The Kid Witness News (KWN)
program is a hands-on video education program run by
kids. The program was developed by Panasonic in
1989 to give children from rural or economically
disadvantaged communities the chance to make their
own digital videos. In addition, Panasonic supplies
the equipment needed to create the videos.
After a global expansion in 2003, KWN now reaches
over 70,000 children around the world, including
more than 200 participating public schools in the
United States. Smith School is one of only two
public schools from Connecticut currently in the
program.
At Smith School, students in grades 5 research,
write, act in, film, and edit videos about learning
experiences in school and in their own lives. The
students' videos feature current events, news
reports, public service announcements and interviews
with prominent individuals, as well as many other
topics which are relevant to today's youth.
Each year, Smith
submits their entries to the KWN video contest.
Results are announced in mid-April.
The
Smith School 5th
grade 2008 submissions
follow.
(Click for
video to begin.)
