The revolution will be a multi-media presentation
November 18, 2008
By Christopher Huber
Pine Lake class teaches students about cutting edge technology
Pine Lake Middle School eighth graders Ally Blakley, left, and Shayna Wilson laugh at a segment of video as they edit clips for a class music video project. Photo by Christopher Huber
Anyone who attends Pine Lake Middle School while teacher and instructional technology specialist Eric Ensey works there might want to think about taking his multimedia design class. It could give them a leg up in this constantly advancing technological age.
“It’s as much of a fine arts class as a tech class,” said Pine Lake principal Roy Adler.
It’s an elective that has been offered at Pine Lake for the past three years and teaches students various skills, such as communicating an idea through effective visuals and multimedia use. It’s not just “how to build a Web site,” Ensey said, but the real-world application of selling a concept.It takes common technology — YouTube, iTunes, Flip cameras, the Internet — that most of the students use as a toy and turns it into a tool they can use for things like project presentations and eventually, possibly marketing a business.
“Most teachers… that are trying to engage their students are figuring out ways to design curriculum that integrates technology,” Ensey said. “This class teaches them how to do that effectively. (I say) ‘here’s a project,’ and you come up with the best way to present that material. Students have a wealth of materials.”
Throughout the trimester-long class, students work on projects such as building a personal Web site, creating a school radio station through podcasting and creating original music videos that represent popular songs.
During the first two years, the class, with only four Mac computers, focused on how to make a Web site through visual communication. This year is a bit different, Ensey said, because he won a grant from the Issaquah Schools Foundation last spring that allowed him to purchase six more MacBook laptops.
This fall, the 23 students are able to work simultaneously (in pairs) on the same project with iMovie HD to make their music videos. They take a favorite song, create a story board, break it into sections and splice and edit audio, video and still photos into the movie-making program.
As she and her group wrapped up work on their music video last Wednesday, eighth grader Maryn Spangler said taking multimedia design has helped her become more technologically savvy overall. She now thinks she could help family members with computer or program problems.
“With presentations, now I know super cool ways to do them,” she said after class.
Spangler said she likes the quick learning curve. Ensey teaches them the basics at the beginning of the trimester, but then they learn by doing.
“They work really hard and they don’t even know it,” Ensey said.
Although the multimedia course itself is not unique to Pine Lake — numerous schools in the area offer video or photography electives — Ensey’s cutting-edge expertise and personality gives the class a special twist, integrating all the key technology, Adler said.
Adler said electives are dependent on the talents of the staff.
“We absolutely needed to have him in an elective for our kids. This gets them out there in the latest technologies that are out there,” Adler said. “He brings a cutting-edge uniqueness to what our kids are exposed to.”
Thus far, the class has received positive feedback, mostly from students. Ensey said electives don’t tend to get as much parental feedback as core academic subjects.
“Students seem to really enjoy the things they learn and they tell their friends about it,” Ensey said.
Adler said he is pleased with the success. It has become everything he hoped for since he helped start the elective class. He said it’s important for youth today to have formal training in multimedia.
“I think everything is going in that direction,” Adler said. “A lot of it is intuitive, but we give kids a leg up in training them in the technology. Most kids will have access, but for the kids to have the tools to do what they’re doing here is just going to make them so much more competitive in every aspect of their lives.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or at chuber@isspress.com.
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