Two Schools Add Live Video to Announcements

by Ronnie Zamora/LFCISD

For decades, schools around the world have started their days with the pledge of allegiance and announcements over the school’s intercom system.

It used to be that only the principal would use the intercom for announcements, but students in many schools have taken over the microphone or telephone intercom.

With the help of live video technology, Olmito Elementary and Villarreal Elementary schools have added a new feature to announcements – show them live on video.

The video broadcasts are streamed live on YouTube to all classes in the school, where teachers can show the live broadcast to their classes. The private school video feed on YouTube is connected to a projector which is then on the class whiteboard. All classrooms at both campuses tune in to watch the broadcasts.

Coding lab teachers at each school – Elvira Martinez at OES and John Garza at VES – initiated the broadcasts after watching how the software works at a summer training session.

Both use the free version of the software Mimo Live Broadcast, which streams the broadcast through YouTube. The software is loaded onto an iPad which is operated by another student. The software allows for titles to be added along with a scrolling “crawl” on the screen.

Students do the bulk of the work. The broadcasts are shown at exactly 8 a.m., 10 minutes after the start of the school day.

At Olmito Elementary, many fifth-grade students will get the opportunity to be part of the broadcast team during the school year. The first group of students who were trained are shadowed by other students to learn the broadcast ropes. The second group of students then become the first team, and another group shadows them. The rotation process continues.

OES also offers a Science Word of the Day contest as well. Students who know the answer race to the classroom telephones to dial an extension with their answer. The student with the correct answer is then broadcast to the school.

Villareal Elementary just started its broadcast and is taking baby steps to improve its product. Four fourth-grade students – twins Kate and Sophia Meyer, Madison Woodward, Kate Meyer and Addison Barrera – are the broadcast team while Benjamin Lu operates the software and camera.

“You get to learn about communication just like people on the TV news,” Kate Meyer said.

“This is really fun,” Addison said. Sometimes you get a little nervous, but we do the best we can. It’s a good experience for all of us.”

Benjamin, the recorder, enjoys being behind the camera. “I like being the recorder because I can add different things to give more information. This will help us when we go on to middle school and high school.”