#MediaMonday: The Personality Playlists
Good Morning Everyone,
My name is Josh Cantrell and I am the STN Education Coordinator. I wanted to take this first #mediamonday email to welcome our new affiliates and welcome back our returners. 2021-2022 is sure to be another memorable year and I am so excited to be there with all of you. Since STN is here to help all of you connect with each other and to equip you with the support that you need, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us at any time.
In an attempt to serve you and your students better this year, please take a moment to fill out this brief survey regarding the spring national convention. We want to make the decisions that best suite the Student Television Network, as a whole, and your voice is essential in making that decision.
Also, to ensure that you are receiving the most current content and staying up-to-date with STN opportunities, please make sure you renew your registration for 2021-2022.
Now, onto the lesson of the day.
Today, I go back into the classroom and, if you are anything like me, you will find yourself falling victim to committing a crime punishable by disengagement. That crime, as we all know it, is Death by Syllabus. It is a universal truth that no syllabus ever devised by man is exciting. Yet, we use that life-sucking (albeit necessary) document to set the pace for out entire year with a classroom full of weary strangers. While we need to disseminate relevant course information to our students, might I suggest potentially saving the less-than-sexy syllabus read for day 2 and swap out something fun for day 1.
My suggestion: The Personality Playlist.
We are media teachers so it makes sense that we come out of the gates swinging with videos and music. This is a cool activity for all subjects that lets your kids introduce themselves to you in a safe and fun way (without the looming threat of yet another thrice-stapled syllabus and accompanying parent slip).
Here is a typical handout for a personality playlist:
A big part of media production is in the Pre-Production stage. These are the moments before the lights fire up and you hit record on the camera. These are the "idea" moments where you find your creative inspiration for your work. Sometimes these are called idea boards, but we are going to call the "Personality Playlists".
So we can all get to know one another a little bit better, we are going to be creating Personality Playlists. Imagine that there is going to be a movie made about your life. As the author of your own story, you have been asked to create a personal playlist for the production team to get to know you better.
The way you do this is... Choose 10 things that are essentially "you".
These can be:
• Hobbies
• Interests
• Passions
• Clothing styles
• Life Experiences
• Music
• Movies
• Etc.
List out the 10 things in bullet points on a text response.
Then, once you have chosen your 10 things, find an accompanying website or link for it that the production team can use. These links can be for any web-based content that helps to personally represent your interest. Also remember, only one link per interest; choose carefully.
Finally, Paste every link next to the interest.
Here is an example of what my Personality Playlist looks like:
Josh Cantrell Personality Playlist
• Hanging out with my Wife, Son, and Daughter: ( https://www.lillebaby.com)
• Drinking Coffee ( https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/bee-house)
• Film Festivals ( https://www.telluridefilmfestival.org)
• Fly Fishing ( https://fishpondusa.com)
• Mountains ( https://www.summitpost.org/tenmile-range/171177)
• Playing Guitar ( https://dangelicoguitars.com)
• Traveling ( https://www.visitaviemore.com)
• Flannel ( https://www.filson.com/men/shirts/flannels.html)
• Music (this one happens to be The Blues) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUZj8O2qgxM)
• Food ( https://www.firstpizza.com)
Now it is your turn. Create your personality playlists so we can all get to know you a little better.
I give the students everything that I include in blue here and let them run with it. I suggest that you tailor the assignment to your own needs. However, be sure to create your own playlist for them to see; this is a two-way street. Also, as you will notice, these ten bullet points are vague and often require explanation. Take the time to ask questions of one another and model this with your own list. This creates a more memorable experience as you all become acquainted for the first time.
Best of luck during your first days back and please do not hesitate to reach out if I can help you this year.
Talk to you soon,
Josh Cantrell