student projects
project-based learning
in 2010, Pioneer middle school's media production class partnered with starkweather alternative high school's video game production class to design, create, and beta-test original video games, using kodu software and microsoft's xbox 360 platform. the project was partially funded by the mi dept. of education (PBL/UDL grant).
service-learning projects
Pioneer Middle School travels annually to NYC with their 8th graders to engage in a 4 day ethnography project. Students are immersed in a thematic survey of culture & the arts. Upon their return and further reflection, Pioneer partners with local community arts organizations to curate an exhibit featuring original student photography and poetry.
public-service announcements
pioneer students learn the basics of media production and the persuasive nature of advertising by creating an original psa together with their production team. student groups write scripts, storyboard their vision, design a shooting schedule, scout locations, and pitch their concept to the class for feedback. filming skills (camera angles & movement), audio, and basic editing techniques are covered, as well as publishing options.
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michigan rocks!
Part Rock Doc, part VH1 Behind the Music, our MI Rocks! student-produced vodcasts feature prominent Mi-based musicians AND an examination of their artistic contributions and defining place in music—and cultural—history.
You've heard of March Madness and you're certainly no stranger to brackets and upsets and single-elimination, winner-take-all tourneys. Replace college basketball with Michigan-based rock n' roll, through the researched perspective of middle school students learning about Michigan history in a unique way, and you have MI Rocks!
Our projects promote Michigan history, hands-on technology, and a call for all students to research what they love and experiment with 21st century tools to produce media—opposed to merely consume it.
commercials
A collaboration between Pioneer's 8th grade Media Production class and the Video Production class at PCEP, our project immersed students in all phases of production: from storyboarding and script building to composing lyrics and an original song to auditioning and casting talent. "Goodbye fries" was created to enter a sara lee foods contest. mike horgan, former pioneer & pcep student (and mentor), directed and edited the final spot.
op/ed vodcasts
pioneer Language Arts 7 students took research to a new level, incorporating technology and 21st century literacy best-practices. Vodcasts were designed using iPads and iMovie. Specific skills demonstrated include: researching a topic from a variety of sources & perspectives, developing an original Opinion/Editorial, recording narrative voiceovers, splitting audio and video tracks, editing A roll and B roll footage, assuring a congruency between what is seen and heard, and incorporating high quality images into the project and effectively transitioning between clips.
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shorts (student-produced short films)
the capstone project for all media production students also served as the highlight of the annual dvy: pioneer's digital video yearbook---a two hour DVD that served as a year-in-review and a place to promote original student writing and videography. student films ranged between 10-20 minutes and explored various genres: comedy, horror, drama---you name it. student-teams learned & executed all facets of production: pre through post. only the finest shorts made the final cut...and a coveted spot on pioneer's dvy. those were the days!
website design & social media use
to engage Students, they need to be Immersed in relevant, practical, real-life writing exercises, including: developing opinions, arguments & reviews, hard-news journalism, and website design & social media.
With that in mind, we explore author's purpose, target audience, and specific strategies used to reach consumers. my philosophy entails empowering teens by challenging them to use emerging media to expand their communications repertoire.
click below (on thumbnails) to enter student-designed websites