RTB+Syllabus

Course Information **Instructor: Grant Laman - Room: 101 - Phone: 720-423-7070** **E-mail address: grant_laman@dpsk12.org --- Website: http://tj-laman.wikispaces.com**
 * __ Radio-TV Broadcasting and Understanding Modern Media __**
 * Course Goal:** To produce a 10-minute, daily news/entertainment television show that will be broadcast to the entire student body, faculty, and staff every day. The purpose of our telecast, the //Spartan Edition//, is to inform students of newsworthy events at TJ and its surrounding community, to promote school activities and programs, and to present this and other information in an entertaining and professional manner that will help to build a stronger and better informed TJ community.


 * Course Objectives:** In the course of writing, directing, and producing individual feature packages, students will become proficient in the following areas:
 * Writing:** news, sports, and script writing; storyboarding, critiquing
 * Reading:** anchoring, reporting, reading from teleprompter, and recording voiceovers
 * Software:** Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Express, Garage Band, Graphics, Audio and Production software applications
 * Hardware:** digital still cameras, digital video camcorders, and Macintosh computers


 * Course Expectations:** This class operates just like a news department of a television station. We must produce an excellent product for publication every day of the school year. Therefore, students must be on time, enthusiastic, hardworking, and conscientious. As this is an elective course, students who do not take their work seriously, do not come to class regularly or on time, are not enthusiastic about performing their daily tasks, or who create a distraction that interferes with others performing their tasks, will be transferred out.


 * Assignments:** Other tasks may be assigned, but for the bulk of the course work st udents will have three assignments to complete (each assignment rotation): Spartan Edition (SE), Personal, and Class.

__ Spartan Edition Assignment: __ Individual assigned duty for completion of the daily show. Duties rotate every one or two weeks (see Spartan Edition handout). __ Personal Assignment: __ Individual project that is unique for each student. This assignment can be a “Weekly Feature,” or another choice of the student, but it must be approved by Mr. Laman. __ Class Assignment: __ Each student (except the Executive Producer), will complete a specific task assigned by Mr. Laman to fill a school need, or in order to learn a new skill set.


 * Grades:** Students will be graded on the SE, Personal, and Class assignments as described above. All assignments are worth 100 points, so each assignment rotation there is a total of 300 points to earn, as well as class participation points (see below).


 * Tardy Policy:** Students MUST be on time as we have a daily deadline to fulfill. The school wide tardy policy is followed as well as effects to the class participation grade for each tardy.


 * Class Participation:** Class participation (being on time and in class) is so paramount in this class that UNANNOUNCED absences and tardies will drastically affect your class participation grade. Each 6 weeks you will start with 200 points but lose them for not participating in class or being tardy (-20), or for unannounced absences (-20).


 * Press Passes:** Each year, the administration gets more and more restrictive with students being granted hall passes. Our students have the privilege of moving freely about the school so that they are able to fulfill their reporting duties. Students are given a press pass at the beginning of the semester, and they must display this pass when they are out of the classroom on Spartan Edition business AT ALL TIMES. Students must NEVER use their press pass for personal business, getting snacks, leaving the building for any reason, getting other students out of class, or anything else that would potentially jeopardize our department from being able to grant these passes. Therefore, there will be no tolerance for the abuse of the press pass.


 * Lab Fee:** There is a $50 lab fee required for this course. The funds go to pay for existing equipment repair and maintenance, and new equipment purchases. We have acquired (and continue to acquire) state-of-the-art equipment for our students to use so that their experience can be productive and relevant to current industry standards, but we require this operating fee to keep this equipment in good working order. Any student who cannot afford this fee must see the Center for Communication Technology Director, Matt Spampinato. Students who cannot afford the lab fee will not be denied access to this class.


 * Equipment Usage:** We provide still digital cameras, and digital video camcorders for our students to use in the building. Students may also check out these cameras to use overnight, but before they can do so they must complete an equipment usage agreement contract (please see attached). Cameras must be returned prior to first period the NEXT MORNING. We have a limited supply of cameras that are in use during class time everyday; therefore, if a student does not return his/her camera, other students will not have the opportunity to work on his/her project. Even if the student is sick, he/she must make arrangements with a friend or family member to stop by and pick up the equipment and return it to us the following morning.

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