It Was a Pleasure, Frisco

Our three-day broadcast and video production camp for teachers and students in Frisco, TX was a lot of work for everyone involved, but so worth it.

There were 28 kids and eight teachers signed up, which made for an interesting blend of students and educators in the same space for 72 hours, from August 3 - 5.  They all handled it so well.  While the first morning was spent together for our various ASB presentations, once the hands-on part of the camp kicked in, the teachers and students went their separate ways and got to work.

We gave students the choice of creating a short, journalistic program, or working on an original, short film.  We had 13 go the "J" route, and the rest split into three movie production teams.  

Teachers had to complete a 60-second, silent video, then an editing project that incorporated a lot of nat. sound.  They also attended other presentations geared to educators.

What we enjoyed the most was the enthusiasm throughout the camp from both the kids and the adults.  There was no whining, and a lot of good-natured fun and (we hope) some helpful lessons along the way.  

This was not our first ASB "Road Show," or "mobile workshop."  In years past, we have taken our act to Chicago, New York, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, and even to Texas once before.  We enjoy it, and teachers tell us it is always good for students to hear new voices suggesting they use a tripod, check their audio, ask better questions, and just work harder on their overall skills.

If you are interested in having us do this for your district, or your school, now is the time to get us on the calendar for 2017.  

And thanks again, Robyn Gramly, the organizer, and all the kids and teachers in Frisco, TX who were so great to work with last week.

Dave Davis

Dave Davis started a Broadcast Journalism class at Hillcrest High School in the fall of 1989. Since then, the school's student-produced show, "HTV Magazine," has become one of the nation's most-honored high school broadcasts.

In an effort to provide valuable, useful, hands-on instruction to broadcast teachers from across the nation, Davis founded ASB Workshop in the summer of 2000. Since then, the week-long workshop has provided training for hundreds of high school and middle school teachers from 47 states, plus Mexico, England, South Korea, and Japan.

In the spring of 2009 he was named the Springfield (MO) Public Schools Teacher of the Year. He lives in Springfield with wife Martha, and has two daughters who live and work in the area.

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