I’d like to give an official thumbs up to a teacher at San Benito High School who chose an innovative way to give his final exams this year.
He didn’t use the dry and predictable method of endless multiple choice problems or those dreaded essay questions.
In fact, he didn’t use much paper at all. Señor Adam’s Spanish III class produced televised public service announcements and skits in Spanish for their final exam, and you get to see them on our educational channel, ED-TV 19!
While I don’t speak Spanish, I browsed through the tapes to see what the students came up with. Go figure … the first one I popped in was a spoof of Wayne’s World in Spanish.
I have to admit, while I sometimes get offended by people equating public access with that movie, I was amused by the way the students pulled this off.
They certainly had the costumes and hair down, and managed to re-enact an entertaining five minutes, complete with on-the-street interviews and a public service announcement that seemed to imitate a scene from the TV show “Cops.”
As usual, poor Garth ends up getting abused by Wayne in the segment, but hey … it wouldn’t be a Wayne’s World spoof without Garth getting some grief.
I also previewed a few mock newscasts, some that looked pretty typical, and others that had an unconventional twist to them … like a couple of Haybalers behind the news desk adorned with braids and overalls.
I applaud the students for having fun with the assignment and making it entertaining for us viewers. I especially want to acknowledge the creativity of Señor Pat Adams, who stepped way out of the box on this one and probably made finals a whole lot more tolerable!
My guess is that these students will retain a lot more of the content after having put it to practical use in making their videos.
Check out Señor Adam’s Spanish III videos on ED-TV Channel 19 today at 4 p.m., and Saturday at 5 p.m.
Another fun video that’s hitting our airwaves this week is coverage of the 6th Annual Oak Hill Open Sheepdog Trials from March 2004.
If you’re big into border collies and herding breeds, you may want to check this out.
Our volunteers John Chadwell and Sarah Apodaca shot and edited this 30-minute piece, that features interviews with sheepdog handlers from far and wide.
One woman came all the way from Ontario, Canada to compete in the trials along with 75 other handlers, and 175 dogs.
While sheepdog competition isn’t a lucrative sport, it’s certainly an occupying and entertaining hobby. Catch the Trials on Public Access Channel 20 this Monday, July 12 at 3:30 p.m. or Wednesday, July 14, at 9 p.m.
Additional airtimes for both of these programs are available on our Web site at www.mycmap.org
