NewsMaker allows students to produce impressive news reports in 3 easy steps, using only a web cam and a PC microphone.

Step 1: Write

In the role of 'reporter', the student plans and writes a news story in NewsMaker.

Step 2: Read

The computer monitor then serves as a teleprompter, and the 'news anchor' reads the story aloud for practice, then makes a recording. Built-in face-tracking, blue-screen and other fun video technologies makes it easy to overlay impressive visual effects. Additional effects can be downloaded from the left panel of this website.

Step 3 : Publish

In this final step, the student becomes the 'news producer' and publishes the recorded clip as a single video file to be shared with classmates, teachers, family or friends.

NewsMaker is designed to require minimal technology skills, freeing the student to focus on reading the news story with accurate pronunciation, clear enunciation, and appropriate intonation, and it helps to facilitate self-assessment and peer critiquing strategies too. Click here to download a sample NewsMaker Scoring Rubric

NewsMaker facilitates a classroom environment in which students produce well-organized presentations that clearly and concisely convey concepts and information. NewsMaker provides individual students with immediate feedback for self-assessment of performance. Students frequently choose to rehearse and re-record in order to improve upon fluency, rhythm, pacing, intonation, and expression.