Communication Production Technology 10, 20, 30 Curriculum Guide.

Course Components and Considerations

Communication production technologies are constantly changing and evolving. Resource-based learning encourages teachers to review continuously the resources that are available within and outside their community. This will help teachers gain access to a wide range of current information, and both human and technical support.

The Communication Production Technology course consists of core and optional modules as outlined in the Module Overview Chart. To receive credit, students must complete a total of 100 hours at each level. It is recommended that Modules 1, 2 and 4 be taught at Level 10. It is recommended that module 4 be introduced at the 10 level and integrated at the 20 and 30 levels. Module 3 may be taught at any one level or integrated into all three levels, as appropriate. It is important to remember that when module content is integrated throughout a course of study, all of the learning objectives of that module must be addressed. Suggestions for production projects at the three levels are provided in Appendix B.

Communication Production Technology 10 introduces students to the course expectations and provides them with experiences that develop basic knowledge, skills, and abilities in all three of audio, video and multimedia production. Students will be introduced to the three stages of production including pre-production, production, and post-production. They will be involved in basic audio, video, and multimedia production activities, and will participate in one or more production projects. Post-production activities will be minimal at this level.

Communication Production Technology 20 increases students' understanding of important knowledge, skills, and abilities required in the creation of audio, video, and multimedia products. Students will be engaged in more complex processes than they experienced at Level 10, and will participate in one or more production projects. Post-production activities may be minimal at this level. Students will be expected to increase their understanding of all three of audio, video, and multimedia production.

Communication Production Technology 30 engages students in one or more major projects that may focus on either audio, video, or multimedia production or a combination of these. For example, one class or group of students may focus on audio production and may record and produce a music CD or develop and broadcast a radio drama. Another class or group of students may focus on video production and may develop a video to be showcased at a school or community film and video festival. Another class or group of students may focus on multimedia production and may develop an interactive website, or present an advanced level multimedia presentation to members of the community. It is expected that students will engage in more sophisticated post-production activities at Level 30.

The Optional Modules allow classes, groups, or individual students to increase their experience in one or more areas of production. Students may study a specific area of interest such as animation or special effects, or they may research and explore new software and technology. Some students may make use of Work Study opportunities with communication production companies in their communities. At Level 30, individual students may be allowed to undertake independent study projects in specific areas of interest.

Connections to Other Subject Areas

The Communication Production Technology (CPT) course, while focusing primarily on the technical and procedural aspects of production, has cross-curricular relevance for teachers and students. For example, students who have studied or are currently studying Communication 20, Media Studies 20, or the Film and Video module in Arts Education 10, 20, 30 may find the CPT course content complementary. Collaboration will allow students to extend their understanding and ideas from those related classes into fully developed production projects. Students in Creative Writing 20 or Drama 10, 20, 30 may be involved in scriptwriting activities or dramatic productions that could be explored through video or audio productions in CPT classes. CPT students involved in multimedia production projects may create websites to showcase student work from other classes such as science, visual art or mathematics. Students involved in other Practical and Applied Arts courses such as Graphic Arts, Design Studies or Photography may apply their learning in those areas to their production projects. Teachers should explore opportunities to collaborate with other classes to enrich the students' CPT experience.

Work Study

Work Study provides students with opportunity to enhance knowledge and to develop skills by interacting with industry professionals and using equipment not available in a school setting. Refer to the Work Study Guidelines included in the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook and the Career and Work Exploration Curriculum Guide for information on student preparation, employer partnerships, and teacher responsibilities.

Portfolios

Portfolios encourage students to collect examples of their work as they progress through the various activities, labs, and production projects. Selecting particular items to include in a portfolio encourages students to reflect on what they have learned or accomplished and what they have yet to learn. Portfolio items may include: journal notes, drafts, photographs, audio or video tapes, computer discs, etc. Portfolios may be used for peer, teacher, and self-assessments, and to showcase selected works for parents, post-secondary institutions, or potential employers.

The development of a portfolio is an important communication tool because it provides information for students, teachers, post-secondary institutions, community organizations and potential employers.

Portfolios can help students:

reflect on personal growth and accomplishment

see links between home, school and community education and activities

collect materials to prepare applications for post-secondary education program entrance and scholarships

collect materials to prepare for employment applications

focus on career planning.

Portfolios can help teachers:

provide a framework for independent learning strategies for the student

communicate student learning from one school year to another in a specific area of study

identify career planning needs for students

assess and evaluate the student's progress and achievement in a course of study

Portfolios can help post-secondary institutions:

determine suitable candidates for awards and scholarships

evaluate candidates for program entrance

evaluate prior learning for program placement

Portfolios can help communities:

reflect on the involvement in a student's education, and the support offered to learners

demonstrate the link between the home, school, and community in education

Portfolios can help potential employers:

identify employable skills desired in future employees

provide evidence of knowledge and skill development of potential employees

For the purposes of Communication Production Technology, two kinds of portfolios are used.

Working Portfolio

Students collect work over time in a "working folder". Each student should also keep a notebook of observations, critiques, production ideas, and reflections as part of his or her working portfolio. Items in this portfolio may be used for the purpose of ongoing and summative peer, teacher, and self-evaluations.

Working portfolios may be used for purposes of conferencing between student and teacher, teacher and parent, teacher and teacher, or student and student. When a teacher examines a student's portfolio in order to make a decision regarding student progress, the information it contains may become documented evidence for the evaluation.

A daily journal may also become a part of a working portfolio as a means of tracking the student's use of time and to record progress on ideas that are being developed. This will provide the student with a focus for self-directed or independent learning as well as an anecdotal record for part of the course evaluation.

Presentation Portfolio

To compile a presentation portfolio, students should select items from their working portfolio. The presentation portfolio should cover the range of students' experiences and should display their best efforts. The preparation of a presentation portfolio can be an assessment strategy, especially at Level 30. It is strongly suggested that students at the advanced (30) level of Communications Production Technology prepare a presentation portfolio suitable for presentation to potential employers or post-secondary institutions.

Through reflecting, updating and culling, students are able to compile presentation portfolios that display their best collection of work.

Extended Study

The extended study module is designed to provide schools with an opportunity to meet current and future demands that are not provided by current modules in the renewed PAA curriculum.

The flexibility of this module allows a school/school division to design one new module per credit to complement or extend the study of existing pure core modules and optional modules. The extended study module is designed to extend the content of the pure courses and to offer survey course modules beyond the scope of the selection of PAA modules.

The list of possibilities for topics of study or projects for the extended study module approach is as varied as the imagination of those involved in using the module. These optional extended study module guidelines should be used to strengthen the knowledge, skills, and processes advocated in the Practical and Applied Arts curriculum.

It is recommended that a summary of any extended study module be sent to the Regional Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

For more information on the extended study module, refer to the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook.

Resources

A variety of instructional resources have been evaluated and recommended to support resource-based learning within this course. See the Communication Production Technology 10, 20, 30 An Initial List of Implementation Materials for resources. Teachers should also refer to the Saskatchewan Education Learning Resources Distribution Centre (LRDC) catalogue. An online ordering service is available.

Distance Learning Materials and Student Resources on the Website
This Communication Production Technology curriculum guide is available online as part of Saskatchewan Education's Evergreen Curriculum at http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/paa.html
Interactive materials and resources to support the core modules of this course are also provided at http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/cpt/index.html. This area of the website contains information for students about audio, video, and multimedia production, and provides online and hands-on classroom activities for students.
Saskatchewan teachers may submit the online request form to receive free access to the password-protected video production and student portfolio area of the site. Teachers outside Saskatchewan must contact the Learning Technology Unit of Saskatchewan Education for further information. After teachers have previewed the materials and activities on the site, they may wish to submit their list of student names so that the students may access the site, including the secured area provided for student portfolios. Teachers can also access the student portfolios for the purpose of communication, assessment, and evaluation.

Assessment and Evaluation

Student assessment and evaluation allow the teacher to plan and adapt instruction to meet the specific needs of each student. They also allow the teacher to discuss current successes and challenges with students and report progress to parents or guardians. It is important that teachers use a variety of assessment and evaluation strategies to evaluate student progress. Additional information on evaluation of student achievement can be found in Saskatchewan Education documents entitled Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook, 1991, and Curriculum Evaluation in Saskatchewan, 1991.

It is important that the teacher inform students of the assessment strategies to be used in the course, when the assessments will occur, the weighting of each assessment, and how each relates to the overall student evaluation. Weightings should be determined according to the emphasis placed on each area of the course, as suggested in the modules of the curriculum guide.

The Communication Production Technology 10, 20, 30 Curriculum Guide suggests many opportunities for teachers to use a variety of instructional and evaluation strategies. Assessment tools useful for teaching PAA are included in the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook.

Communication Production Technology is a Practical and Applied Art. One of the major characteristics of this area of study is that students acquire not only knowledge, but the ability to apply this knowledge in practical situations similar to those they might encounter in related industries. When evaluating student achievement, teachers should consider the balance between what students know and what they are able to demonstrate.

Teachers should choose a variety of assessment strategies throughout the course to evaluate knowledge, skills, and abilities. In addition, the Communication Production Technology course proposes that each student develop a portfolio that should account for a substantial portion of the year's mark.

Basic Equipment and Software

Level 10	Equipment microphones - minimum two video camera - minimum one. Ideally the cameras will be industrial or professional grade. If not, overrides on automatic functions such as white balance, iris, and focus are desirable so students may adjust these functions manually. VCR - minimum two audio cassette player/recorder - minimum one computer (Internet capable) - minimum one Internet connection monitor(s) or TV(s) tripod(s) headphones Software presentation software (e.g., Microsoft Works, Corel Presentation, PowerPoint, Claris Works) browser (e.g., recent version of Internet Explorer, Netscape) imaging software (e.g., Photoshop, Draw, various shareware)
Level 20	Equipment Same as Level 10, plus: audio mixer microphones - Lavelier, omnidirectional, unidirectional. Two shotgun type and two lapel microphones are desirable. CD burner scanner portable storage Suggested additions: wireless microphones ENG lighting kits (3-point) A nonlinear edit system -- AVID or similar (current video-capable computer, portable storage, 17" multi-sync monitor, compression software, web-authoring software, video and audio editing software) edit controller and editing VCR (if nonlinear is not available) Software Editing software such as: Edit DV (Radius) AVID Cinema Adobe Premier Sound editing/mixing software
Level 30	Equipment Same as Level 20. Software 3D modelling/rendering software morphing software authoring software (e.g., Macromedia Director) illustration software (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop)