Taking the Bridge to the Next Level

I've been swamped lately, working on a contract to help design a statewide contest for young filmmakers. It's been wonderful work - merging many of my interests (filmmaking/video, youth/education, health education, research, and more). Most of all, I have been working to address digital divide issues that are specific to video and youth I've worked with in the past.

For example, many of my students don't check their email. They prefer to keep in constant contact via myspace - and see their yahoo account as just something you sign up for so that you can get a myspace page. So we're building an rss feed (via twitter) into the contest page. It will allow us to post everything that goes into email blasts onto the site - in an abbreviated form.

Another example is the submission requirements and rules. I've been working on that a lot - researching what technologies *most* youth are using now. (This is in comparison to what technology the experts and magazines recommend, but kids can't always afford.) So I'm making room for kids who might want to shoot a film on a cell phone and edit online because they don't have a computer at home.

Today I found a really helpful list that gives a wonderful 'big picture' view of this sort of troubleshooting. It applies directly to my current project, but also applies to many many more.

Blogger the explicit posted Simple questions to ask when planning a contribution-based project back in January and then added an Installment #2. He also writes about setting expectations for contribution-based projects and then revises his thoughts. All of the links contain wonderful food for thought - for projects big and small. It's kind of cool how much consultants and teachers have in common :)

Replace Cameras and Laptops with Smartphones?

Industry Pitching Cellphones as a Teaching Tool:
"On Tuesday, Digital Millennial will release findings from its study of four North Carolina schools in low-income neighborhoods, where ninth- and 10th-grade math students were given high-end cellphones running Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software and special programs meant to help them with their algebra studies.

The students used the phones for a variety of tasks, including recording themselves solving problems and posting the videos to a private social networking site, where classmates could watch. The study found that students with the phones performed 25 percent better on the end-of-the-year algebra exam than did students without the devices in similar classes."

This article is mainly about the (potential) benefits of smartphones. However, self-evaluation through VIDEO has long been proven effective. This component could certainly be executed with many different phones - and would not require Windows Mobile.

Social Networking in the Classroom?

For most Teachers/Schools, Social Networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, YouTube and Imeem are not allowed. But that may change soon. Recent research has been showing both the benefits of online connections and which fears have been misdirected. (Turns out bullying may be a much bigger problem than solicitation of minors.)

No matter whether I'm teaching computer programming or digital editing, I try to find a way to work in a conversation or two about how the youth/students are using social networking - and strategies for using it responsibly. Personally, I think it should be a standard part of every school's curriculum. Here's a great guide from the FTC that can be easily adapted for the classroom: Social Networking Sites: A Parent’s Guide

Exploring these issues can also make an excellent video or multimedia project.

Keeping up with the trends...

10 Ways Social Media Will Change in 2009 - ReadWriteWeb: "'Social media' was the term du jour in 2008. Consumers, companies, and marketers were all talking about it. We have social media gurus, social media startups, social media books, and social media firms. It is now common practice among corporations to hire social media strategists, assign community managers, and launch social media campaigns, all designed to tap into the power of social media.

But social media today is a pure mess: it has become a collection of countless features, tools, and applications fighting for a piece of the pie."

It's Not Just About the Software

Adobe has an excellent suite of resources for iTeachers. Not only is there a wonderful gallery of work, but white papers, curriculum, and direct links to an employee volunteer program and software donation and training for educators and non-profits. Phew! Definitely worth checnking out.

Adobe - Adobe Youth Voices Gallery - Resources: "Adobe and its founding Adobe Youth Voices partners — Educational Video Center, Listen Up!, What Kids Can Do, Arts Engine, and iEARN — offer a variety of free and low-cost resources to help you integrate youth media into your classroom or out-of-classroom programs."

DonorsChoose.org: Fred Wilson's Challenge

If you haven't heard of donorschoose.org it's a fascinating project. The idea is that teachers write up a small pitch for whatever they need. Then, potential donors get to read throught the ideas and choose which one(s) to donate to.

People can also make a list of pitches - called a challenge - then send it out to others. Kind of a cool Web 2.0 philanthropy. So here's a cool challenge from a Venture Capitalist in NYC, Fred Wilson. The coolest thing about it is not that people are asking and getting what they need for technology projects in the classroom. The coolest part is what those projects are. It's a neat snapshot of iTeachers at work.

Managing the Classroom When Students Have Computers

Another excellent article from Techlearning about One-to-One Computing and Classroom Management.

Some of the techniques include "MWA" (management by walking around) and "No Secrets" (let students know that you will be checking their hard drives for illegal downloads). I wish they had a few more pictures of sample classroom setups. I've found this is probably the most important factor when running an edit lab as a work site, not a play zone.

What Else Should You Know?

Did You Know 2.0 has been out for only a month, and already it has gotten over 100,000 views.



In my humble opinion, it's unfortunate that this piece hints at so much but actually says so little. And, of course, as a filmmaker/teacher of moviemaking, I'm sad that that there's nothing in here about the democratization of media (especially video).

Price of a video editing system
in 1984 - over $250,000
in 1994 - over $25,000
in 2007 - under $2,500

"Technology is now in the Mainstream of the 21st Century Classroom"

Marin educators creating the 21st century classroom: "CHILDREN in Bryan Nielsen's third-grade class at Sausalito's Bayside Elementary School have moved beyond simple staging of a makeshift skit to become their own video and editing crew - filming their efforts and editing on computer with animation, titles and sound.

'It's a new standard of enthusiasm, I think is the biggest thing,' Neilsen said, describing his students' interest in use of the school's multimedia tools in their production of Aesop's fable, 'The Ant and the Grasshopper.'

But far from being in the vanguard, Nielsen's class is in the mainstream of the 21st century classroom, in which sophisticated high-tech equipment is being used in myriad ways at all levels by students and teachers alike."

National EdTech Standards Being Revised

"The National Educational Technology Standards for Students were released in June 1998, with accompanying Performance Profiles of technology literate students and Essential Conditions for implementation. Over time, the standards have received acceptance and widespread use across the United States and in many other countries."

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is working to refresh the standards. Sponsors of this initiative include Adobe, Apple, Intel, Microsoft, and more.

Head on over and fill out a survey or lead a forum. Deadline is March 30, 2007