1) Promoting Our Videos

Sharing is happiness; happiness comes from sharing. Sharing doubles the fun and fills the society with warmth. Everything is multiplied by sharing. Therefore we decided to introduce the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team to all the students in our school. We discussed and prepared presentations to promote the Ling Yang Team in classes. We hope to share with everyone the story of Deaf Women's Basketball Team, of how ordinary people can achieve something extraordinary with a firm belief.

Through teachers’ arrangements, we held five classroom presentations which started from the higher grades, to promote the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team. We began the presentation by first showing the news videos, followed by an introduction of the establishment and development of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team. By combining the use of videos and photos along with detailed explanations, we introduced to the students knowledge of the causes of hearing loss and means of communication for the hearing-impaired, such as sign language, lip reading, wearing cochlear implants, etc.

We gave the first presentation to the sixth graders as the starting point of this event. We were especially nervous and cautious; for fear that a small mistake might ruin it. We kept rehearsing, hoping to do our best. The first presentation thus began in an intense atmosphere. It was, however, a process full of laughter which ended in delightful interactions. It helped us understand the true meaning of the saying "One minute of performance on stage, ten years of hard work off stage".

2) Feedbacks from Peers

After every in-class presentation, we would exchange ideas on what we had learned with the students so that we could obtain a clear understanding of their opinion and thoughts. As a song’s lyric states, "The happiness of sharing with you is better than anything I own by myself, by which I am deeply moved even till this day ..." People who like to share will understand the touchiness and the meaning of the lyric.

During these five presentations, we received feedbacks and encouragement from many students. One of them wrote, "Giving up requires just one sentence, while persistence takes a lifetime." This is a great reflection of the spirit we learned from the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team.

Although the official on-campus promotional activities had come to an end, the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team will continue. Confucius said, "It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t stop." Every time someone plays basketball on the school playground, it would remind us of the "Ling Yang Team". Life is as deep as the ocean, hidden within its unmeasurable depth are numerous miracles.

3) Reflections on Campus News Video Production

Liang-ying’s reflection

We filmed the promotional video of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team in the digital center on campus. Although it was only a ten-minute film, we put in a lot of preparation. First, we went to the digital center to learn about the filming process and allocated the tasks between us. En-chi and I were made the news anchors and in charge of writing the news script. Since we wanted to make this film lively and cheerful, we made plans to use dialogs with each other and utilize the book and DVD as props. We also pre-recorded videos of the interviews with the coaches and members of the Team, and taken footages of them playing basketball. En-chi and I practiced reading the news script repeatedly, hoping that we could demonstrate great rapport at the time of the filming.

On the day of the filming, the seemingly easy tasks were actually difficult in practice: the director needed to know when to switch to the anchor desk, the PPTs, the videos, etc. The student in charge of the teleprompter needed to listen carefully to the anchors in order to adjust the speed of the machine. And the student in charge of the PPTs needed to know when to switch to the next slide. As news anchor, I was not used to sitting completely upright while wearing a smile on my face at all times. If there were any mistake during any of these procedures, we would have to start all over again, or resort to editing. Thanks to this experience, I learned the importance of teamwork and I was happy that we accomplished this memorable film together.

En-chi’s reflection

I was excited and looking forward to the chance to work as a student news anchor in the school's digital center to cover the story of the Deaf Women's Basketball Team. During the rehearsal, I felt as if I was back to the TVBS television station where we had visited before, but only smaller. As the spotlight casted on me, I felt so energetic. We were divided into two groups, with the members working either as the director, the anchor, the person in charge of the teleprompter, the person that played the PPTs and videos, etc.

After numerous practices, I was glad to find that my teammate and I developed a good rapport between us. We were able to hold dialog with each other in a natural and relaxed manner. It was then I realized the reason the news anchors on TV looked so composed, and what it really meant by the saying "One minute of performance on stage, ten years of hard work off stage". Furthermore, the three correspondents of our team were very lively; we were very satisfied with how the video turned out. This experience of working as a news anchor did not only teach me elegance and courage on stage, but also opened my eyes to the importance of teamwork. I was gratified and happy to see the results of our efforts!

Hsuan-yun’s reflection

We made a film in the school's digital center to share the story of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team with all the students in our school. Before the actual shooting, we made a lot of preparations. I was honored to work as the teleprompter controller and the news reporter on location at the same time, both of which were completely new experiences for me. I practiced repeatedly at home for fear that I should make any mistakes during the interview and influence other members of the group. During the on location shooting, however, I still became tongue-tied and we had to retake. I realized the importance of full preparation even if just for a three-minute shooting.

On the day of the official filming, all the members of our groups went into the studio confidently because we had make preparations in advance. However, things turned out differently when the shooting actually began. There were problems with the computers at one time, the untimely appearance of PPTs at another, and image switch mistakes at yet another. Every one of these emergencies was a test of our teamwork. In the end, we managed to overcome these difficulties jointly and completed our first news video successfully. I hope all the students and teachers of our school can get to know "Ling Yang Team" and begin to support them after watching the video.

Ting-yu’s reflection

The purpose of news media is to share information with more people and bring attention to the events being covered. After we got to know the coaches and members of the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team, we saw how hard they fought for their dreams. I was deeply moved by their fighting spirit and fearless of defeats. And now, I have the chance to share their touching story with more people by turning it into a news broadcast.

During the filming process, there were five tasks that we needed to accomplish cooperatively. I was assigned to be the anchor, which was a difficult job for me since news anchors were expected to speak articulately and logically. Although there was a teleprompter that I could turn to, I dared to step onto the podium only after practicing for dozens of times. The most difficult part about the job was to keep smiling while speaking and I began to admire the professional news anchors on TV very much. After filming, I learned that all the tasks assigned to each one of us were equally important. I hope our video can stimulate a lot of responses from the viewers.

Yun-jui’s reflection

In order for more people to care and support the Deaf Women’s Basketball Team, we made a special campus news video to share their heart-warming story. Since this was the first time for many of us, I was very excited to have this opportunity and wondered secretly what task I would be assigned to: would it be the news anchor, the director, the teleprompter controller or the person in charge of PPTs? Every task was equally important, and that was why we had to cooperate fully. In the end, I was recommended by the members of group 1 as the news anchor. For me, this was a great challenge. I practiced hard with my partner Ting-yu, hoping to do our best in this "first filming experience".

Thanks to this event, we realized that the TV news we watch daily were the results of the joint efforts of various staff behind the stage. Sitting upright on the podium, I was required to keep smiling and articulate clearly at the same time. After we finished filming, my body was sored all over. At that time, I realized the difficulties of being a news anchor. Apart from filming in the studio, we also shoot on location at the Far Eastern Stadium and on campus. When we watch TV, it seems easy for reporters to cover news on location. But in fact, it may take several shootings to record a brief footage. I now understand the true meaning of "professionalism", which urges me to study even harder.

Yun-han’s reflection                                                             

There is a saying that putting theory into practice is what matters the most. After touring the television station, our team gets the chance to make a news video of our own. We hope through our work, more students would get to know and care about these deaf women warriors. However, working in a studio was of course a new experience for us as primary school students. The teachers, therefore, taught us from scratch, including how to use the control station and the teleprompter, etc. We sincerely felt that television production, as well basketball, would not go well without teamwork or simply rely on the work of any individual. With the help of the teachers, we divided ourselves into groups and had discussions about job allocation. As a result of which, I was assigned the director.

To be the director, I first needed to learn how to number the knobs on the control panel so that I could operate the machines according to the notes on the script when the filming officially began. Since this was the first time that I ever worked as a director, I was not too familiar with the process and mistakes were inevitable. For example, the computer on which the video clip was being played broke down in the middle of the filming, or I forgot to switch images in some cases, etc. But we managed to overcome these difficulties with joint efforts and completed the video after all. When it was played in classes, the students complimented us for the work. I was really happy!

Fu-en’s reflection

I spent a lot of time on the video production. Before the interview, I had to memorize my lines. Although it was not the first time that I met with the coaches, I was so nervous and sweaty. When the interview began, I was even more nervous for fear that I would make a mistake. In the end, although I was tongue-tied at times, I felt that I did a satisfactory job given that this was the first time in my life to actually interview someone. I was relieved after it was done, and found it interesting to see myself in the video!

During filming, I was in charge of the PPTs. I was embarrassed when we had to start all over because I pressed the wrong button during the first take. After that, I was nervous the entire time, for fear that I would make the same mistake again. Although I still made some small mistakes thereafter and there was certainly room for important, I was satisfied with myself given that this was the first time I worked at this position. This activity helped me realize the hardships of the staffs in a television station. There is a group of people who have to spend so much time before a program can be presented on TV. I also learned the true meaning of the old saying: "One minute of performance on stage, ten years of hard work off stage".

Chieh-ting’s reflection

"Wow! So this is the legendary digital center. How cool is it!" For us primary school students, the digital center of the school is a secret base that few people have access to. The visit to the digital center was really an eye-opener. There was equipment that I had never seen before. Here, Teacher Cheng explained the operations of the machines patiently and we were required to take a quiz after that. He hoped we could succeed in one take when the shooting officially began. During this first visit of the digital center, we acquired new knowledge and had great fun. I was even given the opportunity to sit on the anchor's desk that I always dreamed of.

When we came to the digital center for the second time, it was for the official filming. We took our places according to the job assignment, and we knew how important it was for us to work together. We had to pay attention to the timing of each procedure so that they could coordinate with each other. For example, when the news anchors were speaking, the teleprompter operator needed to adjust the speed of the machine according to their speed. The director, being the master mind of the entire process, needed to think clearly at all times and made sure the pre-recorded footages would be played on the three machines at the right time. Thanks to this experience, I learned that the news program we saw on TV was the teamwork of many people. I hope that I will have the opportunity to work at the digital center again in the future.