Audio as the Foundation for Learning Media Production

As I mentioned in a previous entry, Shade Gomez and I are having a blast collaborating on teaching this English Media class. It's hard to know who is having more fun. Shade and I really enjoy the planning process, as we work our way through teaching this course for the first time. I should clarify for the record that I'm not officially a co-teacher, but I do get to make frequent guest appearances in the classroom and in the computer lab. I get to teach students applications, such as GarageBand, PhotoShop, iMovie, iTunes (for file management and MP3 conversion), and iPhoto (also for file management).

Shade and I made a deliberate decision to start the year off by teaching audio production, using a scaffolding model to build up a set of skills that will eventually lead them to video production. In past years, students were shooting video practically at day 1, our approach has delayed their engagement with video production until perhaps the second month of school. The students don't seem to mind the delay at all, and are having such a blast with audio production.

Ideas First
Rather than beginning with tool training, Shade chose wisely to begin with a study of truly compelling radio, using the model of the syndicated national program This American Life, which can be heard on public radio stations. The good folks at TAL have published a humorous and very effective guidebook on creating compelling radio called Radio: An Illustrated Guide. Students used this guide to learn the principles of effective radio interviews, and became familiarized with a common vocabulary. Only after study the guide and listening to examples of the show did they begin creating their own interviews. I believe that this approach is much more satisfying and effective than an approach beginning with tool training.

Applying the Same Approach to Graphic Design
We used the same approach when dealing with graphic design. I had students work in teams to become experts in 6 principles of graphic design, and then present brief PowerPoint presentations which included examples of these principles. I had them choose from classic examples found on the web. These included socialist realist political posters, art exhibition publicity, concert posters, etc. In two class periods, these students learned from each other about the principles of graphic design, saw some stellar examples, and even learned the barebones basics of PhotoShop Elements.

We plan on using this same approach throughout the year. Bottom line: tool training in isolation is not the best approach, and can often result in the use of technology for technology's sake, which is so often the case.

Who's Using the Books?

We have over 20,000 books in our library. We also have a high speed network connection and approximately 80 computers available for students to use. We subscribe to nearly 50 online subscription databases, delivering periodical articles, encyclopedia entries, health and consumer information, statistical data, literary criticism, and biographies. We have a web-based online library catalog, which guides students to books in our collection. The catalog is easy to use (when the server isn't down), but getting students to use books is a never-ending challenge.

Students are reading fiction for pleasure, but our non-fiction collection doesn't get nearly the amount of circulation as it should. We have such a good print collection, but in the age of google and reliable high speed connections, the natural temptation for most students is to search the web for information. It's so hard to convince students that the books might have something that the electronic sources don't. Often we resort to a requirement of at least a book or two on a research project.

It's easy to see how libraries got into this situation. It's more challenging to see a way out that will really get students to appreciate books for their unique characteristics. The printed page is not dead, just overlooked. Who knows, maybe the electronic future will find computer displays emulating characteristics of the printed page. I just heard a story on NPR about how Siemens developed a paper-thin display. What if you could create an electronic book that actually looked and felt like a real book? I'm sure it's possible, and this would surely help to blur the lines between print and electronic resource. After all, who would have thought 20 years ago that movies could be created digitally and shown in a movie theater, where they would look as good as film? Now Hollywood has standardized a means of digital delivery of feature films, so lines are blurring left and right.

GarageBand, oh GarageBand, how I adore you!

This year we finally have OS X on the 2 eMac labs in the library. Finally! We've been waiting for a long time for the district to make the leap from OS 9 to OS X, and now that we've finally arrived, we are seeing the dramatic impact of having GarageBand on all machines.

Management
We used to struggle mightily with students' inappropriate use of the computers. Instant messaging, chatting, visiting web sites with questionable content were some of the biggest issues that we had to contend with in previous years. Now we're seeing so much less of that because of GarageBand. Students are plugging in and tuning up! It's arguably the easiest application to teach, and interest in this application has spread like wildfire without the slightest need of encouragement by library staff. We're delighted to see students use these computers for productive purposes when they are visiting the library during lunch and study hall periods.

Intuitive
GB is one of the most intuitive apps I've ever encountered, especially considering how deceptively powerful it is. Yes, I know that ProTools is the industry standard, but ProTools is on the other end of the learning spectrum. I spent an entire summer getting familiar with the basics of ProTools, yet I mastered the basics of GB in less than an hour. Students are learning very quickly, and they are able to learn the fundamentals of working with loops within a few short minutes. I tend to teach the app in increments, allowing them to absorb a set of new skills before moving on to more complex tasks, such as shaping the pan and volume, processing the audio with various effects, and working with the master track.

My Use of GB
I've been using GB since its inception for my home recording projects, and it is the perfect tool for my needs. Granted, I don't do anything too complicated—I typically lay down less than 10 tracks with real instruments, including guitar (electric and acoustic), bass, banjo, harmonica, and vocals. I have an inexpensive (less than $100) analog to digital USB audio converter by Edirol, and a fantastic dynamic mic by MXL, purchased from MusiciansFriend for less than $100, and that's all I need. I would love to have a MIDI USB keyboard, but that would be a luxury. The creative process is more important than the tools themselves, which is why I prefer to use tools that help me to unleash the creative process with the least amount of distraction and frustration.

Introduction: A Time of Flux for Teacher Librarians

This is a most interesting time to be in my profession. I'm in my ninth year as a School Library Media Specialist in an intellectually vibrant community that understands the importance of strong school libraries. I prefer the title Teacher Librarian, as it more accurately reflects the nature of our work, but titles are just that.

Fortunately there are two professionals and a wonderful clerical staff at my school, which allows us to try different things and nurture rich collaborations with teachers and students. We have over 100 computers that are currently being managed by our library staff. There are two Mac Labs (60 eMacs running OS X), 20 Dells running Windows NT, and a 20-iBook wireless mobile lab. With all of these computers in constant demand, you can easily imagine that the nature of our jobs has been radically transformed in recent years.

In this blog, I will dwell on my interactions with students and staff, and in particular, describe my extensive interactions with my good friend and constant collaborator Shade Gomez, an exemplary English teacher who is teaching an 11th grade English/Technology course called English Media. We are both big believers of media literacy integration—integrating media literacy education into the curriculum. I belive that the most effective means of teaching media analysis and criticism is through teaching media production. Once you're an active media producer, your relationship to media changes fundamentally.

I'll attempt to keep this blog current by writing about my personal independent media explorations, as well as our students' work. This should be loads of fun...stay tuned!