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WPSX-TV brings the world into the clasroom of 5.7 million children By Lori A. Pacchioli
Penn State Broadcasting’s “What’s in the News” anchors are Katie O’Toole and Curtis Parker. DID YOU KNOW? “What’s in the News” (WITN) is used by a nursing home in its weekly public affairs activity for residents. WITN is closed-ceptioned, making it accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing students and adults. Through the years, Katie O’Toole has developed several pen pals. She diligently answers each letter and has been corresponding with one pen pal from Wisconsin for five years or more, since the writer was a student. “She probably has kids of her own that watch now,” O’Toole said.	At 1 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, after discussing the state of affairs throughout the world, 26 children in Donna Gibbons’ sixth-grade class at Mt. Nittany Middle School pull their chairs into a circle to watch television. No, they’re not taking a break; they’re tuning in to Channel 3 for “What’s in the News” (WITN), an award-winning current events program produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting’s WPSX-TV. Four hours earlier at the American Embassy School in Reykjavik, Iceland, children in a similar classroom arrangement have already used WITN as part of their day’s lesson plan. WITN is licensed for use by a variety of educational institutions around the country. The program reaches 5.7 million students in the fourth to seventh grades. It can be accessed on local public television channels, or schools can buy videotapes for later use. Now in its 33rd season, the program offers up-to-date and in-depth coverage of current events as a springboard for exploring history, geography, civics, world cultures, science, language arts and many other areas of the curriculum. WPSX-TV produces 32 15-minute programs for teachers and their students each school year. The series alternates between news summaries and feature reports on a single issue. It provides historical background information that gives a meaningful context to current events. Special segments explore the science behind everyday inventions and phenomena, promote environmental awareness and foster cultural connections with young people in other countries. “What’s in the News” is intended for use in classrooms, but it also attracts the attention of a good number of adults, according to WITN writer and host Katie O’Toole. As part of the series, she writes a weekly column on one of the topics from the upcoming program. Several Pennsylvania newspapers carry the column. “People will stop me in the grocery store to ask me a question about a particular piece of news or to tell me how they use the column at home as a way to reinforce reading skills with their children and foster communication between family members beyond ‘What did you learn in school today?’” The newspaper columns are posted to the WITN Web site and listserv each week. A number of columns are archived on the Web site. O’Toole has been on the WITN staff for nearly 20 years, serving as the program host for the last 18. She is backed by a team of five: series producer Betsy Hutton; co-host/editor/videographer Curtis Parker; utilization coordinator Rob Butler; news summary coordinator Bethany Sefchick; and staff assistant Nancy Eckenroth. The program requires the efforts of more than the core team, including several people outside the public television operation. Dr. Murry Nelson, professor of education in the College of Education at Penn State and chair of the University Faculty Senate, serves as content adviser for the program. Robert Crook, director of satellite services for LeCroy Center of Educational Telecommunications at the Dallas County Community College, reviews scripts for “broadcast” tone. Perhaps the most relevant feedback on content and presentation comes from O’Toole’s own brood of six inquisitive, media-savvy children ages 7 to 16, who report to her on the issues and events to which their classmates are tuned. Quite literally they have their say because O’Toole often has the children serve as the young reporters for the program. O’Toole and Parker host a 15-minute television program that is supported with computer-based resources and print materials. Maps, globes, definitions of unfamiliar words and concepts and thought-provoking phrases such as “What do you think?” and “Talk about it!” are employed to spark discussion and encourage research. “Kids today are used to having concepts presented to them in a variety of ways,” teacher Donna Gibbons said. “They expect interactivity because they’re so used to using the Internet for assignments and to talk with friends.” Interactive features include essay-writing activities, special “write-in” programs, on-air questions to stimulate class discussions and various telecomputing services, including e-mail, listserv and the Web site. At the “What’s in the News” Web site, visitors will find Fun Facts, feedback from student viewers, special activities students can do in class or at home and historical tidbits from news stories featured on the program 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Butler, utilization coordinator for the program, said the e-mail component generates an array of responses from kids, showing the imagination, opinions and values of the students. Earlier this year for example, students responded to the question “What advice would you give to President Clinton?” Their responses were honest and well thought out: some stern and scolding, some compassionate and forgiving. “It’s enlightening to read the work of kids,” he said. “It gives you a glimpse of what kids today are thinking, concerned with how they process events and information.” In another “write-in” activity, kids were asked to name their “Person of the Year.” The nominations were “all over the board,” said Butler, who responded to more than 2,000 entries. Some kids named sports figures as heroes, one thought Rosie O’Donnell should be the “Person of the Year,” and there were quite a few kids who named someone in their own family. The effort put into the pre-production, production and supportive activities pays off for teachers and their students. For teachers, WITN provides a set of tools and starting points to customize lesson plans. “There’s so much information out there,” series producer Hutton said. “It can be overwhelming to any instructor who’s trying to figure out where to begin picking out pieces of news and creating links for deeper study. Our mission has been to sift through what’s out there, put it into an outline-type format, creating some boundaries and offering a way to get started.” For students, the WITN content, assignments and links for further study offer a unique opportunity for interactive learning. Through the eye of the television camera and the organizational efforts of the staff and curriculum advisers, WITN gives children and adults alike a look at the world and makes current events come alive.