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The Telecommunications department at Lake Forest High School has been
a steady recipient of grants awarded by the LFHS Foundation over the
last several years. Just this past year, the Foundation was able to provide
new MAC desktops and state of the art software. The technology sounds
state of the art, and it is, but the technology only tells a small part
of the story. The technology is the gravy to a curriculum that develops
the organizational, team building, and observational skills in every
student who steps into the Telecom classroom. The class provides hands
on experience with real world concepts like deadlines, group dynamics,
budget constraints, and ownership. Just as present is the concept of “job
worth doing is a job worth doing right.”
Telecom class sizes are small. The student groups
work together under teacher instruction with multiple project reviews
by peers and instructor alike. The class consists of all student levels
ranging from first semester students through students completing their
seventh semester. The Telecom class is full with cameras, computers,
and televisions. Students begin with the basics. Every first semester
Telecom student is given a camera, a shoot list and a time limit. No
one is allowed to tape over his or her work. After project completion,
the students share their work with the group. The teacher pointing out
the positive and the areas of improvement of each individual’s
work support the educational process. The fuzzy focus or the missed shots
are discussed along the great angles and interesting perspectives. As
students move through the Telecom curriculum, they learn the importance
of the message. Students learn that the goal of media is to communicate
with an audience. Their job is to define their audience and develop a
way to communicate the message most effectively. Some students show an
ability with the camera, some with the production process, and others
excel with the technology. All students will develop the ability to outline
their message, define their timeline, and execute their project. They
will learn how to own their work and accept responsibility. In a Telecom
class, education is a collaborative process. Students learn to integrate
subjects and apply lessons from one class
to another. Their goal is not to build silos of knowledge, but rather
to foster the development of how information benefits the understanding
of the world. The computers, the software and the cameras are a means
to an end. The real lesson is seeing the power of the message and learning
how to create it.
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