Georgia Public Broadcasting serves all of Georgia through television, radio, and education. Our new Production Resource Development project combines GPB's expertise in the realms of television production and education to offer broadcast media students across the state the opportunity to gain valuable experience while at the same time creating high quality video content.
Noteworthy educational activity takes place across Georgia every day; unfortunately, GPB staff cannot capture video footage in unlimited locations simultaneously. In order to address this problem, GPB has created a network of higher education institutions with broadcast media programs to join us. We have divided the state into 12 regions, each of which contains at least one high school, college, or university with a broadcast media program. The following schools are currently involved in the project:
# Albany State University
# Atlanta College of Art
# Augusta State University
# Brenau University
# Chattahoochee Technical College
# Clayton State University
# Coosa High School
# Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School
# Emory University
# Fort Valley State University
# Gainesville College
# Georgia College & State University
# Georgia Institute of Technology
# Georgia Perimeter College
# Georgia Southern University
# Georgia Southwestern State University
# Georgia State University
# Rome City High School
# Southern Polytechnic State University
# University of West Georgia
# University of Georgia
# Valdosta State University
The top students from each school's program are selected to participate in the project as video production apprentices by utilizing their skills as journalists, videographers, and video editors. The apprentices first go on location to obtain video footage of educators and learners engaged in best practices and then use their school's production facilities to edit and shape the footage into finished video programs. Once the programs are completed, they are shared with the rest of the Georgia educational community via GPB satellite and video streaming.
This network serves the double purpose of providing valuable experience to broadcast media students AND creating timely educational programming for use by the classrooms GPB serves across the state. The Production Resource Development project offers the apprentices the opportunity to work with GPB's seasoned broadcast professionals, enhance their résumés, and earn money for their time. At the same time, the project allows GPB to maximize production of high quality video programs that both recognize outstanding education practitioners in Georgia and share successful strategies as professional development for other educators.
Since the inception of the Production Resource Development project in November 2004, GPB has recruited a team of more than 50 video production apprentices and completed 22 projects. Some of the events the network has covered include the USS Jimmy Carter kick-off, productions by the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, and the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts speech on the "Future of Space Exploration."
In addition to on-location production experience, video production apprentices have the opportunity to participate in special Tour and Train seminars at GPB once per semester. Apprentices from each participating institution are invited to Atlanta to tour the GPB production facilities and attend technical and editorial workshops designed to enhance their video production skills.
GPB has also invited the department heads from each school involved in the Production Resource Development project to join us for a Networking Day designed to promote inter-school collaboration and cooperation. This event will give the leaders of the broadcast education community across the state the opportunity meet one another, share education strategies, and develop potential partnerships to benefit their students and the larger learning community.
If your school has a broadcast media program and you would like to share this learning experience your students, contact Jake Shakhman at 404-685-2562 or jshakhman@gpb.org.
