From reconnecting with old friends, to getting new clothes and supplies, to having a new teacher, back to school can be an exciting time for students. This fall, the National Film Board of Canada is adding to that excitement with Media School-a new online filmmaking program for students between the ages of 13 and 18 to tell their story.
Led by their teachers through the NFB Education portal, CAMPUS, students now have a whole new way to share their experiences-and learn about media production. The program is directed and edited by filmmaker and education enthusiast Paul Tom, who is the on-screen mentor and has been involved in the project since its early stages.
Giving voice to the next generation
Media School gives voice to the next generation, helping them to tell their own stories as well as those that are important to their communities. The hands-on program offers total freedom for kids to create and immerse themselves in every aspect of their digital story, including photography, editing, research, writing, online ethics, copyright, image rights and distribution.
Key features of Media School
- Media School offers 11 easy-to-follow modules for students to learn the fundamentals of digital storytelling right on their desktop and laptop computers.
- There are more than 100 videos, interactive activities and templates to help young learners at each step of their production, including finding a topic for their story, delivering a pitch, preparing for a photoshoot, and publishing their work.
- Media School breaks down lessons into bite-size activities that students can complete individually or grouped together, so educators can teach at their own pace and spend a period, a week, a month or a whole year with their students in Media School.
Connecting with our communities from coast to coast
From Prince Edward Island to Ontario to Quebec to Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Media School was developed with teachers, students and community members from across Canada, who tested the platform and offered their feedback throughout the entire process.
To give students a chance to have their voices heard, NFB Education will be putting out calls for completed projects, inviting teachers and students to share their stories on social media using the hashtag #mediaschool. The call for completed works will be tied to specific themes such social issues, diversity, mental and physical health, and the environment.
In partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, NFB Education will be doing a Media School webinar on September 12, 2022, ahead of this year's Truth and Reconciliation Week. Brian Sellors, NFB educational designer and developer, will introduce students to the basics of producing a digital story and show them how to use this medium to express their personal relationship to reconciliation.
Meeting students' learning needs
NFB Education is a trusted source of quality learning content and has been providing Canadian students with engaging educational materials for more than 80 years. Media School is an extension of this long commitment and was thoughtfully designed to meet Canadian schools' curricula and the Digital Action Plans set by most provinces. As part of an agreement with school districts across the country, many Canadian teachers and students have free access to the NFB platform that houses Media School-CAMPUS-through their school's subscription. Educators can see if they already have access to Media School on CAMPUS by visiting nfb.ca/campus-canada.
Quotes
- "I have learned a bunch of new techniques that have answered a lot of questions for me on how to help students produce better videos. [Media School] has given me some new approaches to take that I would never have come up with on my own." - Paul Brown, Teacher, Brampton, ON
- "[Media School] includes information that is important for students of a digital age to learn. I was consistently engaged, and the concepts being repeated helped me to test my understanding and gave deeper insights when the answers were provided. The pro tips were very clear and helpful. Easy to follow!" - Michelle Montgomery, Teacher, Toronto, ON
About Paul Tom, Media School on-screen mentor
Paul Tom has been telling personal and authentic stories for the past 12 years. Giving a voice to individuals and groups who have not always been heard, while also creating safe spaces for open dialogue, his films have been selected by more than 40 film festivals around the world and have won numerous awards. Born to Cambodian parents in a refugee camp in Thailand, Paul is a jack-of-all-trades: an editor, a video designer for museum exhibitions, and an instructor on cultural mediation projects.
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Curator's perspective | Director's notes
