Category Archives: Featured Blog Post

KLRU Collective: BYOBeard

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This week KLRU Collective gets hairy.

BYOBeard is an exercise in unapologetic dorkiness. For one night only, an Austin gallery will be transformed into an ‘apiary of bearded people buzzing around’ while admiring bearded artwork, browsing through bearded trinkets, and sipping from beers from bearded brewers. But the story behind the event is as unique as the event itself. In this video meet seven artists and hear their inspiration as they plan for the event and create their own submissions for BYOBeard. They explain how constraint helps breed creativity and how beards make everything more fun.

Smart Screen Time / La Pantalla Inteligente

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big bird & pajaro grande

Download a printable version of this guide (pdf): Smart Screen Time | La Pantalla Inteligente

With the proliferation of screen-based activities available for and embraced by youth, KLRU Educational Services has developed a set of guidelines for digital media use called “Smart Screen Time / La Pantalla Inteligente.” In addition to offering quality educational media, KLRU Educational Services staff believe that explicit guidelines for how to use these media has never been more needed – for parents, caretakers, educators, and the children themselves. The guidelines have been incorporated into all of KLRU Educational Services’ messaging and will soon be appearing on-air and online in a series of explanatory video clips. The guidelines are as follows:

  1. Knowing “smart time” vs. “silly time” - Kids instinctively know when they are viewing or playing media that is cognitively stimulating, and media that is pure entertainment. We believe that there is a role for both in kids’ lives. Adults who provide access to digital media ought to have conversations about the appropriate balance of smart and silly with the children in their care, and help children monitor their own media habits.
  2. When the brain slows down, turn the screen off! - All viewers of digital media have experienced moments when they are neither asleep nor alert, but in some in-between “zombie” zone. For adults, this may be a reasonable break from a long day’s work. For kids, it’s a different matter because this time is neither truly restful, nor is it meaningfully engaging. In short, it’s lost time during a period of rapid brain growth and development. For that reason, it’s important for adults in kids’ lives to turn the screen off and send them to another activity (including sleep!). Kids can become self-monitors of their own zombie states,  and can learn alternatives to drooling in front of a screen.
  3. Talk throughout the day, including during screen time - Studies have shown that dialogue can enhance the learning outcomes of using educational digital media. Look no further than our own characters to see role models for our kids – our characters use sophisticated vocabulary, ask good questions, and seek solution pathways for desired information. In short, they are all chatterboxes! Adults can ask kids for narrative summaries of show episodes, or to describe strategies they are using to advance in games.
  4. Watch and play on screens together - This is corollary of guideline #3. Whereas dialogue about kids’ viewing or playing is great, an even stronger learning experience occurs when adults and kids engage together with educational media. KLRU Educational Services selects PBS evening programs each month for “Family Choice” viewing, when we encourage generations to sit, watch, and discuss together. This idea can be extended to our programming throughout the day, and to game-playing online and on mobile media.
  5. Read both at home and at school – every day! As proud as we are of the educational quality of our media, KLRU Educational Services recognizes that reading remains the most efficient, effective method of acquiring new information, building vocabulary, and experiencing new worlds of learning. In fact, a good number of our programs and games explicitly steer children to reading experiences. Most children still need adults to bridge the gap from screen to text, and to help them locate appropriate reading materials. This cannot solely occur in school – children who practice literacy as a desired activity during out-of-school time have markedly better learning outcomes that endure throughout their lives (International Reading Association, 1998). We know our job is done when kids instinctively and enthusiastically turn from our media to books as a logical next step in their learning lives.

martha speaks

Admissions on Trial: Seven Decades of Race and Higher Education 5/30

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AdmissionDocTITLE

Admissions on Trial: Seven Decades of Race and Higher Education, airing Thursday, May 30th at 9 pm and Sunday, June 2, at 1:30 pm, takes an in-depth look at the debate over how universities choose their students.

For many schools, race is a factor in that process – a “plus” that can help determine who is admitted, and who is rejected.  A Supreme Court case called Fisher v Texas could soon end the use of race in admissions nationwide.  Understanding that issue means understanding the admissions process, and the history behind it.  The story begins in 1946, when The University of Texas was closed to African-Americans.  It continues in the 1990s, when the use of race was banned, and into the past decade, when it returned.  The documentary also looks to the future, where lessons learned at The University of Texas could serve as a model for race-blind admissions nationwide.

Hear from activists, lawyers, university leaders, students, admissions officials and people who fought segregation.  They discuss what diversity means, whether it matters, and how we should – and shouldn’t – be able to seek it.

Science Night 5/29

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Nature The Himalayas at 7 pm
The Himalayan mountain system is the planet’s highest and home to the world’s highest peaks. NATURE explores the diversity of wildlife and habitats of this mountain chain starring the mysterious snow leopard.

NOVA Manhunt: Boston Bombers at 8 pm
How did investigators transform the chaos of the Boston Marathon bombing into a coherent trail of clues, pointing to the accused killers? Nova follows the manhunt step by step, examining the role modern technology — combined with old-fashioned detective work — played in cracking the case.

NOVA Oklahoma’s Killer Tornadoes at 9 pm
“Oklahoma’s Killer Tornadoes,” will update the previous NOVA episode “Deadliest Tornadoes” with new information about the May 20, 2013 tornado that swept through Moore, Oklahoma and surrounding areas, and will highlight the new radar system put in place to track tornadoes since the program originally premiered.

 

Ann Richards School Student Productions

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An alien named Uchi has the most unfortunate speech impediment. When he falls in love with a girl named Layla, he works to overcome his inability to tell her how he feels.

The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders was founded in 2007 and serves grades 6-12. It is a unique public all-girls school in Austin, Texas dedicated to educating young women to become leaders and to provide them with the skills needed to be successful in college and beyond. Ann Richards is a college preparatory school that focuses on challenging its students through rigorous pre-AP and AP courses.

When students at Ann Richards reach ninth grade, they choose one of three pathways to learn about in their four years of high school: Media Technology, Engineering, or Biomedical. Students in the Media Technology pathway create many short films and animations, among other things, over the course of their high school years. KLRU has partnered with juniors from the Media Technology pathway to share a selection of these shorts.

The animations were completed by the sophomores over the course of a semester. Before beginning these projects, students had to develop new skills and learn software programs such as Adobe After Effects and Papagayo. The sophomores had to create original story lines and characters that they would hand draw and paint in Photoshop before beginning to animate. They also dedicated time before and after school as well as on the weekends to complete their animations.

These short films and animations are available at http://video.klru.tv/program/ann-richards-school-student-productions/

Three baby chicks are playing in a field when an owl swoops down and takes one of them. The other two go to great lengths to save their fellow brother chick.

SXSW Flashback 2013

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The newest edition of KLRU’s Lone Star Emmy nominated show, SXSW Flashback, premieres this week! We go back to March for a half hour of SXSW highlights, featuring interviews with 50 Cent, Ian Somerhalder, the Captains from Deadliest Catch, Bruce Campbell, Fred Armisen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Aisha Tyler, and more! And, most importantly, (drum roll, please) Grumpy Cat.  Learn about their experiences here in Austin this year, and about their current projects.

This year we have also added a familiar voice to help guide you through the madness.  KUTX Program Director and Afternoon Host, Matt Reilly, lends his pipes as our show’s narrator.

SXSW Flashback 2013 will air on KLRU on Thursday, May 23rd, at 9:00pm.

Please “like” us on Facebook so we can keep you updated as we post additional video not seen in the broadcast.

You can also watch the broadcast version online on our website.

Online discussion on Austin after 10-1

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civic summit austin after 10-1

Watch on KLRU or join our online community discussion starting at 9 pm May 16th. Take part in the online screening now

KLRU’s ongoing dialogue on civic engagement, Why Bother? takes an in-depth look at how the change to Austin City Council’s governing structure will impact voters. Experts and community members from across the city meet to discuss issues that are most important to them, to try to figure out how 10 separate districts will reconcile their differences once the new council is elected.

 

 

KLRU Collective: Con Mascaras

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CFILLMXE2SMLThis week, KLRU Collective presents the Masked: Changing Identities exhibition. Mexic-Arte Museum brings together over 200 traditional masks from various eras & regions in Mexico. The collection illustrates a people’s history that blends real life & myth & emphasizes the continued importance of masks in Mexican culture. While some consider them works of arts & some see them as part of traditional dance costumes, others revere them as religious symbols. However interpreted, these masks serve as inspiration for contemporary art & are a unique feature of Mexican tradition.

Masked: Changing Identities is on exhibit at Mexic-Arte Museum from January 25 – May 25, 2013. To celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year, Collective will be available in both English and Spanish during the day and provide links to traditional dances.

Genealogy Roadshow to film in Austin 6/23

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Genealogy Roadshow

Local residents with interesting stories needed for national broadcast of new PBS series

PBS and KLRU-TV announce that the new series Genealogy Roadshow, which premieres nationally this fall, is seeking local participants to share their families’ stories. Final participants will be part of an episode taping in Austin on Sunday, June 23. Part detective story, part emotional journey, Genealogy Roadshow  will combine history and science to uncover fascinating stories of diverse Americans. The producers are looking for Austin-area residents who have (or believe they have) a historically significant story in their family. Chosen stories will be researched by a team of local experts, and will be linked to the larger community’s history, revealing the rich cultural tapestry of Central Texas and America. Individuals with interesting stories are encouraged to submit them online through the KLRU website at klru.org/grshow. (Selection process is now complete)

Genealogy Roadshow’s premiere season features participants from four American cities — Austin, Detroit, Nashville, and San Francisco — who want to explore unverified genealogical claims passed down through family histories that may (or may not) connect them to an event or an historical figure. These cities were chosen as American crossroads of culture, diversity, industry and history with deep pools of potential participants and stories. The Austin episode, which will be filmed before a live audience, will air this fall (specific air dates will be announced later).

“Austin is a natural fit for Genealogy Roadshow. As the capital of Texas, it is known as a very progressive and modern city with a fascinating multicultural history,” said executive producer Stuart Krasnow. “We’re looking for a diverse mix of stories from locals who want to know more about their history.”

“I am delighted that Austin was chosen to be a part of Genealogy Roadshow,” said Bill Stotesbery, KLRU CEO. “Our participation in this project helps us fulfill our mission to make a better community one story at a time. We encourage Central Texans to share their story by going to klru.org/grshow and be part of this exciting production.”

After participants are chosen, genealogy, history and DNA experts will use family heirlooms, letters, pictures, historical documents and other clues to hunt down more information. These experts will enlist the help of local historians to add color and context to the investigations, ensuring every artifact and every name becomes a clue in solving the mystery. Austin residents are invited and encouraged to submit their personal stories as Genealogy Roadshow  will unearth family and community secrets, reveal notable relatives and discover unexpected stories that connect the past to the present. Many answers will be revealed on camera before a local audience, in a historic building relevant to the cities’ – and the participants’ – histories.

Genealogy Roadshow  is produced by Krasnow Productions. President and owner Stuart Krasnow is a long-time television industry veteran, having worked for all of the country’s top broadcasters in news and entertainment, as well as at numerous cable networks as a creator and executive producer. It is represented in the U.S. by Pat Quinn of Quinn Media Management and packaged with PBS by APA.

Genealogy Roadshow  has been a huge hit in Ireland, where national public broadcaster RTE commissioned this original format from producer Big Mountain Productions.

 

In the Studio: Marc Morial tapes Overheard 5/3

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Overheard taping announcement

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Marc Morial
Date: May 3
Time: 1:45pm (Doors open at 1:15pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map). 
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

MMM HeadshotMarc Morial is President of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest civil rights organization. He assumed that post in 2003, after Morial serving as Mayor of New Orleans from 1994-2002. Morial is credited with the city’s “renaissance” through police reforms, housing and neighborhood revitalization and investments in infrastructure. During his time in office, murders and violent crimes fell by 60% and the unemployment rate was cut in half. He left office with a 70 percent approval rating. Morial is in Austin to give the commencement address at Huston-Tillotson University.

We hope you’ll be there as Overheard with Evan Smith wraps up a third season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor.  The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS viewers from California to Florida.  We’d love to see you in the studio for the interview, and for a chance to join the audience Q&A after the interview. See past shows and interviews at klru.org/overheard