Maui teachers in hands-on video production workshop

Sixteen Maui teachers brushed up on their writing, video shooting and editing skills this summer at a hands-on workshop coordinated by PBS Hawaii, the producers of HIKI NO. Now in its third year, HIKI NO is the first statewide student video news network in the nation. A $5,000 grant from the Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele Education Fund helped to pay for the two-day workshop. Maui High School digital media teacher Clint Gima said he found the workshop fun and informative. His students have enjoyed creating pieces for HIKI NO. “They get to show their work to a statewide audience and that’s very attractive to them,” Gima said.

HIKI NO provides Hawaii students in middle and high school an opportunity to create half-hour episodes aired during primetime. The students also get an opportunity to practice their Science Technology Education and Math (STEM) skills in producing video news stories. There are 13 schools on Maui participating in the program. Hana School teacher Ramona Moeai said she learned a lot about video story development during the workshop as teachers worked in teams to shoot, write and edit their own interview-based stories. “Since the beginning of HIKI NO I never understood what shooting a sequence was all about. … By being forced to do it, I finally figure it out for myself.”

Robert Pennybacker, PBS Hawaii

Workshop presenters included PBS Hawaii Learning Initiatives Executive Producer Robert Pennybacker, HIKI NO Online Editor/Associate Producer Lawrence Pacheco and HIKI NO Managing Editor Sue Yim. Pennybacker said the MEDB Ke Alahele grant helped to ensure more individualized training for Maui teachers. “There’s no better way to learn digital storytelling than by actually doing it,” Pennybacker said. The annual Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner and Auction is set for Aug. 24 at the Grand Wailea Resort. For more information, call 875-2300, or visit: medb.org