My project is in search of 6 digital cameras for a video technology class. The still cameras are critical for teaching the fundamentals of photography, as well as exploring self representation and the mainstream media. This enables students to become effective participatory citizens as well as skilled filmmakers.
$1,091 goal
This project expired on April 16, 2008.
This project expired on April 16, 2008.
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
We have successfully completed our first year and we look forward to welcoming a new crop of freshmen in two weeks. The school focuses on environmental carers and supporting students in developing a clear sense of community and what it takes to sustain that community.
The school video technology class has been a great success especially since it is integrated into the 9th grade core curricula which enables students to get job skills and familiarize themselves with technology programs that are used in professional video editing settings. Being a new school it is difficult for the resources to be obtained which enable the video tech class to run to its maximized potential. After reviewing the evolution of the class during its first year, the students will need to take more intentionally designed steps to learning camera shooting skills, this will start with a need for digital still cameras.
The students will use the still cameras in the introductory unit to the class, and will continue to document themselves in the act of filmmaking by having still photos taken while they work on projects throughout the rest of the year. The First unit in the class is a critical exploration that is strongly linked to the first core value of the school: sustainable self. Students learn the fundamentals of framing including aesthetic values which affect mood and feeling in the student work. They also will explore the ways that the mainstream media portrays people from similar demographics as the students: race, class, age, and gender. Using the digital cameras as a tool of self expression the students will write, storyboard, and shoot slide shows that tell stories from their communities; with a focus on portraying themselves in a positive light, with the ability to contribute positively to the communities in which they live.
The work done in the first unit of the Video Technology class is critical for developing a strong foundations for the students to move on to video projects that will require rigorous critical thinking and analysis of our communities and social situation. The students will work closely with the school theme of Sustainability and will create several projects including PSA's for renewable energy sources, and short documentaries that will address relevant issues in our local community representing multiple perspectives on the topic some of which will be solicited from members of the community on the street. The class is a dynamic opportunity for students to grow into participatory members of the community while learning essential job skills that will prepare them for a higher paying entry level position than many collegiate graduates. This type of growth and valuable real world education is not possible without support like donors such as yourself, and programs such as donors choose. Thank you.
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