics is sure to provide you with valuable insights and inspiration. And it's all coming up next on Classroom Dynamics. We'll be right back. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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Our wide range of materials catered to most elementary and middle school grade levels. Join the community of passionate teachers who have already transformed their classrooms. Visit highly motivated on teachers pay teachers and get ready to inspire, motivate, and empower your students like never before. Highly motivated on teachers pay teachers where knowledge meets inspiration. She's the principal of public school 101

in Queens, New York City. And she's also a colleague of mine. I'd like to welcome Monique Panayagua to classroom dynamics. It is a pleasure to have you on today. What a pleasure to be here. Thank you. This is going to be a lot of fun. We're talking content creation today, which is kind of right up both of our alleys at the moment. But before we get started, just tell everyone who's listening a little bit about your background and what makes PS 101 your school such a unique place?

Well, I am an educated, hard-- I'm a teacher of teachers. Though my title might be principal, I will always see myself as a teacher. I've been in education since 1994. I am very passionate about the work I do. I was a classroom teacher. I was a middle school teacher, a fourth grade teacher, a literacy coach. I worked for Columbia University as faculty at one point. I traveled the country training teachers how to get better at their training.

Specifically in literacy, I also worked as an assistant principal in a very high-needs school here in New York City for five years. I had a real passion for supporting kids with special needs in that school. And then I had the opportunity to come to PS 101. And for me, PS 101 has been really the highlight of my career. It is the hardest job I've ever taken, but it's also the most rewarding job I've ever taken. It's a diverse community.

But what I love about the staff and the teaching that happens within the community is that our teachers are always willing to jump on board, try something new, innovate, and for me, that's important for us as educators, and I just love it. I love what I do. And speaking of innovation, today we're talking about content creation in schools.

And I think that we can both agree without a doubt, hands down that adults are really starting to live in a technology-driven society that really belongs to a much younger generation. It's no longer an educator's world. It's more of a student's world. And they're the ones who are really changing the course on how education is delivered and what's being taught, not so much the other way around. You've been the principal at your school for over 10 years now.

In terms of the technology at your school, and how it's used, and how it's integrated, all that innovation, what do you see as the biggest evolution during that time span? Yeah, I think that it's twofold first. It's seeing the amount of technology that students are using in their daily, everyday work when I think back 10 years ago, if students were typing up a paper, that was the epitome of them using technology. Oh, yeah.

Today, you walk into a classroom, and one student might be doing a flip grid, and another student is creating some kind of art technology, and another student might be creating their own website, and another student might be using their online math manipulatives. And so really the use of technology in terms of how students are using technology to enhance their learning on a daily basis has been really the change that I've seen over the 10 years.

The second part would be the teacher's integrating technology in various ways. I mean, 10 years ago, every classroom in the building had a kind of a smart board, but not every teacher used it. Some of them used it as a whiteboard, some of them used it as just as a projection screen. Some actually used it to put their jackets on it at times, too. I think that cold stuff. And actually, it was only a few.

You being one of them that was actually using technology to enhance their lessons, and make their lessons interactive for students. Today, 10 years later, every teacher's doing that. And we've provided-- you have been a big part of that-- provided professional learning for teachers on how we switched over to Permitian and their teacher friendly and really walking into any classroom any time of the day. You are seeing teachers using technology in ways that are engaging students in the work.

And that has become the norm in our school in the last 10 years. Yeah, I actually even remember you brought up a really important memory that I think has been burned into me for more than 10 years now, where we started to have those smart boards. And we had one per grade. And some teachers didn't want to. Some teachers were OK trying it. Those that didn't want to get rid of it, and they started fight over it. Then we started to put one on in every classroom.

And a lot of teachers will actually tell me now, if it doesn't work, they almost forgot how to teach the way it used to be. And that speaks volumes because, wow, that's how much technology has made us reliant on it and really infused it in every day, all day. Yeah, just the other day, I received an email from a teacher that in the beginning was pretty technology resistant. I'll say that. And their smart board went, was it working? And they were like, what am I supposed to do today?

They didn't even know what they were going to do for the day because they were so reliant. And this person has so embraced the technology and is using it. I actually thought the email was funny because I thought, yeah, 10 years ago, people were saying, I don't want this in my classroom. Exactly. It's done like a 180, 100%. So let's go back a couple of years ago to a dark time in just the world's history now. The COVID-19 pandemic, it changed everything, especially in education.

I think education was probably hit the hardest. From remote learning, online learning to how teachers had to even rethink how they planned and how they delivered those lessons, that was different. They didn't have to do that ever before. That was learning on a dime. Going back to the start of the pandemic, though, the rules were basically written overnight, just completely from scratch torn down, you had to start from square one.

With all that uncertainty, with trying to mean some sort of normalcy, especially with you, with elementary school age students, where did the idea of a morning newscast and that content creation come from? I love telling this story, because it actually began with a parent complaint, which was really funny when I think about it, talk about being open and willing to the feedback from all stakeholders. We had 60% of our students were in-person, and 40% were remote.

And a parent whose children were remote met with me to complain that her children, and she believes many of the remote children, were not connected to the Scornodale basis. One thing I've worked really hard over with the staff for the last 10 years is building a very strong school, culture, community, and partnership with families. As she was saying, I feel like we've lost that.

Initially, I got defensive, because I was doing videos of me doing read-alouds for the kids, and I was setting them home, and teachers were logging on to Google Classroom every single day, and rethinking, and re-imagining how to teach, and you're worried that they don't feel connected to the school culture on a daily basis, right? But when I walked away from that conversation, I had to come to the realization that she was right. And I did not know what to do about it.

And so I just, I had this thought, and it was just the thought that I had one morning. I think it was the morning after my conversation with this parent, and I thought, could we do like morning announcements where students who were in-person and students that were virtual could both sign on at the same time and have like this community moment, five minutes a day, where all of us are together. And then I thought, well, why couldn't it be like a student?

Newscast, so I had all these wonderful ideas. I have no idea how to make any of that happen. So what did I do? I said, well, I have an idea-- You're going to call me. [LAUGHTER] Who I think can help me figure out the logistics of how to make this an reality. Now, you asked me about it. I remember this day clearly as well. And you asked me, and the first thing I said to you, oh, yeah, I could do that. I actually said, did you know I went to school for television and broadcasts?

I just said, I didn't know that. I know. That was like music to my ears because I thought, OK, you really do not help me here. But honestly, I think that it was this idea of being able to bring the community together. And I think that though I had the vision, I didn't have the know-how. And you did. And I think that you developed this newscast that was even better than what I imagined was going to happen in my mind.

Yeah, as soon as you told me, you start to-- you start to kind of-- the wheels start to spin. You kind of think, OK, well, what do I have to do to do this? I need a green screen. I need a camera. We need microphones. You guys are great with getting everything that we needed. And it was pretty-- I think we did it under $200, which was impressive. We did all that through Amazon and got all the equipment that we needed and threw it together.

But if you think about it too, doing that then was challenging enough. But even if we wouldn't have been able to do that before the pandemic because that kind of technology, that just wasn't there to achieve that kind of launch, it just wasn't available to us. Yeah. It was not. We would not have been able to do this pre-pandemic. We actually-- you chose not me, but you chose to use Zoom as the platform. We didn't even know what Zoom was. How to get on to Zoom? A hundred percent.

Nobody knew the word Zoom. I remember our first staff meeting on Zoom. I asked all of the staff to download the app. And I gave them the directions. And I just wanted everyone to sign on. Do you remember that Friday? It was because of the left for the lockdown. And I was running down the hall screaming to one of the staff members, mute, mute, mute, mute, mute. So she was screaming, "I don't know how to mute." The whole staff was just laughing on whoever was on Zoom.

Like, we didn't even know how. That was exactly how we played out, by the way. No, exactly. I had done with Promethe and some of those PEP teams once a month, and we had been using Zoom. So it was perfect. I think I was the only one who actually understood how this was going to work. And using that after the pandemic to allow teachers to log in, that was the perfect way, because then they knew how to do it. Right. It actually worked in our favor that way that it kind of seamlessly started.

And you said, we're going to be broadcasting on Zoom. They all logged in almost instantly. It was great. Right. And the other thing was that we had gotten a Res O A grant. So a lot of the teachers had just gotten new Promethean boards in their classrooms. So when we came back, the fact that we could project the newscast onto every 75-inch Promethean board in every classroom was huge. Fire to the pandemic, I'm not even sure if we would have been able to do that. Yeah, I don't think we would have.

And like you're saying, it's a great point you brought up, the ability to not only broadcast for those kids at home who were not back with us yet, but to also allow those kids who were there in those small classes at the time to actually all integrate at one time. That's the best part. And that brings me to my next question. So that is then the social emotional learning of this. That there's content creation, and then there's content creation with an SEL foundation.

And I think that's really, that's the key to all this, just the social emotional portion of it. So SEL has been a very hot topic since the pandemic started to wane. It's been implemented in schools almost everywhere it seems. How was the implementation of BTV at PS101 positively impacted in terms of, like, how did that impact the school as a whole, just that social emotional wellbeing? How did that all come together? Yeah, I think it happened in several ways. I think it was a game changer.

We had as a school adopted ruler, which is a social emotional intelligence approach from Yale University right before the pandemic. And we were trying to implement the lessons in our classes, but there's something about students seeing students, other students teach it. And so with the newscast, it was the fifth grade anchors who were teaching about the mood meter, and they normalized all of these emotions that we have and how you can navigate them.

And they were hearing it kid to kid, not just the teacher. And I think the fact that they're watching them on the screen, it feels like these kids are important in our school community and they're teaching us how important it is to name our emotion, to have a strategy to regulate our emotions. Like, it normalized the fact that we all have emotions all day long. And sometimes our emotions enhance what we do.

And sometimes our emotions can actually be the very thing to stifle what we're trying to accomplish. And then how you regulate those emotions, it was kids teaching kids. You know, it's powerful when you can, that the school culture comes together like that and they become that lead. And I've heard a lot of stories where the kids actually have mentioned it to me, that they notice that they're the ones, what's going to be the ruler, where to the day tomorrow?

What are they going to show us and teach us tomorrow? So I love that factor of it. I think not only the segment of the newscast that talks about ruler and the mood meter, but also the other segments that talk about good news. You've done some fun things like pitches of teachers as kids, when they were their age and school age and all. Even when it comes down to announcing something as simple as it's flu season, let's wash our hands like it becomes like a whole community event.

Because we're all watching it, kids are reminding each other. And it's just a beautiful way to bring us all together. Even your sports segment, I've walked into classrooms while they're watching BTV. And when you announce or the kids, I should say announce who won the game last night or whatever, the kids are screaming for their team. And it's this beautiful moment of our community coming together every day.

I want to go back to that for a second, because I think at one point you said, "Do we really have to do sports?" And I said, I think I said, "Go, you can hear them cheering. Go into the hallway for a second." And I think that's what happened. Or you walked into a class and that's exactly how it played out. And it's so funny. But yeah, like they, you know, you mentioned like a basketball score or a baseball score or soccer score. And they, it's what, 10 seconds of the morning.

And it makes such a big difference. Yeah, here we are, eight o'clock in the morning. You hear kids, children screaming, joy, joyfully for their team. Right. This exciting. I think each part of the segment plays a role in that. In creating this really strong school culture, which is part of our SEL. Yeah, I think we hit on something big when we started it. And knowing that, I've heard great feedback from teachers. And of course, we hear it from the kids all the time.

And I've heard it from parents. What types of feedback have you received from students or staff members? Are there even parents in the community regarding the BTV initiative? And why is that kind of feedback so important? Yeah, I've heard feedback that people just love it, and they want to know how we're doing it. And I've heard feedback from other principals. I've heard feedback from Yale University where it was actually featured there.

Of course, we'll talk a little later in this segment about how we were featured on the news. But I was taking a course on emotional intelligence last year through our union. And they wanted to feature our students doing BTV and the anchors, because they realized that this is something that it not only brings a school culture together, but it was, it's something that I think many schools feel the need to do. We've had schools Adam reach out to us and say, can we come visit?

Can you help us start this at our school? Because morning announcements, you know, having a few students come to your office, say a few announcements, no one's really tuning into that, the way they're tuning in to the newscast. And it has a different engagement level. It has a different energy. It does something for your community.

You're also teaching your fifth grade students who are the anchors about what the world of news can look like from the technology on the back end to being in front of a camera and listening and speaking skills and things of that nature. But the reality is that we didn't realize when we first started how big this was going to be. Like this was, we were on to something that was bigger than we realized when we first started. And that's the feedback I've gotten.

I've gotten parents who tried a sign on. And I know when we came back all in person and we said, well, we're just going to have the students log on because pre-COVID, we were letting parents also sign on. Parents are like, wait a minute, I want to hear the school news. Like, why can't I log on? That's not okay. Because I do think that it really had many features to it that enhanced morning announcements from being, you know, should I listen or not to, I can't wait.

Then down to students who are late. So I both set up hard when children are late for school, right? I never blame the kids, right? And so I always feel bad for them. They're like running in some kids are crying because they don't want to be late. And now I stand at arrival and I say, don't worry, you're just in time for BTV. And it turns a frown into a smile and children light up like, oh, I'm okay. And it sets the tone for the whole day for them.

So I think there are many aspects that we did not realize how far reaching this would be. I love that. That's awesome to hear. I've had parent-teacher conferences with first grade parents who, and we only take the fifth graders. It's more of a senior activity. And I have first grade parents saying, so when can my kid be on BTV? My kid wants to be on BTV and I'll say, well, what grade are they in? Or, you know, what class? Oh, they're in first grade.

So they're ready, it's actually striking a chord where they're already thinking, well, I want to do that one day. That's pretty cool. Absolutely. I also think that the feedback has been good for you and I. And because it made us realize that we had to give this attention, it wasn't just a pandemic thing. It was now going to be part of our school culture moving forward. And every year we're looking at ways to make it better because of the feedback we've gotten.

So I think it's a wonderful thing for people to give us the feedback and then foster and enhance what we're doing because of it. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. That's exactly what it is. So here's where I want you to give a little advice to people. Right. So some school administrators and teachers, you know, because we've had, like you said, we've had some people come to us and watch.

And I've probably freaked them out a little bit because it is, I want to say a little bit more of an elaborate setup. It's on the professional end of it for sure. But some school administrators, some teachers may feel completely overwhelmed in starting a morning news program of their own, similar to that of BTV. Just because to some degree, there can be a fair amount of work or pressure to be able to put on a daily newscast for 180 days every day, you know, expect it there.

And especially when it gets to that popularity within the school where they are really truly expecting it and they want to see it, that could be hard. Even though it's been such a huge success and it has, you know, I think at sometimes it gets bigger than like you said, we can almost, you know, handle sometimes. It's apparent that there's a lot of work that goes into content creation of this type. Especially because teachers and students expect again to see it every day.

So with that said, there has to be some challenge to it. There's something there that you need to drive, want to have that drive to accomplish it. So what advice would you give to other principals and school administrators who may be interested in starting a similar program like we did here with BTV? I would say three things. First of all, absolutely, it is a huge undertaking to have 180 live, you know, morning news segments. However, number one, you have to believe in it as the administrator.

You have to be able to have a vision to see the power of what this can do in your school community and that it's worth it. That's number one. Number two, you have to find the right person, which I did. And so I knew like I couldn't take this on, but I knew that I had someone in my school that was passionate about technology, that was passionate about SEL. And so you have to find the right person to do it. That has the ability to do it, but also the willingness to do it.

But then you also have to be willing as the administrator to give them the time. So I had to change your schedule to give you that morning time to do it, which is hard. That was very difficult for me to figure out how I was going to give you extra time to do this. But because I believed in it and I knew the power of it in our school community, and because I knew you were the right person, I figured out how to give you the time.

And the truth is, you'll never give, I know I can never give you enough time. You do things on your own. Again, that goes back to finding the right person. You go home, you do things, you come in early and you get started even before your lot of time because it is a huge undertaking. But it's being able to believe in it, find the time and find the right person. Right, I think it's true. If you don't have that passion there, then I don't think that that's the glue.

That's really truly the glue of the whole production. Because it is alive, we do it live. You know, we're not recording it the day before and just playing it the next morning. We're actually doing it live. Things go wrong sometimes. You know, the kids might flub on a word or, you know, we didn't get the right background. It's happened. You know, we've had the wrong, we've had the wrong temperature up for the weather at times. But, we've done live that graduation. Yes, we have.

We have, we have, we go remote. Yeah, we go remote. We actually bring the camera down to graduation beforehand and do something live right there for the kids. And I think that truly is, that's where, if you don't have that passion and if you don't believe in it, you're right, it just, I don't think it happens. I agree. I don't think it happens. So, BTV is in its third full year. That's third full season if we're going to talk professionally, right?

Which is crazy to the fact that we've done, I think we've, we just did our 400th and 427th broadcast. That's, that's really remarkable. The fact that it's, it's had a lot of achievements and memorable moments. That is, what, what are some of the most memorable moments you've had over that time span that stands out in your opinion?

So, you know, we were featured on, I just have to say it on CBS news, on eyewitness news, with Lee Goldberg, our students were able to do the wet, the weather with him. The excitement of the anchors when they were able to go to the news stations and actually see that what they did was very similar to what these professional news stations were doing. To see them talk about how they might pursue a career in it.

That was definitely a highlight for me, but I also have to say the other highlight is morning arrival. When students show up for morning arrival and they can't wait to get into their classrooms, they don't have a problem getting kids to come in quickly because they don't want to miss BTV. And when those students are late, I just had one this morning hysterical crying and all I had to say is sweetheart BTV just started. You're okay.

The tears went away, smiles on her face and she just went quickly to her classroom. I can tell you because I've been doing morning arrival for 10 years, that didn't happen prior to BTV, right? That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. We're able to see the kids set the beginning of the day off the right way because they know the first thing in the morning they're going to see as BTV has been a highlight for me. That's fantastic.

It's really, and it does speak volumes for, you know, if you just go into the shoes of the kids and what they're, you know, what really resonates for them, what they want, you know, because again, they have to do math and reading and writing and social studies and science and all the other things that come along with the day. But, you know, for something that they're looking forward to, it for me, it's a passionate project that I like to do that just, it's almost like a hobby.

And, you know, I think, you know, the fact that I don't mind doing it. And to me, it's not work. It's a lot of work, but it's not work. It does help. It does help. And it goes back to what you were saying before with finding the right people to actually launch it and take it and do something with it. I love it. Listen, this has been awesome. Great conversation. I think we hit on a lot of great stuff today. I want to thank you for joining us today.

And really, I hope you had a good time. I did. Thank you for having me on. Awesome. Coming up next, we're going to talk with a former student from Monique School that was a BTV newscaster himself. So we're going to get to find out what it was like from the student's perspective coming up next. So stay with us.

Inspiring brighter minds for a brighter future, transforming pre-K to 12 education with accessible steam tools, empowering learners worldwide to discover their passions and become changemakers, Sphero, inspiring the creators of tomorrow. He's a former student at public school 101 in Queens, New York City, and now a middle school student and a former newscaster for his Morning News program BTV. I'd like to welcome my special guest Benjamin Callahan to Classroom Dynamics.

Hey, Benjamin, how are you? Good. I'm good today, Adam. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to see you again. I haven't seen you in a while. How is school going? Just fine. Learning how to adjust to then my new schedule going along pretty well. Middle school is challenging, isn't it? The turning point in my life, I'd say, as an academic person. It's probably the hardest three years that you're going to have. Middle school is hard, but then it gets better. In high school?

Yes, high school and even better in college. You'll get some good issues more, you know, you'll get to choose more programs that you like to do. You'll have a little bit more choice in your life to take your academic career. Definitely. I want to go back to the beginning with BTV with you. I've known you for a few years now, obviously, because you were in my school, and I had seen you for media arts technology for all those years.

I had originally thought you would be a really good fit as a BTV newscaster, but that's not exactly how you originally thought it would go. You actually didn't want to be on BTV. What was it that you didn't want to do with BTV? What changed your mind? Well, when you first came and asked me, I was honored, but I thought it would be too much responsibility and publicity for me to handle at that time.

I doubted my abilities, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it and be able to handle the weight that weight on my shoulders every morning as a BTV newscaster. I had originally thought that it would be too much for me to handle, and I would fail. I think we, another teacher, your fifth grade teacher, also, we tacked a little bit and twisted your arm just a little bit to say, just try it and see what happens. Fourth grade, but yes. Oh, that's right. That is correct. Fourth grade.

See, you remember better than I do. I think what really helped was the support I got when I told my teachers and my family that I had been offered this job, and nobody told me to back down. Everyone told me to give it a chance because it could be a really exciting opportunity for me. At first, I was unsure, but I started casting, and I decided to stay. And eventually, BTV became what it has now for me, an experience that will be in my memory forever. That is pretty cool.

I was going to ask you, how did you change as a result? And you kind of just answered a little bit, because you give me a little bit more. What was it that changed you from that beginning point a year ago to now? I saw that I really enjoyed being able to be seen by everyone every day, and I was able to converse with them. And I think it's helped me socially become more interactive and become more confident in my abilities and my skills.

And I think it's really been a memorable and unforgettable experience for me. I really think that it's been something that I won't forget, and it's changed me so much. I get people mentioning it all the time. They still do. And my fifth grade teachers have told me that they think of me whenever they see BTV. Isn't that cool? Isn't that really cool to be able to say that? How much it's changed you? I think that's really awesome.

Yeah, as I know I've said this before, but it's an amazing experience, and it's so, it's like I'm able to be recognized by so many people. And I'm so happy that I'm able to interact with all these people. I was able to talk to everybody every morning in the school watched by hundreds of eyes, and I could handle it. And I was so happy to see that I was able. I had the abilities to handle the job, and I think I have. That's awesome. You know, you definitely did.

So BTV is a five minute morning newscast that like you said, it seemed in all the classrooms in the school every single day. And for parents who would like to watch at home got to watch you as too. I know, you know, mom, dad got to watch you at home as well. That's not an easy thing to do day in and day out. Tell me a little bit about the time on BTV, the overall experience, just the basic overall experience you had. I think that it was rather simple. I'd come every day. I'd take a look.

And then I would either be on or I wouldn't. And the day, and I treasured and relished every day that I was on camera. And of course, there were some special events that happened in BTV, holiday specials. And of course, my two visits to amazing newscasting studios out all my interviews with the creators of Ruler with Lee Goldberg, a real life legend. And with so many people, especially even with the creator of code.org. And I think all those have really added to my accomplishments as a person.

And I think they've influenced me. And the overall experience is so hard to describe in words. And it's really something that I think is, I'm so grateful that I had this opportunity. I'm so very ratified. That's beautiful choosing me. And for you're very welcome. Well, I saw the potential in you. I definitely saw the potential in you. And I think that's what, and I think that's why I was a little bit more. It helps that you didn't want to do it. Because I knew you could do it and handle it.

And I'm so glad that you did. And I think you're glad you did too. And you just mentioned all those really cool moments, right? We went down to CBS, had a whole interview there. We did I witnessed WABC TV in New York City. We did that. You appeared on, on air with your other newscaster classmates to do the weather, which I thought was pretty cool that did that with you guys. And you're right. We did have a lot of really cool special interviews.

And out of all of those, if you had to pick one memory there, one memorable moment, what would you pick during your time at PS 101 and being on BTV? I think my visit to WABC News Studios with Lee Goldberg was my most memorable moment in BTV because I was no longer scared as much as I could have been because I'd done it before. And I was amazed by what I found at that studio and amazed by the people I met there. And all the little things that added up to really such an amazing trip.

The CBS was amazing as well. But I think the second one, my final visit to a really big place, such a famous place, really was the most memorable experience at my time as a BTV Newscaster. And if you think about it, right? When we walked into the CBS broadcast center in New York City, that was, you know, that can be overwhelming, you know?

And we didn't really have that experience yet, but I think having that experience and going to WABC a couple of months later, just having that experience, I think, really helped everyone relax a little bit. Like you said, you weren't scared, which is pretty cool. Just a quick question. What was your favorite moment in BTV's overall experience? You know, okay, so I've got to, that's a such a great question. I'm so glad you asked me a question.

I was hoping you were going to be a newscaster and ask me a question today. That's awesome. My actual favorite experience originally was when we went to CBS because that was pretty cool to do and see it was something different that none of us had done before. And I actually told Mrs. Panayagua at the time that I said, that was like a career highlight for me. I really thought that was a career highlight. I always wanted to do something like that.

And here we are, a little elementary school in New York City going to a big television production center. And I thought that was pretty cool. But I am a big weather buff. And I think you know that. And then when we got on with Lee Goldberg and he was able to have us come down, I think that had a trump that first trip. So I'm actually going to go with the eyewitness news. Lee Goldberg segment as well that we were on because you guys, we are, you guys are actually on quite a bit.

We were on, I think two other times on eyewitness news. They were kind of teasing us to come that we were going to come on and then we answered them and and and tweeted back at Lee Goldberg and he tweeted back at us and we'll put something on the calendar. And so yeah, I'm going to go with the eyewitness news one too. I'm going to go with what you picked as well. What made you go to all this more questions? Yeah, just one other. Go ahead.

What made you go to media arts as a career, teaching kids and education? So when I, when I started teaching at PS 101, that was back in 2000. And I was teaching fifth grade. Then I taught sixth grade. And the principal at the time had the technology teacher retiring and she said to me, she said, you don't belong in the classroom. I have to put you in technology. You are so good. You could offer so much and she asked me if I wanted to be that cluster.

And of course, I said yes, because it really kind of was up my alley. So you know, whether television production technology, I loved all that stuff. And so that's what actually got me involved with media arts. And then as we talked about earlier in this podcast with Mrs. Panayagua from PS 101, the principal of PS 101 being in that pandemic and having the ability to start this new station to kind of bring everyone together. That was why that's why I did it. Okay. Thank you. That clarifies that.

So looking, looking back on your time as a student newscaster, do you think that your experience on BTV has translated positively in your academic achievements as well? Even on a social emotional level, do you think that's actually helped?

I think that my time on BTV, like we've said, it's really helped me to build my self esteem not too much, but enough to the point where I can make decisions more effectively now and do things that I doubt I see strongly doubt I would have done before I had entered BTV. I can.

And as an academically, I think I've learned so much, not just social, emotional, but academically, like I've learned a lot of skills that I think will help me in the future as a student, as a person and possibly as a future newscaster in the real world. I hope you do become a newscaster. I think you would be really good at it. Thank you. Let me ask you one final question here.

So what's one lesson that you've learned being part of the live morning newscast that you can take with you in different aspects of your life as you move through middle school and then high school and beyond? I think one thing I've learned is that there were so many times on BTV where we may have had a few slip ups, a few mistakes.

Perhaps we missed a line or maybe the teleprompter stuck or perhaps one of us wasn't being interactive enough, but I think that just taught us and me that mistakes can set you back or they can, you can use them as a turning point. You can practice more. You can be more of your best self. You can go even farther than you were before and do things that you could never have done if you hadn't made those mistakes.

And I think like if I wasn't being interactive enough, I could or the teleprompter stuck, I could review the script beforehand, have it memorized, I could even try practicing and practice with my family to become more interactive with the crowd that I was speaking to. And I think that all those little things that happened, they did set me back, but they only, but I only then use them to then push me even farther, myself even farther.

And I think that's really been something I've learned from this overall experience. Ben, you are wise beyond your years. I know everyone who's listening right now is thinking the exact same thing. They're all thinking this kid is well wise beyond his years for sure. You are awesome. Thank you Adam. It's been a pleasure to be with you for your progress. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for, yeah, thank you for being with us today.

This has been so much fun to talk to you and catch up a little bit and get some additional perspective that I don't think we ever had a chance to talk about before. Yes, it has. So for those of you who have been listening, thank you for tuning in today and make sure that you share what you've learned or any takeaways or reflections that you've had, you can tag us on Twitter at class dynamics or follow us at classroom dynamics podcast on Instagram.

Once again, I want to thank Monique Panayagua, the principal of PS 101 and Benjamin former student of that school for being on with us today and for also being such an inspiration in the evolution of technology and education. And that brings us to the end of this episode of Classroom Dynamics where knowledge and inspiration meets innovation. I hope you've enjoyed today's discussion and founded both to be insightful and uplifting.

As always, my goal is to provide you with practical strategies, engaging stories and powerful insights that can fuel your motivation as an educator. I believe that when knowledge and inspiration do come together, incredible things can happen in your classroom. And for all of you who feel that it's too late to strengthen your craft, I challenge you to make it your mission to do so. You've worked hard to get to where you are today and it's never too late to infuse new life into your work.

So why not make today that day to do so? I'm Adam Todd and you've been listening to Classroom Dynamics, a teacher podcast. You can follow Classroom Dynamics on X at Class Dynamics or on Instagram at Classroom Dynamics Podcast. If you haven't already, go to Apple Podcast to subscribe, write and review this podcast. And if you know a teacher who may benefit from today's show, please share it with them.

We'll be back soon with more captivating conversations, inspiring stories and strategies that you can implement into your everyday routines. Until then, keep igniting that spark in your classroom and never stop believing in the incredible impact you have as an educator. You're more powerful and inspirational than you think. [Music] If you love this episode, you'll enjoy my conversation with Educational Leader and author of Disruptive Thinking, Eric Shenninger.

Join us as we sit down with the visionary educator and true trailblazer in the field of Educational Leadership and Technology Integration. Eric shares his unparalleled insights on transforming schools into dynamic hubs of innovation, from digital learning strategies to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, our conversation with Eric offers invaluable wisdom for educators, administrators and anyone passionate about the future of education and disruptive thinking.

And you know, what I always really think about is, you know, two things. How are our students using technology to learn in ways they couldn't without it? And number two, if you're an adult, how does your use of technology represent a fundamental improvement over what you did in the past without it? And if you can't answer those questions, it's okay not to use technology. (upbeat music)