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West Sussex Youth Services Training: Part One
[SUMMARY—Claiming their prize.]
(GBR) We're in West Sussex half way through a two day social media course to the staff at the West Sussex Youth Service.
Remember our scuppered campaign to inspire the first UK based youth worker blogger (who turned out to be Hilary Mason)? Well, staying true to our word, they are getting the training for half the price.
Related posts: West Sussex Youth Services Conference, MediaSnackers Podcast#109 and oneyouthworkbloggercampaign.com.
Don't Pull, Push
[SUMMARY—With social media.]
(WORLD) Many of our clients ask questions relating to online 'marketing / retention strategies', 'capturing eyeballs', and 'engagement pathways'? They are focussed on a 'pull' strategy which takes a lot of time, resource and financial investment.
For many of them we propse a alternative way…
Enable others to tell your story through embeddable content. This is all about 'pushing' rather than 'pulling'. It's a strategy which is cheaper, quicker, measurable, greener and more importantly part of the conversation banquet.
Got a flyer or programme of events—why isn't it on Issuu?
About to launch a new project/service—why isn't it on YouTube?
Communicating a policy or development strategy—why isn't it on bubbl.us
People want things on their own terms and the broadcasters are leading the way here with developments like iPlayer or 4OD (the whole model of Current TV is based on creating 'pushable' content).
Whatever sector you work in, keep asking: how much of this can we push out there?
Related posts: Tell Your Story As It Happens and The Conversation Banquet
Build It And They Will Come?
[SUMMARY—Youth facilities and venues …can we help you deliver?]
(WORLD) Here at MediaSnackers we're increasingly interested in applying the online benefits of social media to the demands and needs of public sector facilities and venues, especially those specifically hoping to attract and engage with young people, so that's new youth builds, refurbs, and especially cultural venues be that theatres, galleries, community centres, libraries, museums.
Engaging young people (or indeed any target demographic in today's crowded marketplace and squeezed leisure time) is not just about staging youth-focussed activities, it's about addressing the physical, social and attitudinal barriers of both young people and, conversely, staff members to ensure that a first-time visit is enough to engage and involve young people.
So how do we think we can help? Well, we hope that we can find partners willing to embrace social media to add a virtual profile to the actual building. In this way, we think we can help you add to your audience profiling, resulting in increased attendance, ongoing engagement and simple, free ways to converse with your audiences. For instance:
Designing websites in the 2.0 age—accessible and interactive sites, with walk-throughs, RSS feeds, blogs and forums to allow potential participants and audiences to understand the new facility, input into its activities, and ask questions.
Presenting and Profiling work—uploading images and video clips to established sharing sites that enable young people to see and hear activities and performances and thereby helping to break down barriers to participation.
Testimonies—young people and adults describing the experiences and opportunities enabled by the facility.
Access—maps, transport possibilities and compliance with DDA in an engaging and informative fashion, allowing a wide range of young people to feel safe and secure in accessing the building whatever their background or ability.
In a nutshell, let's use social media for the benefit of the purpose and profile of the facilities, allowing conversations with new, current and future users. And let's not forget the trustees, volunteers and professional staff…
Are you a partner in a MyPlace bid?
Or bidding for other youth capital funds?
Or a venue under pressure to broaden your audience?
Written by Matt.
How I Learned To Type
[SUMMARY—How did you learn?]
(USA) Those funky boys and girls from the Digital Natives blog have created a nice little video, basically asking some natives how they learned to type.
It's interesting to hear about the computer games (which I remember very old school BBC computers) to those who never had a lesson. Check it out below:
How I Learned To Type blog post
Wigan Pfs INSET
[SUMMARY—Training review.]
(GBR) At the beginning of the week we where back in Wigan delivering our social media teacher training to the guys from the Wigan Warriors Champs Playing for Success center (Playing for Success is a National Government initiative initially set up with the FA Premier League, the Nationwide League, their Clubs and LEA's to raise standards in Literacy, Numeracy and ICT).
Here's our little film review:
Social Mobility Session
[SUMMARY—Consulting.]
(GBR) Down in London with the guys from The Social Mobility Foundation helping them review their current online offerings and exploring what social media can do for them.
Rezed Podcast#9 / MediaSnackers Podcast#115
[SUMMARY—The hub for learning and virtual worlds podcast series.]
(WORLD) The ninth RezEd podcast, produced by MediaSnackers with Global Kids.
Donna Stevens is Director of Implementation, Quest Atlantis at Indiana University discussing the implementation process as it relates to teacher trainings, the students and the classroom.
0.00—0.24 intro
0.25—1.28 RezEd news from Amira at Global Kids (any news or events can be submitted here)
1.29—2.54 podcast interview: what are the educational goals for the programme?
2.55—4.47 challenges involved
4.48—6.06 what Quest Atlantis looks like
6.07—9.12 outcomes
9.13—11.34 differences compared to other platforms
11.35—13.56 what can we learn form Quest Atlantis
13.57—14.04 thanks
14.05—17.08 Amira detailing the upcoming events for the RezEd community (any news or events can be submitted here)
17.09—17.17 outro
Want to suggest someone or put your virtual hand-up to be interviewed? Then get in touch here or send me an audio message by clicking the icon opposite.
Subscribe directly to these podcasts through iTunes by clicking on the icon opposite (download iTunes for free here).
Not using iTunes? Then just copy / paste this feed and drop it into your podcast aggregating software.
Check out our other podcasts here.
Online Snack TV
[SUMMARY—For MediaSnackers everywhere.]
(WORLD) I found UPL8.TV whilst hitting the fateful StumbleUpon button on my new Firefox browser.
What an illustrative mash-up for our time. Simple. Media. Snacks.
Virtual Voices Event
[SUMMARY—We're attending, are you?]
(GBR) Barney and I are here in The Watershed, Bristol, UK at the Virtual Voices event which promises to "bring the media industry together with young media makers and their teachers or tutors to attempt to answer this question and many others…"—the question being:
How can we develop young people's voices so they become the media literate content creators and storytellers of the future?
We know how we do it so hopefully we can add to the discussion and learn how others approach it.
Live-blogged from the event:
Caroline Norbury, Chief Executive from South West Screen opened with the dichotomony of the media: the positives and the negatives. Discussions are between two extremes but Usualy the audience is passive in this discourse. Encourage and empower people to create media and participate.
Alison Bown, Access & Participation Manager from South West Screen did the housekeeping.
Iain Dale took on the Keynote. Discussed what the media was like in 1973 (in reference to Life on Mars where the main character found himself in that year). Death by bullet/powerpoint also mixed fonts, nasty header and unpleasent transition effects. Talked about the internet which cannot be controlled or regulated—what he calls the 'uncontrollable new media'. Everyone has a voice. Showed a few blog examples and explored why people blog.
Highlighted the danger of blogging. Making statements on the web and understanding once live it exists forever.
Not just about blogging. Social networks have mushroomed. Devices for campaigns not just connecting to people or joining groups. Effect of this new media on the old media (dead tree press). Most old school media types recognise and accept the changing nature of its sector. The media is proliferating with people searching out their niche.
Talked a bit about how politicians and business are using blogs. There are threats and opportunities. The net is becoming mobile and dynamic. Blogs reach areas where mainstream media can not. In the last five minutes he focussed on the relevance on this relating to young people.
Next on the agenda was the 'News Panel', hosted by Nick Roddick, film journalist. Martin Fewell: Deputy Editor of C4 News, Vicky Frost: Deputy Editor of Media Guardian, and Iain Dale: Political Blogger were on the panel. Basically discussing the changes in the specific sector.
There was then a handful of 'hands-on' sessions which (talking to delegates) were great (my session on pervasive media was interesting).
Second panel was titled 'Emerging Platforms in Film and TV', again hosted by Nick Roddick and Charlotte Black: Head of Talent at C4, Paul Tarplee: MD of TwoFour Digital, Derren Lawford: Multiplatform Editor of Panorama (BBC) and Simon Hankin: Holler the Digital Agency for 'Skins'.
Explored if outside platforms are crucial to content creation. There is no IT as it's become integrated. Talked about creating specific online content and not rehash the broadcast stuff. Is the convergence becoming a reality? Content is becoming fluid across platforms and the boundaries are blurring. Online appeals to creating spaces for discussion which compliments the broadcast content. The audience and their questions bought in the topic of young people and its relevant.
The whole event was rounded off with some absolutely fantastic youth created video. Made me laugh and cry and wished for more.
Conclusion
So did the event achieve its gain and answer the question of developing young people's voices so they become the media literate content creators and storytellers of the future?
Unfortunately, not quite.
It was never going to conclusively 'answer' the question but there was very little discussion about it: the keynote spoke about young people and media only in the last five minutes of his talk and the two panels also totally missed the theme of the conference (I even asked the second panel the question above on which the conference was built around).
For future events, be great to have actual youth media practitioners speaking who will actually focus on the theme of the event.
Was great to connect with some MediaSnackers training alumni though and also make some new friends.
For a completely different take on the event read this.
MediaSnackers Podcast#114
[SUMMARY—Amazing photographs exploring the relationship between youth and technology.]
(WORLD) The MediaSnackers podcast focusses on individuals, organisations or companies who are simply impressing us and which are crying out for more discussion.
Evan Bevan is a photographer based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, discussing here a specific piece of work titled, The Illuminati—exploring the relationship between youth and technology.
Apologies for the 'self-playing' player above—Odeo have changed recently and are aware of the issue and hopefully will sort it soon.
0.00—0.30 intro
0.30—2.13 The Illuminati background
1.21—2.13 choosing the theme
2.14—3.22 getting the images
3.23—4.49 how the work has been received
4.50—6.58 other people's reactions: File Magazine and PSFK
6.59—8.18 inspiration and other work
8.19—9.21 future plans
9.22—9.41 outro
Want to suggest someone or put your virtual hand-up to be interviewed? Then get in touch here or send me an audio message by clicking the icon opposite.
Subscribe directly to these podcasts through iTunes by clicking on the icon opposite (download iTunes for free here).
Not using iTunes? Then just copy / paste this feed and drop it into your podcast aggregating software.
Check out our other podcasts here.
Policy Shifts
[SUMMARY—Changing gears.]
(GBR) There seems to be a gear shift of policies relating to the debate and operations of many public institutions and agencies in the UK in favour of new media and technology. Maybe it's the obvious cases of quicker, more measurable and cheaper which is the driver, nevertheless it's welcomed.
Here are a few illustrations:
• a new Harnessing Technology 2008 says technology in learning is no longer optional;
• exploring more transparency with the 'world class' public service reform agenda;
• House of Lords on YouTube;
• 1,000 schools awarded the ICT Mark
• an example of the transparency cited about with the blog of the Power of Information Task Force;
It's a great start…
UK Catalyst Awards Nominees
[SUMMARY—Go and vote.]
(GBR) The UK Catalyst Awards were designed to "recognise everyday heroes who use technology to make a positive impact on the world around them"—you can check out the shortlist for this years awards here.
Here's a few MediaSnackers related ones:
• Savvy Chavvy—enabling young travellers to utilise social networks and media to help to change how their community is perceived;
• FreqOUT!—using a councils wifi to enable socially excluded young people to participate in discussions through multiple devices;
• Rafi.ki—linking schools around the world to enable students to connect with the peers and discuss a myriad of educational topics.
Good luck to all the nominees.
UPDATE: Check out the winners here.
Related post: Episode#016 | Make Your Mark / UK Catalyst Awards
There Are No Natives
[SUMMARY—Paradigm shift time.]
(WORLD) Mark Prensky's 2001 Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants paper offers an accessible and understandable metaphor for those exploring social media and young people.
Much quoted by many people including myself…
…25 minutes into this gem of a presentation, Michael Wesch (creator of such hits as this, this and this) lets rip with the statement which nearly floored me:
…there are no natives…
The most popular platforms, which young people populate and use, are so new it makes us all natives. Couple this with the ever-changing media menu there becomes a huge amount of opportunity to utilise creativity and add context to these environments through critical thinking.
I'm paraphrasing (badly) so please check out the presentation for yourselves here and start to think differently about social media, young people and your nativeness/immigrantness.
Shame the video was not embeddable University of Manitoba.
10.7.08: They gave Mike permission to post it on YouTube so here it is:
SYELP Keynote / Masterclasses
[SUMMARY—Speaking and showing off.]
(GBR) MediaSnackers is up in Sheffield keynoting a South Yorkshire e-learning Programme (SYeLP) event for secondary school teachers and leaders as part of the Building Schools for the Future Programme.
We're also running two masterclasses to illutsrate the power of social media.
I would like to thank you for an inspiring session—delivered at breathtaking speed with great charisma and enthusiasm. The Masterclasses were variously described by Conference delegates as "inspirational" and "excellent" and the verbal feedback I have had, has been exceptionally positive.
The pdf resource is a super resource and will be uploaded to the Handheld Learning and Social Media blog which I will be embellishing with the ideas that I picked up from yesterday. I know of others who are going to create blogs too, one of whom works for the BSF Planning team.
It was a pleasure to meet you and Guy, you deliver what you say you will deliver and you impressed your audience.
Tricia Anderson, Sheffield Project Manager, South Yorkshire e-learning Programme
Rezed Podcast#7 / MediaSnackers Podcast#113
[SUMMARY—The hub for learning and virtual worlds podcast series.]
(WORLD) The seventh RezEd podcast, produced by MediaSnackers with Global Kids.
Jeremy W. Kemp is an instructional designer at San Jose State University and started teaching online back in 1999. Talking here about his varied experiences, insights and projects.
