Consider this for a moment. As the blight of Ebola decimates populations in West Africa and carves room on the cover page of every major press release, a group of teenagers in Accra, Ghana took it upon themselves to dispel misinformation surrounding the deadly virus. Seemingly unperturbed by the proximity of the outbreaks, they used one of their class video assignments at Lincoln Community School to offer simple hygienic solutions.
Predictably, the end product is serious and dreary. Yet, the opening sequence is almost childlike in its sincere attempt to entertain. The video stirs in a brooding way. And precisely for that reason it also meets its purpose, because the kind of learning that sticks often occurs at the outer limit of our comfort zone.
As a company with a global reach, one advantage we have is the benefit of observation. When we take notice of students who use visual stories as a means to seek social impact or reach for deeper truths, questions naturally come to mind.
What motivated the storytellers' choices? Was it something inherent in the educational process they went through or something extrinsic or personal? What lessons can we draw from such projects and then share with the larger educational community?
Many teachers ask themselves similar questions every day, albeit in the confines of their physical classrooms. We believe that engaging in an ongoing dialogue surrounding these issues will prove valuable to educators seeking a firmer grounding for their practice.
As a result, this is the first in a series of blog posts that look at projects from around the world in their original context. We seek to shed light on the underlying pedagogical processes that have gone into creating such projects and to expound on the power of digital storytelling as a viable way to support improved educational outcomes and meaningful social action.
Media Literacy and the Four C's There is stable truth behind the push for 21st Century Skills. Polemics aside, the importance of honing in on competencies such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking the so-called Four C's corresponds to a growing awareness that the world around us is, paradoxically, anything but stable.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 65% of the jobs of tomorrow havent yet been invented. Seen from this sharp angle, economic implications like workforce readiness loom large on the horizon for leaders of educational reform and educators alike.
Polemics aside, the importance of honing in on competencies such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking the so-called Four C's corresponds to a growing awareness that the world around us is anything but stable. Of course, reducing educational outcomes to a common economic denominator isnt necessarily the most useful approach. How many 5th-grade teachers see it as their chief task to make sure that fifteen years from now their students will be gainfully employed?
Theres a sense of renewed optimism when we realize that the seismic shifts at our economic foundations are precipitated exactly by the type of technological innovations cloud-based video editing being one of them that simultaneously serve as catalysts for more seamless global collaboration and more equitable access to meaning-making. Technology empowers. True, the stakes for teachers and students have gotten higher but the possibilities for broader impact and creative solutions to intractable global issues have also multiplied manifold.
Technology empowers. True, the stakes for teachers and students have gotten higher but the possibilities for broader impact and creative solutions to intractable global issues have also multiplied manifold. Take video, for instance. A student equipped with nothing but a smartphone can put together a story with a global reach. As the Ebola video illustrates, teenagers tend to find such pursuits worthwhile despite the ostensibly modest scope of their class assignments. Watching the fruit of their labor is captivating. And once we manage to look beneath the veneer of frightful imagery, we begin to appreciate the students intelligent application of essential 21st-century skills that we hope will take root in more schools and classrooms.
Communication To state the obvious, video projects are visible. They are easily shared, viewed, appreciated, and evaluated not only by teachers but also peers, parents, and often the broader school community. Unlike many traditional school assignments, a digital storytelling project almost always feels bigger to a student than a classroom exercise.
Digital content creators know intuitively that for a story to be appreciated it must make sense to a community of other individuals. It is noteworthy that the West African high-schoolers created their video podcast with a mass audience in mind. Being aware of potential viewership gives students a tangible sense that their projects are vehicles carrying a message. Technique, in this sense, becomes a means to an end. Effective communication takes precedence.
Digital content creators know intuitively that for a story to be appreciated it must make sense to a community of other individuals. Technique, in this sense, becomes a means to an end. For young video makers, the basic elements of storytelling the various clips, edits, sounds and transitions lie in plain sight from the get-go. Nevertheless, when they begin to mix these elements for the first time, students are rarely conscious of the tremendous energy they have at their fingertips. It is only after they finish and screen their first video and experience the reaction of a live audience that they come to realize the whole is more than the sum of its parts. As one teacher aptly noted, from that point on
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Consider this for a moment. As the blight of Ebola decimates populations in West Africa and carves room on the cover page of every major press release, a group of teenagers in Accra, Ghana took it upon themselves to dispel misinformation surrounding the deadly virus. Seemingly unperturbed by the proximity of the outbreaks, they used one of their class video assignments at Lincoln Community School to offer simple hygienic solutions.
