After moving from the tri-state area to Maine 13 years ago, I knew it was going to be tough to find a job teaching video production in a high school. I had spent the last five years at a newly built, state-of-the-art specialty school that allowed students to get a solid study of the Communications field before they even left high school. We had access to the latest hardware and software, and a wealth of pairing opportunities in the surrounding community for projects outside the classroom. In Maine…not so much.
At the time, teaching jobs in technology were few and far between in Maine. I mean Vacationland as it’s called, does not scream technology. I was between jobs. I had to think fast. I took a teaching position at a private high school teaching basic computer skills. After doing all I could do with the curriculum, I was getting static. The students must be bored I thought. My budget was not big enough to include all the bells and whistles of equipment I had back in New Jersey so I had to get creative and develop some new curriculum. This is where Tongal stepped in.
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I happened upon Tongal through a search for video projects. I was looking for something to engage my students during downtime in my Digital Journalism course. Through Tongal, I found that Tyson Foods was looking for a video on combating hunger. My school had been involved in a traditional food drive to benefit the greater Portland area. A perfect match! Armed with a small, hand-held camera for much of the work, I reminded my students that it wasn’t the equipment, it was what you could do with it. I had to teach my students to resist the urge to just grab a camera and go. Storytelling, whether it is on paper, audio or video, is a process. Through pre-production planning, storyboarding, developing interview questions and lessons on correct shooting techniques, the class got to work. They learned the dynamics of video production while working with a deadline for a real client.
Since the Tyson project, the technology, the courses I teach, and my curriculum have evolved. In one unit of my Media and Technology course, students explore the aspects of advertising and brand marketing. I use projects that come through Tongal as examples of how to define and grow a brand from identification, tagline development, and advertising ideas. When reviewing a project on Tongal, I have my students brainstorm on the product background and the wants and needs of the company partnering with Tongal.
I try to be flexible in my lesson plans to allow for the class follow a project from start to finish, but given the extended timeline of many jobs we often check back on projects later to learn the outcome. As a class, we review what was selected and see how it progresses from stage to stage. Students participate through discussion on the pitches selected and why they think it was preferred by the company. They are often amazed at the outcome and the ideas that are chosen. While it is hard to teach students creativity, using Tongal projects as an example comes darn close. It’s safe to say, pretty much, all the winning Tongalers are teachers in some way.
Seeing the business end of the project puts the entire process into perspective for the students. Learning is at its best when students can connect meaning to what they do to something tangible instead of just another assignment. Tongal helps to bridge this gap by allowing me to teach my students how the work that they do in the classroom relates to the real world. This connection keeps them engaged and on target. How cool is that?
Using Tongal as an educational experience is a win/win for my classroom. Although some of my production equipment has expanded since we first worked on the Tyson video project, my budget has not grown to my liking. Incorporating Tongal into the classroom doesn’t cost anything yet it allows my students to be a part of something concrete. My classroom experience with Tongal is meant to engross students in the business end of advertising, marketing, communications and brand development, but who knows, maybe this will eventually lead to something more for a few of them.
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Note From Tongal: “Teach Media and Marketing Skills to Your Students with Tongal” is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Tell Us About It Tongal Blog Project. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and stay tuned for more opportunities to Pitch a topic and write for the Tongal Blog!
