Teacher Feature December 2023: Cynthia Booker

Cynthia Booker is a Digital Video Production teacher in the Career & Technical Education Department at Cleveland Heights High School. Cynthia is right at home teaching video production. She’s a former Emmy award-winning reporter and news anchor and is honored to help students prepare for a career in media.

Learn about Cynthia’s favorite StoryMaker lesson, delicious pro tips, and what she’s currently listening to in our Q&A below. 

How long have you been using StoryMaker or SRL resources in your classroom? 5 years

What’s your favorite StoryMaker lesson? I have many that I like, but this one is high on my list: What Makes a Good Video Story. I like this one because it makes students really dissect the details of why a story is not only good visually but also contextually. Students often will come up with an idea but then the question is – How are you going to visually tell the story to make viewers want to watch it. They have to critically think about what will GRAB the viewer’s attention and what will KEEP it.

What’s a media-making tool or resource you can’t live without? I love me some Adobe Premiere Pro!

Links to your students’ work: Cleveland Heights High School

What’s a dream story you’d like to report on or a person you’d like to interview? I would love to interview Oprah. 

What’s your advice for teachers and educators just getting started on StoryMaker? Dive in and enjoy the prepared meal. Select and eat; the great thing is that you never get full because there’s always another ‘meal’ to choose from in StoryMaker.

What are you currently listening to? I listen to a lot of motivational videos/positive affirmations. I’m always open to an Earth Wind & Fire song, I can never get enough of the Elements of the Universe.

You can reach out to Cynthia directly to learn more about how she’s adapted StoryMaker into her classroom. Email her at: c_booker@chuh.org