Developed by MacNeil/Lehrer productions and PBS with input from the educational community, the.News (link to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/index.php) is an online news broadcast for current events aimed at teens. Designed for use in the classroom, in afterschool programs and at home, the.News uses video journalism to present topical stories about social studies, language arts and the sciences, while teaching critical thinking and media literacy in a way that engages students.
For educators, the.News includes dozens of lesson plans designed around particular the.News video segments. These plans reach across different subjects to tie topics together – for example, the video The Internet of Things: IoT offers three separate but complementary lessons designed for use in science, social studies and language arts classes. Available to teachers anywhere, these resources are already in use district-wide in Omaha public schools.
The.News also features YOU.edit, a Web-based video editing program that allows students to learn journalism editing skills as they piece together their own reports from a selection of video clips, photos, effects and transitions, combined with their own audio and captions. These reports can be shared online for other students to view and discuss. YOU.edit is also used in programs at the New York Hall of Science and the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus.
