ATHENS, Ohio -- More than 70 kindergarten through high school teachers from Ohio learned to better integrate technology in the classroom during the recent 16th annual Summer Media Institute for Educators at Ohio University. Ohio University's College of Communication has hosted the institute for the past 14 years.
Teachers spent the week working with acclaimed artists, filmmakers, photographers, computer animators, graphic and digital artists, writers and poets to develop their media skills.
"The state of Ohio is really trying to focus on computer technology, especially on how multimedia tools can be used for educational benefit, " said Mary Campbell-Zopf, director of Arts in Education for the Columbus-based Ohio Arts Council. "During the workshop, we utilized high-quality, international artists to help focus on the creative process rather than teaching the arts. Because we want teachers to feel confident in being creators of art, we treat them like artists."
Workshop facilitators sought to assist teachers with the creative process, especially as it relates to technology. Participants learned about experimental computer animation, digital imaging, pairing photographs with stories, video storytelling, creative writing and critical thinking. Many of the teachers feel they learned the tools that will help them to communicate with their students.
The Summer Media Institute was founded in 1986 by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) after it was determined that multimedia equipment in the schools was not being utilized because teachers did not know how to use it effectively.
"To understand how media work, you have to be able to produce the projects yourself," said Kevin Wittman, a history teacher at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati. "I want kids to be aware that the industry is pushing their buttons. As a teacher wanting a student's attention, I'm competing with McDonald's and MTV."
Five-time Summer Media Institute participant John Richards, an art and media teacher at Charles F. Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Ohio, said, "I always learn patience with myself and with machinery and gain an appreciation of what it's like to be a student again."
Ohio University proved an appropriate backdrop for the institute.
"We love being here at Ohio University," says Campbell-Zopf. "The facilities are fabulous, and the support is outstanding."
"This campus has so many visual resources that, wherever you go, you are inspired by little snippets of architecture and people," said Wanda Dengel, a second grade teacher from Notre Dame Elementary in Portsmouth, Ohio. "This is such a diverse campus."
