NAB 2008 was awesome! That doesn't change most years. This year did not disappoint. But how can video instructors on the K-12 level benefit from an organization such as NAB? Were there any components of the conference beneficial to a high school student and their video teacher?
Despite a very large college student and professional job fair, not much would benefit our youth. Employers at the fair would not accept resumes except through email. Mother nature is happy. The exception, high tech gadgets, huge booths with massive flat screens and the sights and sounds of the Vegas strip. Every teenager would fall for those. Forgive my deceptive pessimism. I was excited. There are benefits for school districts seeking to build TV studios, teachers needing to replace old equipment and district network service departments needing to upgrade their infrastructure to laser fiber or wi-fi options. Oh...I can't forget digital signage.
NAB is the trip of a lifetime and most visitors enjoy the trade show. However, several days before the trade show is software training and workshops on the latest hardware and computer programs. They do cost, but they are well worth it. I can see students signing up for courses on After Effects, Photoshop, Maya and others. To get hands on training from industry professionals is worth it's wait in gold. But what of the future of K-12 broadcasting and how can Gods of NAB recognize this already massive media production and revenue generating market?
We need to continue networking through the National Student Television Network, Broadcast Educators Association, School Tube, Teacher Tube and other groups to get our voice heard. What I would like to see at NAB is more attention paid to a market that spends more money on media technology than most small to mid-sized television stations (my guess). I'm hanging on a long limb here, but it is my belief that every high school in America is involved in some type of video & audio production; podcasting, vidcasting, live newscasts, animation, etc. I have attended conferences where Avid, Apple, Grass Valley and other national media technology corporations courted teachers and school districts. It is still happening to this day. States such as Texas are creating mandates similar to www.achievetexas.org requiring all high school graduates to leave K-12 with not just a diploma, but a license or trade in a certification. Expenditures for broadcast technology by schools are in the thousands and some in the millions. National organizations have emerged from this new paradigm shift with visual education, such as, School Tube and Teacher Tube. Recently, the Wall Street Journal posted an article on these important groups.
Imagine this - a student missed the deadline to buy his/her schools new DVD Yearbook. Days later, the school announces it is selling scenes from the yearbook via cell phone. For just ten cents, you can view the homecoming you missed on your cell phone or download it to your ipod, take it home and ingest it into your DVR via bluetooth. Imagine districts streaming graduation to homes via wi-fi and fiber to those families that can't attend for a modest cost. Revenue streams in K-12 video production will and are becoming viable. School districts such as mine have invested in laser fiber as the core of their media infrastructure and broadcasting cable programming to computers and closed-circuit systems. We are adding to the fragmentation of television as we know it. Our industry can create many new and exciting fund raising revenue streams with this technology. We are also a revenue stream for vendors of NAB. The National Association of Broadcasters and others need to include workshops, seminars and training sessions for the K-12 level. Why? First and fore-most the industry desperately needs to foster, nurture and develop new talent behind the camera, especially in the area of engineering. Second, and I stress this...it is a revenue stream for the industry. Another client and partner. It just makes sense.
I can go on and on, but the turkey on rye bread sandwiches are ready...gotta go! Please post your thoughts and comments and tune in Thursday for my final post on equipment for middle and high school control rooms and studios.
