Video Project Much More Than Gaining Technical Knowledge for Students

Riley DePaola

Kris Katrosh gives directions to Tony Ellis, left, and Jeremy Miller, sitting.

The Adopt-A-Classroom program at the University of Arkansas is mutually beneficial to the local public school teachers and students involved. Through the program, students find mentors and real-world experiences they might not get in a regular classroom setting.

The program pairs a U of A faculty or staff member or a doctoral student with a classroom at a Northwest Arkansas K-12 school. The partners establish a regular visiting schedule that fits their needs and availability. Elizabeth Smith, former director of the Education Renewal Zone in the College of Education and Health Professions, created the program in 2012 after numerous requests to have a U of A faculty or staff member visit local grade schools. The program is meant to get the K-12 students excited for college as well as providing an opportunity for the U of A and local school participants to learn from each other.

Lindsey Swagerty is the new director of ERZ and is continuing the Adopt-A-Classroom program as well as several other initiatives. Information about participating in Adopt-A-Classroom next spring is available on the ERZ website.

Rebecca Martindale, former director of web and instructional-based services for the College of Education and Health Professions, adopted a Lincoln High School classroom two years ago. The class is an EAST lab, which stands for Environmental and Spatial Technologies and means it is taught through project-based learning. Last year's project was to create a promotional video for the Adopt-A-Classroom program.

"The video serves two purposes," Smith said. "The functional use is to recruit more U of A faculty and staff members to adopt a classroom, but it also is meant to give the students real-world experience."

Executing the video was a lengthy process. The students came to the U of A in early February to scope out locations for the interviews while continuing to learn all aspects of video production back in their classroom. In April, the students came back to campus and conducted eight interviews of former program participants over the course of two days. In the post-production stage, they learned how to edit and perfect the video.

The students found a mentor in Martindale, but the connections do not stop there. She asked Kris Katrosh, media production manager for the university's Global Campus, in the early stages of pre-production whether he would be willing to come and assist the students in making the video. Katrosh jumped at the opportunity and was hands-on throughout the project. He was present for all visits to the U of A and made trips to the Lincoln classroom to further ensure the students were getting legitimate experience.

"Those guys are professional videographers, and we were able to bring the students to campus so they could go through the process of scouting locations and watching what it meant to put together professional video equipment, set up lighting and go through the whole interview process of creating a documentary," Martindale said.

Katrosh and Martindale taught the students all the steps involved in creating a video from pre-production to post-production. Some students conducting the interviews for the video said the project has taught them more than they ever thought they would know about creating a video.

"Technically, I have learned a lot about setting up and tearing down sets and the science behind all of the equipment," said Tony Ellis, a junior at Lincoln. "My favorite part has been getting to work with professional people and professional equipment."

Jeremy Miller, also a junior, interviewed Ron Warren, U of A communications professor and former participant of Adopt-A-Classroom, about his experiences with the program. Warren's interview was a great testament to the purpose of the program. He found it to be very humbling to be able to see a different kind of learning environment and he learned a lot through the seventh-grade class he adopted.

"I would recommend it (Adopt-A-Classroom) to any faculty member that wants to see how kids in K-12 education learn about their material; it's a real eye opener for university professors to be able to see where their students are coming from," said Warren.

Martindale chose to adopt the classroom without knowing what to expect, but in turn she will be remembered by the students as an integral part in helping them find their purpose.

"It (the class) has encouraged my future because this is something I've been interested in and I enjoy doing this, so it's something I would want to continue doing," Miller said.

Miller credits the program and his experience working with the video for giving him the ability to view himself in different career paths that he had not envisioned beforehand. The video being a promotional piece has opened Miller's eye to the world of business and the art of selling something.

"I've learned a little bit more about what I want to do with my future because I didn't really think about getting a business degree until I started working with this," Miller said. "I need to know business and how to sell a product, so I have learned a lot about my future and college plans."

The students should come out of the class with new skills and talents, but also the importance of a good work ethic and working as part of a team.

"I hope it's inspired them to keep going forward with the career choices they want to make," Martindale said.

While the class cannot last forever, the connections, experiences and new skill sets will not fade. The Adopt-A-Classroom program perfectly embodies what it means to be part of a team.

"The program helps with your trust because you have to rely on others to get the job done," said Miller. "It does take a team to make something great."

The Education Renewal Zone is currently seeking faculty, staff, or graduate students in all academic departments to partner with a local kindergarten through 12th grade classroom in Northwest Arkansas for the spring 2016 semester.

Training will be offered to assist participants in determining how to utilize expertise within the K-12 classroom. Participants will be asked to teach in their partner classroom once a month for the spring semester.

If you would like to participate in this program please complete the interest form available online before Dec. 11.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Lindsey Swagerty at 479-575-3641 or lmswager@uark.edu.