"building the capacity of public media and technology organizations"
January 2011 is equipped with brand new programming, and February boasts even more programming with new and dedicated volunteers.
Check out all the activity here: http://macsddiy.posterous.com
Hello everyone! Time for an update. I've been way way busy lately (I'm sure you all know how that feels). We just finished a weeklong workshop with middle schoolers at the Marin Youth Center's Computer Clubhouse. It was my first time in a computer clubhouse, they seem like a great idea! While I was there I learned a little about making beats using FruityLoops. Fun! But a lot harder than I thought it would be.
It's painfully obvious that I grew up in the south when I get excited over 1/2" of snow (mind yer snickering, Boston-folk), but I should also add that our lab closes when schools close. That means I have at least one day of peace and quiet. Ahhhhh.... Well, apart from the racket caused by the construction next door anyway.
Life at C4K is chugging along nicely. Our recruiting has been up and down (12 last month, but only 4 this month), but the ups seem to have been enough as the lab feels more full than when the year first started. Workshop attendance is still relatively low (3-4 on average), but those that do go seem to enjoy it. I've also started gravitating towards guided activities versus class settings. The more successful workshops have been things like making popup cards, CD art, posters, etc. I've been trying workshops that lead into the tougher topics like digital video and audio with things like dubbing and digital storytelling, but we're still having a tough time getting kids to try them.
Comment from lauren bratslavsky on February 1, 2007 - 1:27pm
Hey Raymond-
what are your guided activities like for your workshops? And are they contained within one workshop day or over a course of time? I'm working on our youth media lab here in Cincinnati and looking for ideas to for weekly, self-contained activities. Do you have anything written up? I have two activities so far, I'ld be happy to share them too.
And great ingenuity with the barcode system!
Comment from Raymond Varona on February 2, 2007 - 11:38am
Workshops are typically 1.5-2 hours in length and tend to be more like guided activities than formal instructional classes. I usually spend less than 30 minutes on instruction with the rest of the time spent with one-on-one guidance as they work through the main project. I've been on and off about writing things up, but can easily dig through my notes and get back to churning out materials. Here's a list of the workshops I've offered thus far, or at least the ones that I still have notes for:
If there's any in particular that you're interested in let me know and I'll look to getting those written up.
Comment from lauren bratslavsky on May 1, 2007 - 2:38pm
Thanks for that great link! We've been having problems too. Seems like most electronics have legs and walk off. I'll definitely be using this.
A coworker just suggested I turn this into a one-day workshop for kids. Maybe even go to some electronics store and ask them to donate some flash drives even. This project has got a cooool factor to it.