The Malcolm Middle School Broadcast has allowed students to share their creativity through Youtube, a podcast and design.
A seventh-grade video production class was started during the 2021-22 school year and has taught and given students the chance to create broadcasts and designs for different things throughout the school.
Doug Mahoney, Technology Integration Specialist at Malcolm Public Schools, said the class is a quarter long.
“Kelly Frank and I both came up with the class and she pitched it to the administration,” he said.
Danya Wyatt co-teaches the class with Mahoney, and he said the class wouldn’t be possible without Frank and Wyatt.
Although it hasn’t been around long, the class has progressed throughout its time. Mahoney said the class has three main tasks: graphics for the display TVs in the school, The Malcolm Middle School Broadcast and the “Clippers from Nebraska” podcast.
“It’s really taken off and been fun to watch,” he said.
The Broadcast now allows students to come up with different ideas.
“Each group gets to include their personality,” Mahoney said. “This group did a joke of the week and integrated some interviews. They did the interviews with coaches, quiz bowl members and others.”
Mahoney also said students are able to choose what role they want.
“They all have to do design, but some really shine with overlays, on camera, editing and other things,” he said. “It’s been amazing to me. Every student seems to find their niche and they all want to do something.”
Along with the students liking the class, Mahoney feels it’s a good idea because it connects to what students enjoy.
“If you were to give kids a choice on what they want to do, most would want to watch YouTube,” he said. “This class hits them where they live. It’s where their comfort zone is.”
Mahoney also said the class is a great way to gain self-confidence.
“We review everything before they publish,” he said. “They trust their teachers and classmates. We aren’t going to post something that would make them look bad.”
With the semester over, Mahoney said he will have a new group of seventh graders to start the third quarter.
“You never know what you’ll get until you get that group of kids,” he said. “That’s what’s so fun about it. They see what others are doing and want to top it.”
Anyone interested in listening to or watching any of the content produced by the Malcolm Middle School Broadcast can find them on YouTube at “Malcolm Youtube” or by podcast at “Clippers from Nebraska.” The podcast can be found on any major podcast platform like Spotify or Apple.
“It’s a very positive class for our students,” Mahoney said. “They learn so much about themselves.”
