Beginning on Thursday Sept 15 (12-1 ET), the VoiceScape project will host a series of 5 webinars. The title of the series, “A Match Made in Heaven: Youth Media Making and Public Media,” introduces stations, educators, and community partners (it is open to all) to the how and why of integrating youth media making into public media. Hear from Project VoiceScape station grantees about their experience, explore hardware and software options, discover great resources (including Adobe curriculum,…
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  I recently attended an e-portfolio workshop with a group of Boston Public School teachers at the Adobe office in Waltham, Ma. E-portfolios weren’t new to me, but I had never spent a great deal of time or energy exploring their potential. But I should have. An e-portfolio can be many things to many people, but at its most basic it is an assemblage of digital pieces chosen by the author to tell a particular story. Wikipedia notes 3 main types of e-portfolios: developmental (e.g.,…
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If you’re looking to define media literacy there are books galore, websites innumerable, and semester-long courses in teacher training programs that will offer an approach. The industry standard resource for the education sector is the Center for Media Literacy. The concept of literacy is ancient. At least 17,000 years old. There was, after all, a reason to the how, where, and why of the Paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux. In the end, I find the essential of media literacy is knowing…
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This school  year of media-making and digital media arts production is quickly coming to a close as summer vacation looms. Many of the projects began back in October. Some of us managed to help our students  complete one major project, some of our students continued with second and third projects. But at the end of the process, the same question is asked again and again: What do we do with our pieces now? These student-created works  are strong, powerful, and often profound. But how can…
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People come to digital (media) arts workshops and trainings wanting and expecting to learn how to use the software; they want to “get their hands dirty.” And so they will. But first comes the story. Good stories are not born fully formed; good stories are made. They are constructed. Marshall McLuhan, a half a century ago, said that the medium is the message. Software skills come not because you’re shown “how” to drop a clip into a video timeline, or because the layer function in…
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We’ve all heard it, “I don’t have any stories….” It’s the battle cry of those who don’t understand that we all have stories to tell, we all have stories that need to be told, we all have stories that should be told. So, here’s an easy, painless, and sure-to-succeed way to get a person to understand not only how to find her story, but also how to tell it. Materials required (minimal): one index card per person, and a pen or pencil. Step 1:  Prep participants by letting…
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Stop motion animation is an easy way to jump into digital storytelling or movie making. Stop motion is an animation technique where an object is moved incrementally and pictures are taken of each movement. When played continuously the object appears to move on its own. Think Wallace and Gromit, the Incredible Mr Fox, or an old time favorite, Art Clokey’s Gumby. From a technical point of view, stop motion animation requires few resources: a camera, a computer, and a firewire cable that…
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It seems like an overwhelming task to learn how to make compelling video projects. And it is, but not because of the technology. Learn these five tasks and it is, literally, a done deal. 1.  Getting media into your project (assumes you already have your media) a. Understand how the import process is organized b. Define naming conventions 2.  Refine the Media a.  Cut or Trim Video b.  Shorten/lengthen images’ time on screen c.  Adjust volume and length of audio track 3. …
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Youth-created media….It’s a big topic. Pedagogically complex, cognitively complex, resource and time intensive, yet ubiquitous, and an essential component of today’s educational environment. Have you integrated youth created media into your curriculum? Or are you at a loss as how to start or unsure where to go next? Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) has created a robust site that you can access. From providing a context for youth media making in education to detailed content that illustrates the…
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By Leslie Rule This post launches the Project VoiceScape blog. Project VoiceScape is a partnership between Adobe Youth Voices (AYV), the Adobe Foundation’s global signature philanthropy program, the PBS Foundation, and POV. In addition, KQED’s Digital Media Center is providing hands-on training to stations and community partners. This blog works as a collaborative forum to engage PBS stations, community partners, and educators interested in exploring  how youth-created media can and should…
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