CHS live streaming up and running

A partnership between Creston Community Schools and KSIB Radio is bringing school events to the world.

Local school events ranging from athletic competitions to fine arts programs and this week’s homecoming programs are available for viewing online through a collaborative live streaming venture.

For example, more than 5,000 views online were reported for the Creston/Orient-Macksburg vs. Harlan football game that was delayed by thunderstorms. Many fans watched the end of the game in the comfort of their own living room or on their cell phone.

Links for these live-streamed events appear on the ksibradio.com home page online, as well as the Creston Community Schools website, crestonschools.org. Clicking on the link takes viewers to the provider used by KSIB for its live streaming, citylinktv.com.

“All you have to do is go to our website home page, or the school’s website, and click on the link that says live streaming and the name of the event being streamed,” said Chad Rieck, KSIB general manager. “We intend to also archive those events for about a week or so, which should appear as a list on that page once you click into the streaming of an event. We’re still kind of a work in progress.”

Original events

Actually, it’s a concept that’s been in the works for two years, through the efforts of school staff members Jon Thomson and Teri Keeler.

Thomson, a middle school reading teacher and a coach in the school district, is interested in using technology and began streaming some wrestling events during the winter sports season. Rieck, a former member of the Creston wrestling team and involved in several wrestling broadcasts each year for KSIB, was intrigued by the possibilities of adding video services to KSIB’s programming.

It spawned the rapid growth toward the current situation in which multiple school events are streamed live each month, with additional video clips produced by communications class students to promote those events and other school activities. The videos appear on YouTube and the school’s twitter feed for its Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) program, @chseast01.

“For a couple years I wanted to start streaming some things, and we were using what is known as the high school cube (thecube.com),” Thomson said. “Chad said he wanted to get into that, too. So we started out streaming some wrestling meets.”

Rieck said a partnership using a broadcast news website like KSIB was the perfect vehicle for launching a more comprehensive streaming effort.

Collaboration

“We started the conversation then, while we were using the cube, as to how could we work together on this?” Rieck said. “How can we make this into one thing? That’s how the dream really started. Finally, last spring we had a meeting with (superintendent of schools) Steve McDermott, Teri Keeler (CHS technology and instructional assistant) and Stephanie Lane from the AEA. It all came together as we talked about students becoming involved in this. Ryan McKim moved into the EAST instruction position and he also had an interest in developing this as a school program.”

Keeler said an infusion of new technology equipment in the school’s 21st century classroom in conjunction wth Green Valley Area Education Agency provided valuable tools in the melding of students and KSIB broadcasters to present local events online.

The last piece of the puzzle for the fall season fell into place the afternoon of the Harlan football game on Sept. 9, when internet capabilities were installed in the Panther Field press box. Rieck and Scott Driskell, a district principal and former Creston football player, provided the broadcast while student Gavin Bernard operated the camera and computer.

Down on the field, meanwhile, additional students were operating mobile cameras to capture video clips to be used on PantherTV, the name for the content uploaded by the communications class to YouTube and the EAST Twitter feed.

At one recent volleyball match, there were no broadcasters, but Bernard and student Brandon Hammons were operating the streaming camera and computer. KSIB’s Horvat and Keeler, a middle school volleyball coach, have teamed up to broadcast other volleyball matches. Senior Cammy Rutherford has been one of the most active students in editing the final versions of the PantherTV videos.

Having that video capability for live events is a big step forward for alumni and family members residing a distance from Creston.

“It’s certainly advantageous for grandparents or siblings who live a long way away, or when it’s difficult to get around in the winter months,” Messerole said. “We’ve invested a lot of money in technology and it’s nice to see the students put it to use.”

Learning opportunities

Thomson said the advantage of going through KSIB rather than thecube.com is that advertising revenue associated with the venture can be captured locally, providing yet another means of students becoming involved. Keeler and McKim said the long-range goal is for students interested in all aspects of media production — advertising sales, broadcasting, videography and editing — to have opportunities to learn through participation.

“Right now we have kids learning the computer aspect of it,” McKim said. “Eventually we’d like Chad or Ryan from the radio to work with students who are interested in the broadcasting, as well as having kids learn about advertising and promotions if they’re interested in that. We’re not where we can be yet, but we’re getting there.”

Keeler said it’s been exciting to watch the program’s growth and the students’ enthusiasm.

“Last year we live-streamed the recognition program for the state wrestling championship team and we did graduation with a camcorder in the back and two students with iPads getting (video footage) of the kids as they walked in,” Keeler said. “It’s really taken off. Last week the kids did their first ‘hype’ videos for things coming up, and the weekly PantherTV videos. The kids are starting to do some interviews for a pregame show with the live stream, and also some inter-district commercials for things like FFA and FBLA.”

Thomson, meanwhile, is working on developing a “feeder system” of students more prepared for these high school activities by teaching technology units at Creston Middle School.

Often, McKim said, students have more advanced knowledge of some of the digital applications than staff members.

“My goal is eventually to be the guy who has a list of events, with kids signing up and covering those events in all areas,” McKim said. “We’d love to see those kids get that experience. My role is basically to encourage them and help them solve problems along the way.”

EAST classes involve several areas of study besides video work for PantherTV, McKim noted.

“Those kids in the communications class are primarily involved in PantherTV and the streaming work,” McKim said. “But we have many EAST students interested in other things like visual reality in creating a 3D tour of the school, others interested in (computer) coding and web design or even robotics. The way we’ve designed the EAST classes is to provide them with the time and tools to learn what they’re interested in learning.”

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Live streaming of local events is one of the fastest growing aspects of education, according to Creston High School Principal Bill Messerole.

Many Creston HIgh School events are now live streamed on the internet. It's happening at other schools as well. For example, fans in Creston could watch last Friday's football game in Denison through a link provided by Denison High School and distributed prior to the game on soclal media sites.

However, Messerole said he and other school administrators will collaborate on policies to protect the activities budgets, which are driven by revenue from attendance by live audiences. School administrators will be closely watching the effect of widespread online streaming on attendance figures and gate receipts.

“It’s a changing world,” Messerole said. “It’s great that the kids have these opportunities. But as Hawkeye 10 Conference administrators we have had discussions about developing guidelines for the live streaming. Our budgets are attendance driven. We know where it’s going, but we just don’t know how fast it’s getting there.”

Already, rights fees have to be purchased to provide video coverage of Hawkeye 10-sponsored tournaments and events. So, schools may not provide live streaming of those events even if internet capablities are present.

And, state associations have restrictions and rights fees attached to any video of postseason tournaments, with exclusive streaming of boys events governed by the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s partnership with the Iowa High School Sports Network. Many state girls events are broadcast in an agreement with Iowa Public Television and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union.