mediagiraffe

MIT youth civic-media initiative draws more than 25

A first brainstorming session of the new MIT Center for Future Civic Media  drew more than 25 people on Sept. 26 to share ideas for youth media and journalism projects. The session at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Mass., lasted about two hours and was introduced by Prof. Mitchel Resnick.  Here Resnick's introduction followed by round-the-room descriptions by participants of their affiliations and why they attended.  (Resnick at right; click on photos and whiteboard captures to enlarge for reading). 
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The center, funded with a  $5-million grant from the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation (EARLIER STORY), is taking the shorthand name: "C4FCM".  Key contacts are administrator Ingebord Endter (617-253-0311) and graduate student Danielle Martin. Martin said in an email, the group is "hoping to create some support and programming around encouraging youth to become citizen journalists and  learn the skills of citizen media." The goal of the introductory meeting, Martin said, was to "connect with some consistent groups of youth who are interested in working in this area and start some pilot projects (with the equipment and manpower support from MIT) in the area of citizen media with youth." Prof. Henry Jenkins, director of the MIT program in comparative media studies, and co-principal investigator on the Knight Foundation C4FCM grant, also attended Wednesday's meeting.

RELEVANT LINKS MENTIONED DURING THE MEETING:
Danielle Martin's websites:   http://www.StoriesForChange.net   / http://www.verdesmoke.com
The Scratch Project: http://scratch.mit.edu
GRLZ radio  ("Girls Radio") at St. Mary's in Dorchester: http:///www.grlzradio.org
Podcamp Boston Oct. 26-28: http://podcamp.pbwiki.com/PodCampBoston2
Camilla Warrender's youth news agency (not live yet): http://www.eagleworkz.com
Alan Michel's Home Inc. site and conference: http://www.homeinc.org/   /  http://homeinc.org/events.shtml

C-SPAN adds "classroom" site with a teaching civics mission

C-SPAN has started up a "C-SPAN Classroom" website with a mission to provide resources for teaching civics and U.S. government through its primary source programming, according to a blog report from the Internet Scout Report at the University of Wisconsin.  The video-heavy site is geared for use with Real Player or Windows Media Player. It's at http://www.c-spanclassroom.org . . .
. . . adds the Scout Report . . . . "over the past several decades, C-SPAN has brought many hours of fascinating programming to the generally curious. Many teachers have used their programming to edify their students about various aspects of US government . . . visitors can start their journey by viewing the "Clip of the Week", and then looking through the other thematic sections on the site, which include "Principles of Government", "Legislative Branch", and "Political Participation". Along with each clip, users can also view a short clip description, and take advantage of the discussion questions as well. Visitors will need to complete a short free registration form to access all of the clips, and this only takes a few minutes. This site is quite a delight, and for anyone who teaches civics and related fields, it will most likely become an essential online resource."

Despite federal law, most students unaware today is "Constitution Day"; resources

Today is Constitution Day. Three years ago a new federal law took effect requiring schools to educate all students about the Constitution and the First Amendment. But a new survey out today by Univ. of Connecticut researchers -- and funded by the Knight Foundation -- shows that a majority of America's students aren't even aware that Constitution Day exists.

LINK TO NEWS RELEASE ABOUT SURVEY:
http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/releases/2007/2007_09_17_firstamendment.html

LINK TO FULL SURVEY: http://www.firstamendmentfuture.org/

The link includes a slew of linkable resources for curriculum units.

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MIT seeks teachers to brainstorm Sept. 26 on civic-engagement media projects for youth

/Submitted by Bill Densmore on Sun, 2007-09-16 20:26. (NEW STORY)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A new initiative to teach youth how to become "citizen journalists" has been launched at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and researchers are asking teachers to share curriculum and project ideas at a Wed., Sept. 26 focus-group dinner in Cambridge starting at 6 p.m. Individuals involved in video, journalism or new-media projects involving youth are welcomed.

The gathering is part of MIT's "Center for Future Civic Media," funded with $5 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. It's a joint project of the school's media lab and its comparative media studies department.

"The goal of the focus group and the Center is to connect with some consistent groups of youth who are interested in working in this area and start some pilot projects (with the equipment and manpower support from MIT) in the area of citizen media with youth," says Danielle Martin, a former afterschool educator, now a graduate student, who is coordinating the gathering. To attened, contact Martin at d_martin@mit.edu or Ingeborg Endter (inge@media.mit.edu ) at the MIT Media Lab (617-253-0311).

Endter says the idea is to explore how media including cell phones, websites and new online tools, can foster community> engagement. Supporting citizen journalism, social activism, and democratic process are a significant part of our focus.

"Right now we're looking for a few high-school or middle-school teachers who would be willing to help some researchers at the Center to engage youth - in journalism, civics projects, or community action projects," says Endter. "These will be real projects putting new and inventive ideas to the test." He adds: "We'd like the teacher(s) to come and brainstorm with us, and then involve some students in our projects."

Youth media and literacy key topics at MGP-organized DC event

Youth media and literacy were key topics at Journalism That Matters: The DC Sessions," a gathering of more than 150 journalists, bloggers, educators and activists Aug. 7-8, 2007, in Washington, D.C. The Media Giraffe Project at UMass convened the two-day gathering as part of a year-long effort to establish "The Next Newsroom," -- a prototype news organization in a U.S. community that will be created from scratch.

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