Teacher Feature - Spencer Schwede - Berry Creek Middle School News with WeVideo

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Spencer Schwede (email spencer.schwede@eagleschools.net) is an 8th-grade Social Studies teacher at Berry Creek Middle School. Spencer has been integrating a WeVideo as a way to keep his current events class, current!

What question were you trying to answer?

How can I make the day-to-day news more engaging, accessible, and relevant to students? 

How can I plan year to year for a Current Events class, that what is happening around the world is constantly changing?

I taught Current Events for a year and a half and realized my lesson planning was overwhelming, the topics we covered were not as engaging as I would have liked, and students didn’t have a voice. We used programs like CNN 10, PBS Kids NewsHour, and Newsela. Most of the work centered around reading articles and writing summaries. I saw the importance of this, and students were growing in their research, reading, and writing skills, but I knew we could do even more. So I thought of a different approach to the class. What if I did a Media Journalism type class, which is more typical in high schools, and create a platform for Berry Creek? I had no background or real sense of what it would take to make this possible, but I knew that the district had purchased a WeVideo subscription. 

This was six years ago, and since then Berry Creek Middle School students have created a monthly news program called BCMS News. I have taught students from 6th-8th grade how to brainstorm, research, collect data, write scripts, film, edit, and fully produce a WeVideo 10-15 minute monthly program. We begin each semester with a WeVideo “boot camp”. This helps students master the editing skills needed to be independent in developing this show. I use the WeVideo tutorials called “WeVideo Academy” and made my own videos explaining some of the features as well as how it relates to the news program. Students finish this boot camp by creating a mock video of sorts and they demonstrate they can film, cut, find, and insert media, enhance or lessen audio, alter pictures, green-screen effects, and create transitions.

Then we are off to the races. Students work in small groups to create videos to put into the monthly episode. We air the episodes in classes school-wide at the end of each month. They range from interviews and game shows to informative pieces about what is happening in our school, community, nation, and world. Most recently, our February episode featured a story on Black History Month, the history of Valentine's Day, and the Superbowl (where my KC Cheifs came out on top!)

This semester we also started to utilize the newer version of WeVideo - WeVideo Classroom. While there has been a learning curve for both students and teachers, the experience is more interactive for groups, easier for me as the teacher to organize, and I can give feedback right on the videos while they are editing. I am glad I transitioned my Current Events class from a simple read-write-repeat format to enhance the learning experience so that students not only learn about the world, still read and write, but gain even more skills with technology, public speaking, and collaboration.

I highly recommend WeVideo for all classrooms. This can be a tool you use to create your own videos for instruction or turn them into a project for students to demonstrate their learning. WeVideo is easy to use, there are tutorials for educators and students, and WeVideo Classroom makes it easier than ever to manage projects, assess learning and give valuable feedback.