#MediaMonday: Choice Finals

Good morning everyone,

The topic for this week’s teacher talk is going to be "crossing the finish line". I know many of us have had a very difficult year and we want to make sure that everybody feels like they are the ending the year on a high point. That is why we are covering this topic on Thursday and that is also why today I am focusing on a unique way to present a final to your media students.

Today's topic is Choice Finals.

Every year, for my introductory media students, I allow them to choose their own final from a prescribed list of assignments that we have already done in my media course. 

That list is:

• A Broadcast Journalism Video Package (90-120 second news package)

• An Audio News Package (90-120 seconds)

• A Short Film (3-4 Mins.)

• A Wildcard (these ideas are pitched to me by the students that are the skills that they learned in media, just not one of the above-mentioned assessments. Typical choices are music videos, podcasts, commercials, music albums, etc.)

I always talk to my students and encourage them to choose an assignment that represents the best skills that they have acquired throughout the year. This allows my students to end the year being able to do an assignment that they want to do and that they feel offers them the most opportunity for success. I give my students four weeks to complete the assignment and have separate rubrics for each. 

If you find that you are having trouble figuring out how to end the year, this might be a great option for you to try. Pick 3-4 assignments that you have done already that you feel represent the standards of your course and allow the students to have one more opportunity to complete these assignments. 

I think it is a cool way to end a media class and I hope that you find it helpful. The kids always love it. 

Talk to you soon,

Josh Cantrell