BTN – Taking the Panic out of News for Children.
Behind The News, located at http://www.abc.net.au/btn/ is a well rounded children’s media program that focuses on the topical news of the day. It aims to educate and entertain children using the news as the focus. Topics of interest change weekly and are very current.
Originating from the Television program of the same name – and this is still available on ABC3, the website supports and reinforces the discussed news items. Instead of sensationalising the news, it is presented in a very concrete form and is explained in simple, straightforward language. If the topic is a new one, background information is included. If the topic has arisen before, references are made to the news item and occasionally the clip is partially reshown.
In recent times this website has been updated to include the interactive aspects that teens in particular respond well to. Bright and appealing colours have been used to attract immediate attention. On the left hand side of the website are updates of past news stories, giving the viewer the idea that news is fluid and not a one off static event. On the right hand side are the current stories of the show. These can be viewed individually, ensuring that parts of the show can be accessed easily. Gone are the days of ‘videotaping’ BTN. Each story is presented on the website in both text and video form with accompanying teacher notes. Diagrams such as maps or graphs are also included on the website to accompany the news story and ensure full integration into the curriculum. Viewers are also asked to comment on particular stories through polls and comment sections. Links to Facebook , Twitter and email are also included to ensure news is spread appropriately.
This is an excellent website for both a teaching tool of a current news event, or simply to ensure that children, whilst listening and keeping update with current events are also able to understand them. It takes the panic out of the media enabling clear understanding.
Reference
Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC). (2011, September 24). Retrieved September 26, 2011, from Behind The News: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/
Sue
Behind the News (BTN) is a great resource to use with middle school students and I agree that the new website is an exciting update to the old video format. Australian children watch large amounts of television: an average of three hours per day according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2010), although ten percent of boys experience as much as seven hours of screen time each day (Teutsch, 2010). However, my experience working in schools in lower socio-economic areas has been that these children rarely watched television news although some did watch current affairs shows.
ReplyDeleteI found that watching BTN was a great way to engage children in discussion about current events beyond sensational coverage offered by programs such as Today Tonight or A Current Affair. A current example of this is the contrast between how BTN is covering the arrest of an Australian teenager in Bali on drugs charges and the coverage offered by Today Tonight.
BTN gives some background information about the need for tourists to observe the laws of foreign countries when abroad as well as providing video footage of the ABC News coverage of the story. In contrast, Today Tonight presented an “exclusive investigation” which reported a “scam by drug dealers and local police out to target Australians” (Hansen, 2011).
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010, October 18). Arts and culture in Australia: A statistical overview, 2009. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/0/877A7AF30C3C6EB9CA25765500140F2A?opendocument
Behind the News. (2011, October 18). Overseas laws [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3340125.htm
Hansen, D. (2011, October 7). Drug scandal in paradise [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/lifestyle/article/-/10422543/drug-scandal-in-paradise/
Teutsch, D. (2010, April 4). Class divides TV viewing habits. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/class-divides-tv-viewing-habits-20100403-rkqs.html