NexGen News was created from the idea that all students should be able to experience the news and learn to digest it, without the need to be exposed to everything.
This was born as a way to offer a more curated selection of news to younger students so they could enjoy the process, with parents and teachers comfortable sharing everything the site has to offer.
Of course, since it's designed for education, it goes much further with several resources that can help teach beyond the news itself. But at its most basic, it offers videos and written news that children can use and enjoy to keep up to date with what's happening in the world, with plenty of exercises to help develop critical thinking.
This guide aims to explain in more detail what you need to know about NexGen News to see if it could work for your class.
What is NexGen news?
NexGen News is a school-specific news platform that offers personalized videos every two weeks for students to watch.
The idea was to create a space with news programs aimed at young people, presented by young people, to generate better participation.
All of this, the site's creators say, is to help young people think critically about current events while also becoming contributing members of society.
CEO and co-founder Laura Segre, along with COO and other co-founder Michelle McGuire, hold multiple degrees, master's degrees, and doctorates in teaching educational disciplines. All of that combines to offer a position perfectly positioned to create something ideal for student growth both inside and outside of the classroom.
How does NexGen News work?
NexGen News uses YouTube-based videos to share personalized news in a bi-weekly delivery. This means students know when it will arrive and can access it from almost any device. And because it's video, participation is even easier for a wide range of students.
Each news video also comes with a written article on the topic. The teacher can share them with student accounts on their personal devices or view them as a group.
Many additional follow-up materials are offered, including lesson plans for teachers, as well as discussion questions and extension materials.
All of this is ideal for high school students with the ability to expand or deepen the rich content, as needed by each teacher, to suit the class and students.
What are the best features of NexGen News?
NexGen News offers some fantastic premium features that allow teachers to interact more digitally with students. This includes news tracking work that can be assigned and graded with a lot of automation, which can save time.
Specifically, there is the option to assign quizzes designed specifically for the news that has just been digested. Additionally, there are written response questions that can be answered as a way to deepen and assess student understanding.
The lesson plans, which are aligned with Common Core, helpfully offer a variation of options for ELLs and gifted students to ensure everyone progresses at a pace that suits them best.
Extension activities help add even more value with writing, art, and technology options. Additionally, there are grading rubrics for assignments to help keep instructional planning time to a minimum.
How much does NexGen News cost?
NexGen News is a subscription service, but it also offers free content.
He free The content allows you to try it before you buy it. This one offers some free stories in video and written format. It also has follow-up questions, reading and writing tasks, grade-level lesson plans, and follow-up activities.
go for it Educator subscription level in $239/year and you'll get the full video library, discussion questions, standards-based curriculum for grading, news articles differentiated by reading level, Google Classroom and Clever integrations, plus a dashboard to assign and track student activities .
go for it Professional educator version, in $299/yearand you'll get the above plus self-graded reading tests to assess comprehension and self-graded writing prompts.
He School and district the level is custom priceand adds data to track student performance, a dedicated customer service manager, personalized on-site training, and unlimited seats.
He Family package, in $120/yearoffers you biweekly newscasts, full access to the video library, discussion questions and activities.
Top Tips and Tricks from NexGen News
deepen
Use the newscast as a starting point to delve deeper into the topic area and watch the video to begin a lesson in that area.
use the platform
Each lesson plan comes with a slide deck worth using in front of the class for group work.
proof
Use the Pro level quizzes or write your own to evaluate the class and see how well the stories, written and video, are going.
