DLP Screening and Q&A

DLP Screening and Q&A
Originally uploaded by msradden

Screening at FHAO and Q&A

Q&A
Originally uploaded by msradden

The Facing History and Ourselves audience in Brookline were shown the four student-produced films for the first time! Afterwards, Arva, Sophia, Jessica and Sevon fielded questions from the audience. They ranged from “what was the most challenging part of the project?” to which a collective groan was given about logging, to the “heavy” question of whether after all this any of them wanted to be an activist. The audience gained a perspective on the amount of work and literal sweat (it WAS hot in there!) that was put into this pilot program by the planning team, the teaching crew, the DLP staff, and the students. And what was clearly apparent was the pride and accomplishment each student felt about not only their piece, but the process they went through to produce it. And in fact their films will be used, for the first time ever, as actual curriculum assets within the 10th grade History of Civil Rights curriculum for Facing History and the Boston Public Schools. WOW!!

UPDATE : Screening and Q&A

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

It’s hard to believe that fall is already here! But to celebrate the arrival of cooler weather and the beginning of a busy academic year at Facing History, we wanted to invite you to a special screening. During the month of July, ten Boston Public School students attended Facing History and Ourselves’ Digital Legacies Project—a four-week digital filmmaking program focusing on the Civil Rights Movement in Boston.

On Thursday October 11th at 4:30 pm we will hold a screening of the short documentaries that were produced and a Q&A with the student filmmakers at the Facing History office (see address below.)

During the Digital Legacies Project, the students received training in research, writing, interviewing, and video production as they developed short documentaries about Boston residents who have been champions for civil rights. The student-produced films include interviews with local civil rights activists, exploring their involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's as they struggled for equal access to education, housing, and fair representation in the media. Throughout the videos the student producers also reflect on the legacies of the Civil Rights Movement in their lives today.

We would be delighted if you would join us for this event! Please RSVP to :

Julie Johnson
Program Specialist & Assistant Director,
Grants Program
Facing History and Ourselves
16 Hurd RoadBrookline, MA 02445-6919
617.735.1698
www.facinghistory.org

Summary of the day : Production

What does a stuffy computer lab NOT need? More body heat!

Yesterday, Digital Arts Alliance (DAA) and 10 BPS teachers joined our program. The teachers were given laptops and introduced to Premiere Elements. They are being taught by DAA how to build video projects into their curriculum.

We welcomed Nancy (pictured above) from DAA to our lab, who has guided us over the past 2 days through the production process. The students recorded their voice overs based on their polished narratives, and then imported their assets into Premiere. The crews have been doing a great job of managing their files correctly and following the production process. Time management has been critical and Nancy has intervened often to keep us all on track.

By lunch time on Tuesday, each crew has been able to check off the first 6 steps :

1. write the narrative



2. create a storyboard



3. record the voice over



4. edit the voiceover in the timeline



5. import stills into the folder in your project panel



6. create subclips of camera A, B, C and extra footage

After a hearty lunch from Finale (I love pickles!), each crew will spend the rest of the afternoon dragging subclips and stills into their timeline in sync with their narrative.

Shout outs & summary of the day : Narratives & Storyboarding

Over the last 2 days, the crews have been intensely writing their scripts and so asking them to write ONE more time at the end of the day in this blog was a bit much!! So I thought I'd record a summary and reflection of the work we've been doing here.

And oh boy have we worked! No blood (we're like a family here), and no tears (we support each other when it's tough), but we sure did sweat it out! It was nearly 90 degrees in Boston this afternoon, and the AC doesn't work here at TechBoston Academy! (But it DOES blast plenty of cold air in the winter! Go figure.)

Wednesday morning, Julie lead the crews through a lesson about the structure of a narrative - the thesis, introduction, body, and conclusion. The crews went to work combing through their transcipts to pull out key points and quotes, and annotated it with post-its and highlighters in order to form a thesis statement everyone in the group could connect with. Previously, the students had been individually finding personal connections with their interviewee. Now, the challenge was coming together as a group, and finding an overarching statement or question that was meaningful to EVERYone in the crew!

Script writing began in the afternoon, while I was logging and capturing, and feverishly re-organising the files and folders into a way that made the most sense to the students. Paulina, Juan and Julie floated from crew to crew, giving valuable feedback, listening to the ideas that were forming, and guiding them through the writing process.

Today, Paulina and I, after reviewing the first drafts of their scripts, met with each crew, and showed them how to storyboard as a visual connection to their scripts. They looked through the assets loaded onto the computer and thought about what additional footage and/or photos they would need to gather by the end of Monday.

I was so impressed by the professionalism, creativity, and determination of EVERY team! They were receptive to our feedback and each other's comments "You need to be clearer who is saying what here...", collaborative in the brainstorming "Maybe you should have a voiceover here instead...", critical of suggestions "I'm not feeling that...", respectful of new ideas..."I think we'll decide on that once we get into the editing process...", and enthusiastic about their project despite the heat "I love that quote! Where did you get that?"

I think I can speak for Juan, Julie, and Paulina in saying that we sooo appreciate your efforts and are excited about the ideas you have!! You all have strong foundations for your stories. FINISH STRONG!! Nothing feels better than taking an idea from planning all the way through production into a piece that YOU are proud of and Facing History will be proud to show off!!

See you all on Monday...Keep cool.

- lisa

I am from poem-Kevin J

I am from a place where you can see the moon
Shining its elegant light to the streets.
I am from a culture that eats fried chicken.
I am from a place where you could see countless houses

No matter where you turn.
I am from a place where you can see the sun rising from the sky
Showing its orange-colored light almost like its on fire
Shining its light to the streets, then to the sky
Till everything glows.

I am from a house that smells like food everyday
Where you can almost taste it.
Day after Day I look at the full moon
Shining its elegant light to the streets.

If you did your research on my family,
Everyone will find my cousins, brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and parents.
They are my family
This is where I'm from.

Summary of The Day :Intro to Premiere

Like my picture?!? I know i love it too :) So, it's Jessica's turn to do the summary of the day. Basically, today was a fast paced day! In the morning, my crew had to do what eveyone else did yesterday and learn the basic usage of Adobe Premiere. It was fun. Other groups just continued using what they learned yesterday with Premiere. Then Sophia and Teeyana came back and taked a lil about their interviewing experience. Then we all had to do our blogging stuff again. It's almost lunch time and we are going to have an early release! Good luck to the last group interviewing!!!!!!

Me, Sophia, & Ms. Mcguire

So today I finally did my interview it went great Ms. McGuire can talk a lot but everything that she said was important & very interesting she talked about so much I would have to go back to remember some stuff...I thought we weren't going to be able to finish...We made so much connections with Ms. McGuire well at least I did when she talked about how she was just a parent and her child didn't want to do METCO that brought me back when I almost cried when I heard my mom put me into it...She showed us some books and we met people around the office well 2 ladies and 1 man...

Jean McGuire

Wow, she's such an amazing woman. The whole thing was mostly like story time for me like back in fourth grade. Without the lights, mics, camera &&the posture. She mentioned a lot of people's names and I wish I knew what she was talking about. I think the most interesting part of the interview was when she talked about what she personally did. Like how she went to the schools and actually counted how many free seats there were in the schools that has shut down parents who went earlier to ask if there was any free seats. It's amazing what parents would go through for their parents. It was amazing how she was able to talk about everything as if they all happened yesterday. The dates and the key events, she just seems to know it all.
She was not shy. ..at all. It was great though Howard and Julie had a hard time getting us to leave the building. She did not look like a 70 year old at all &&she moved like she was young. I have much to thank her for what she has done through out the thirty years that she has contributed to the METCO program, I wouldn't be me without it. It has been an amazing journey as my years in METCO wind down for my last year as a senior in Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School.

a`more sophie

I am from

I am from "shut up" "ya ugly" & "you forced it" "O-M-G"

I am from Jamaican cooks who cook curry oxtail & butter beans mmm...so yummy

I am from the teenage generation where music takes over my ears & shuts down the world

I am from loud laughs from Auntie Debbie & Dacia that you could maybe hear a mile away

I am from the war of the two year old or even the terrible 2's they are so cute My-My, Lee-Lee, & Dee-Dee to Maya given beat downs to her non American cousins...oh wait I forgot little Joseph he's the youngest only 1 & ready to show Maya what he is made of if she dare step to him

I am from a nice neighborhood with a garden across the street & huge trees that may soon overtake the world by storm

I am from all kinds of neighbors the unwanted fence put up by the annoying neighbors who want to show what little property they own HA!

I am from a family of long hair so I dress it how I feel with hair clips, bobby pins, scrunchies, rubber bands, & my favorite head bands big, small, & colorful.

I am from 2 of the craziest parents who brought me up & taught me right from wrong & love me just because I'm plain ole' me!

I aM FrOm MoThErLaNd

i am a chocolate seed
with great powers

i am an immigrant
from across town or should
i say across the world...

i am Alvin Ailey
with great movement
and hot feet

i have hot feet,
i am me, i am
him, i am her
i am they, i am them

i am the crispy brown
crumbs that wants to hide and not get eaten by the
two little ain't who fights over me, in a crack concrete

i am the photos who tells
a story of nothing, but i am the shoes who
walked the march,
i am the clothes who's been ripped by dogs and stained
with the red pain form bloody Sunday...

remember that?

" oh snap " i am the
coins that sleep ed in
mamas, Nana's, and boos
pocket

i am the dreams that they carry
i am the soul that they love

i am the past, where
grandpa act, i am the future where
i need to be,
i am martin who needs me
i am me, you and we all.

Can You Guess Where I'm From ?

I come from pots &&pans in different sizes
Name brands that are impossible to recognize
Stickers of labels printed with no letters but with strokes.
Loose change, socks, you'll find everywhere
Pillows soaked with enough cried tears

Take a guess at where I'm from
I come from my personal kitchen across the street named Dunkin Donuts
Children fill the playground &&teenagers dominate the parking lot
A family that speaks broken English
You'll find buns &&baos but no danish
Spices &&sauces, fresh fruits, green vegetable
You'll never find lasagna on my table
They'll be meats satayed in sauce &&everything that is nice
Whatever the case, you can never forget the rice.

Reflection : Interview of Sarah Ann Shaw

SARAH-ANN-SHAW...what a person..she's very a intelligent woman...someone who still have a great dreeam for the future...she wants the best not for only herself but her community as well. i really enjoyed caring a converstation with, she the type of person who would make u feeel like you need to be doin something your community. '' i think that the media do a poor job in our socity today" says SHAW. " the media shows all these paris hilton and not showing kids getting hurt and killed in the streets"....i really do agree on what shes saying and how she feels...the media really do nothing for the socity.

Summary of Our Day : Intro to Premiere & Interviewing

Alright everybody time for a quick summary of today.

First we learned about the software we're going to be using to make our video. Its called Adobe Premiere and it allows us to capture video and edit it along with pictures and audio to make movies. Its what the professionals use to make there movies. We can add subtract clips from what we recorded and replace audio as well as put an incredibly wide range of graphics to our movie. We tried it today and I must say it was a very fun.

Sevon, Cheryl and Jessica have finished interviewing Mel King. We were pretty excited about seeing the footage of them. We took a look at it on the TV when they returned. It gave the rest of us an idea of what we would go through in our interviews.

Kevin, Omarou, Anjelica have left for their interview and we're going to see how that goes tommorow-the remainder of us will interview tommorow.

Well, until then, see ya.

"I am" -Jessica Estelle

I am from the brown outlined in white 3 floor apartment since birth.

I am from family gatherings, like birthday parties where gossip is to be heard.

I am from a family tree that's not so perfect and never will be.

I am from generations that i won't ever see.

I am from Jag to curry chicken...Bloosoming gardens and tree with my great grandmother, who is still living.

I am from Brava, Cape Verde all the way to the lands of Europe.

I am from the descendents who claim hunger, wealth and power-It's a trip, huh?

I am from annoying cousins to apple pies.

I am from my mother whose motto is to have love, faith and hope for yourself.

I am from my elegant white on gold wallpapered bedroom.

I am from Jazz and R&B filled in my Mp3 playa!

I am from the smooth and neosoul sounds of Miles Davis, India Arie, Musiq Soulchild and even Barry White and Al Green.

I am from ice pops to cookie crumbs, baby pools even lat nights up listening to the sounds of the city and drunken fools.

I am from "whose your best friend?!?" to "Turn the a/c off before using the microwave!"

I am from sunflower seeds on my computer desk to shoes that still fit me from middle school.

I am from a family filled with hopes and dreams pushed down with hatred and lies.

Although, I am from a place that you probably don't even care about-It's cool cuz I am from a place that is still wonderful all throghout!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Mel King interview

OK SO TODAY ME,SEVON,AND JESSICA HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH MEL KING.IT WAS SO COOLLLLLLLL!!! WE WERE UNDER SOME HOT LIGHTS BUT, IT WAS OK. AT FIRST I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO BE SUPER STRICT AS JUAN DESCRIBED HIM BUT HE WAS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE. HE WAS FRIENDLY AND REALLY EASY TO TALK TO.I HAD FUN DOING THE INTERVIEW. HE KEPT ME LAUGHING AND I HAD SUPPORT FROM MY TEAM MEMBERS. IF U GUYS ARE READING THIS...JESSICA AND SEVON....THANKS A LOT AND I LOVE YOU GUYSSSS!!! =] OKKKKK SO LET ME STOP BECAUSE I'M GETTING ALL MUSHY,LOL.ANYWAYS, IT WAS A VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE TO LEARN FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN AROUND FOR SO LONG.HE WAS SO WISE AND I COULD TELL THAT HE MENT EVERY WORD THAT HE SAID AND HE WASN'T BEING FAKE.ON THE VERY LAST QUESTION OF THE INTERVIEW WAS WHERE I FELT THAT I CONNECTED WITH HIM THE MOST.HE GAVE SOME OF THE BEST ADVICE FOR FUTURE ACTIVISTS. HE SAID THAT YOU SHOULD READ BECAUSE THERE IS POWER BEHIND WORDS, AND THAT YOU ALWAYS NEED TO BE DEDICATED AND FOCUSED ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING.HE ANSWERED EVERY QUESTION PERFECTLY.HIS STRONG INTELLECT MADE ME ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT OUR SOCIETY TODAY AND HOW MY GENERATION CAN STILL MAKE A CHANGE.I FELT EVERYTHING HE WAS SAYING.IT WAS DEEP! MEL KING IS THE MAN,NO DOUBT!! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE TENT CITY.

It's Finally Over!!!!!!!

Now that my group was the first group to be done and finished, I feel really good. As the camerawoman, I felt that i did a descent job. My team mates did very good during the interview and was well prepared for the interview. With the tips that i gave them yesterday, i felt that they both had amazing committment because they went home and typed up the questions and obviously practiced. Mel King was at first very intimidating to meet because he was so serious or perhaps grumpy because he had to wake up so early. But then again, he's probably used to doing early morning interviews. I amde connections to Mel King because i sometimes feel that there is a rival/war between teens and adults. Due to the fact that teens do certain things that adults just can not understand, he was basically saying that the new study that his text center is running is doing an experiment basically how teens text and create smaller phrases for words. He sometimes reminded me of my Papa becasue the he talked passionate about how the youth is the future and needs to basically have there heads on straight to make the world better and not repeat history with our ancestors mistakes.
Shout out to Cherly and Sevon for an amazing interview!!!!!!!

I am from

I'm from the big bubble gum house on the block
where the smell of fresh lundry fills the rooms.
I'm from the phrase it's impossible at the end of each statment and when something goes wrong it's prepostorous.
my brother TJ and Ipod blasting the stereo to the tunes of B.I.G and his impossible flow with his words
my cousin tilia and sweets eating fried chicken, shrimps and white rice
I'm from basketballs rolling down the hallway as my father listens to the rolling stones
I'm from dirty football shoes left on the carpet from my little brother
I'm from graffiti on the side of the corner store the red sox world champs
Really this poem is impossible.

(I am from) POEM - by Cheryl

I am from..... by me! Cheryl =]

I am from an old fashioned household where corny jokes and long stories are told

I am from Al Green and billie Holiday records, from watching soul train and old timers playin checkers

I am from the genres hip hop & RnB where I don't define music but music defines me

I'm from long floral scarfs tied to the front and having communion on the first church sunday of the month

I am from graffiti on the sidewalks and cracks on the concrete

I'm from late nite phone calls from my goonies planning where we should meet

I am from fried chicken,cornbread,coolaid, and collard greens

I'm from my mama tellin me girl, u better iron them jeans

When u come by you'll find cousin Nita and lil Bri Bri at the crib

That's where I'm from

That's how I live....

teeyana isz my hero!!! ;-))SIKEEEEEEEEE......(i didn't type that,she did)LOLzzz !! ENJOY!!

Anticipation of the interview

ummmmm...i don't know what to say. i think Demitrus and i are ready for Mr.Breeden. I'm must say i am very intimidated my his genius. he must be a very smart man after all the education he received. You know that would be madd funny if he wasn't smart hahahaha. think after all that education he got and not be smart that's kinda funny.but I'm sure he is smart he has proved it by the actions he took to help young black children get the best education and he also helped to unify the churches.I just hope that when he talks it will be interesting. i don't really mind it being long just as long as he can tell an interesting story.something to keep a sistah awake.Anyway i hope i take advantage of meeting him in a positive way. i hope shyness does not overtake me and Demitrus is talking to this man for like hours and hours. hopefully i take the time to speak with this man and learn something new cuz i don't know when i will be able to be this close to history again.( that last sentence is not true i wrote it cuz it sounded deep and good) the truth is we are always in the presence of history when every we are around anyone who has lived life or had a hard day!!!

MY FEELINSZZ ON DA INTERVIEW 7/19

My interview is on thursday && I am a bit worried becuase I might mess up or somfn lyk dat...I have met Mrs. Jean Mcguire before but not directly she spoke at a METCO conference we had in my freshmen year....I am also kind of happy in a way because then she'll know who I am && I am a METCO student soo it might give me some sort of advantage ;-) JK but yeaa for the most part I will be OK maybe OMG its gunna b so early in the mornin Im styll thinkn ov da tyme I want to wake up....prolly lyk 5:30 6ish grrrr....but yeaaaa I am kinda ov ampt becusz I mite c som1 I no @ da DIMOCK office omg I didnt even no Mrs. Jean Mcguire had her own office crazy ritee???

~Toodles~~ Misz Yana Roxsz

Interview is tomorrow!!!!!

I am excited to meet one of Boston's important African-American activists tomorrow. I'm only worried about my team mates feeling confident and being about to keep a flow during the interview. Since I am the camerawoman, I'm only worried about (and i always worry about this whenever i film) is if the shots will come out good enough. I hope to be well-refreshed in the morning. I'm glad that we are being fed morning tomorrow, even though i always eat before i leave the house. I have a feeling that everything will be okay. I have absolute faith and confidence. If anything goes wrong, we'll just be doing some serious editing!!!!!

Reflection : interview

About the interview tomorrow with Sarah Ann Shaw I'm not that nervous but the only thing that I'm really worried about is that she may not hear me so I don't want to be to loud or talk to low for her because she is elderly anyway. I cant wait to meet her and i just want to do my best at interviewing Mrs Shaw. I have alot of confidence about this interview and I hope that the questions that we made up are very intelligent questions and I also feel that she would be able to answer my group questions because there not revealing questions very understandable.

Summary : preparing for the interview

As the day went on it became more and more interesting. I'm walking into the room and there they are. my group. my teammates working extremely hard as always. today we got a better understanding of what most of us will be doing tomorrow and Thursday. we picked questions that we thought was appropriate for our interviewees. in some way it was complicated because of the fact that we wanted to pick some good questions, but we also wanted to make sure it flows and the group agrees with it. we worked on pre-interview, during interview and post camera work which pretty much means after interviews. camera work is always fun for me and the others. the camera people got some time to think about how they wanted their shots to come out and what type of different view they wanted. the people practiced hard to get their lines correct...I FEEL LIKE I'M ON A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE SET...with everyone working together and as a team i believe that this is going to be one of the projects seen and made by DLP..

Reflection : Interview

i'm so nervous right now. this whole time when they were talking about interviewin`, there were butterflies in my stomache. we pretend interviewin` jean mcguire first with ourselves then with juan. it was fairlie easy, no big oopsies. i can't wait to hear sevon, jessica &&cheryl's interview tomorrow. i had my outfit all figured out but i'm not so sure now. hmmers. as i'm typin` this, my stomahce is flippin` &&floppin`. i'm excited about the breakfast, though. i hope they have coffee or caffine. but i'm kind of scared because i'm not sure if i'll be able to wake up on time. hopefullie, 3 alarm clocks will work. me &&teeyana got our questions down so that's good. but no matter how much you practice, it'll change once you're under the lights and infront of the person you're goin` to interview, and with all the people around you, tryin` to video tape you.

G`LUCK TO

SEVON, JESSiCA, CHERYL, JELLiE, KEViN, O.

Y sophieeee

DLP @ MIT

Friday we went to MIT to get a more better idea of Media and learn some things about "free use" and things.

That day we went to MIT was probably the most interesting day I had yet.We learned about media more extensively at that time and did some pretty interesting things, too.

What I enjoyed most was the video games we tried out over there. They were developing some games (in only a 3 month time span) and we got to try one of them out. It was then I realized why my mother never wants me on my PS2....

But its what we learned later that made me enjoy this trip the most. The names of those who taught us escapes me, but I know what they taught me will stand in my mind for awhile.We learned the difference between a remix(I'm pretty sure that many of you are familiar with it already) and a mash-up.

Its important for you to know that even though they sound if they are hinting at the same thing they are completely different and its important not to confused them. A remix is a song that has been edited (something has been added, subtracted, mixed up etc.) to make a a much different song. A mash-up is a piece that Incorporated the lyrics of one song and the instrumental of another.We did a similar thing with poems- we did a "remix" of one poem by cutting lines from one poem and mixing them around; and when we were given the same poem, but this time with another, different one we created a mash-up of those two poems.

The conversations that followed helped us understand the dilemma facing the music industry. Who owns the mash-up or remix of the poems we did? Us or them? What if you made a mash-up or a remix of songs, do you own it? Can you sell it?

"Free use" answers this in some ways-which is what we will be thinking about as we make our videos.We also got to see a remix of a video and how using images in a certain way in poetry can affect the listener/reader strongly.

Overall I enjoyed it and can't wait to get to put to use what I learned.

summary : preparing for the interview & camera practice

Hey all!!!!

Today was a nice day the birds were chirping and the sun was shining but i was tired - enough about me

Today we started off by breaking into our groups and picking out our top 15 questions for our interviews.It seemed to be hard for almost every group because we all had great questions.Then we came back together as a group and went over them as a group.We helped each other edit our questions.

Then we looked over the the correct film terminology.next we looked at the films The Color Purple and Jaws and we studied the scene's set up and why certain shots were used in the movies. Paulina kept talking about "intention" and how important it is to be selective with our shots.

After that we learned how to use our cameras and we went outside to test them. We went in our groups and set up shots .They really came out great!!!!

OK its time to go home now and watch GH(general Hospital).

MIT trip reflection

some of the good ways for me to become a good film maker is by trying my best to stay on task. I've learned so much about camera's, shots,a seen, and all that sweet jazz.
so now its up to me to do what i have to do and gave my team the best they need. Kevin's a hard worker and so is jelly.taking the right shots at the right time will be pretty good as well...the shots at first seemed hard but once we got our hands on the camera i stared getting a better understanding.i get it its all business now...SO LETS GET TO IT AND DO WHAT WE DO BEST....the best is on its way....lol....lol...

Misz Yana'sz MIT Trip!!

2 start we went 2 mit saw som cool sprinklerss went 2 an overpriced store && finally we went inside...we got 2 no da peoples dat worked derr we met Andres Anna Deb && Milo I 4got da rest ov da names....2 warm us up we learned bout remixes && mashups...In our genereation wat a remix isz is a song dat has already been produced wit a nuu artist addin hisz style...&& i lerned dat,,, dat waz not wat an actual remix is A actual remix isz one song that has been cut up && reordered...That waz sumfn nuu 2 lern && alll the tym on jamn 94.5 they hav mashupsz but I didnt no dat waz wat dye waz a mash up isz 2 songsz put 2gteha one wit da beat && de otha with itszz lyricszz....We ate burtuccis pizza wit pepperoniszz lolszz...I lerned wat not 2 du in a documentry it waz pretty kool && i saw alot ov cool thingszz it waz l yk "totally dude" hahaha I am soo ampt writing thiss && I am soo done writin...We also went down && play videogames haha well I didnt participate cusz I am not a videogamer but lyk evry1 waz workn so hard bcusz dey had deadlines som ov my co-workersss were able 2 play the video games dere waz this weird one but it waz kinda weird wit sound && dey were killn bunnies && da people who made da games were sooo excited 2 c dere own games @ work....I looked @ da back wall && dere were som great drawingszz && dey were gunna name the game Wiip bcusz u use a whip 2 tame da animalsz usin da wii remote hahahah

Misz Yana Roxsz~~toodles~~

Summary : Practicing with cameras

lisa

today was lisa's first day with us. it was fun meetin` her. she seems reallie nice. &&is reallie pretty. she jumped right in and wasn't shy to voice her opinions. she has a lot to contribute. i think she will be a big help to us when we make edits so paulina won't go crazy.

today-mornin`

in the mornin` we did draft #2 of our questions. everybodyy came up with some really go0d questions, some reallie WOWed us. cuttin` down our questions with the help with the rest of the team-mates.

so by the end of today, i've learned that teeyanna is not camera shy to say the least. it was very fun workin` with her to make our commercials which was a success. i kept awake today until after lunch, go me =] the cameras` were amazin`. i had so much fun with them. watching everybody's videos` was really fun.

SEVON

poor baby. hopefully, he will join the team tomorrow

a`more sophie

guys ?

umm. ..what happened to the guys ? post something ! we want to hear what you think about the past week. s0rry juan, i mean people under the age of 20. you only miss the cut off by a bit, a tad bit.

a`more sophie

Outtake

everyone seems like they had an excitin`, busy weekend. hopefully we'll be able to strap on &&take on the new challenges we will endure this week. i can't believe this project is only goin` to last four weeks. sniffles. i've already made some strong ties amongst some of the team-mates last week. i'm excited to grow more with them. thanks to julie, juan &&paulina for pickin` these awesome, amazin` people. me &&teenyana are takin` turns writin` the questions we've chosen right now. i thought it'd be kind of arkward to just sit &&stare at her so i decided to blog.

oh yeah, i think we should hang out outside of techboston. movies, dinner anyone ? any suggestions ? i personally would love to go ice-skatin`. what do you guys think ? =]

mmm. ..juan is on stalker status right now, with his lil` camera &&everything.

a`more sophie

Summary of week 1 : history lessons

It's Friday and I'm finally back to the office. I can't belive it's only been one week. It feels like it's been two! I'm excited to share with everyone how wonderful this group of young people are. We have been impressed over and over again with how smart, thoughtful, mature, focused, friendly, and just how genuinely nice this group of young people are. They all have wonderfully unique personalities and qualities, with a lot to share and contribute to the community and project. They have taken to each other very well, and are very supportive and accepting of each other. It might sound like I'm painting an incredible rosy picture, but we can't say enough how pleased we are with this group.

This past week was an intense week of learning.

The week primarily focused on historical content, both the traditional civil rights history, as well the history of civil rights in Boston. The participants were stellar in keeping up and grasping the content. They had thoughtful questions and comments to contribute.

We also introduced the concepts of Identity and Choice making in connection to the history we're studying - Little Rock Nine, Elisabeth Eckford, Linda Lowery, SNCC, and Jesus Colon. Mid-week, students were assigned to their teams and the person they would be interviewing (Mel King, Sarah Ann Shaw, James Breeden, and Jean Mcguire). They began researching these individuals preparing their interview questions. Everyone seemed excited to meet these people in person.

We also began reflecting on what is socially responsible media making, and what is the process of creativity as they begin thinking of their own media products. With so much that's happened, and with so much that has been accomplished, I feel like we've been working together for 2 weeks, not one!!

Next week are the interviews, and everyone has their eyes on the prize. It's going to be intense and challenging, but I have no doubt we will all rise to the challenge, while continuing to have lots of fun. Props to everyone on this team. You've all been great! And that includes the advisors as well :) Looking forward to next week!

....Education is the key to life....

this world is so far beyond crazy..why does it matter what your skin color is? why cant we all get the same amount of education without violence.the history of Boston in the 1960 and 70s still in some ways connect in our society today. there are schools out in the suburbs that have to be payed for. and if you look at that there are mostly all white people. many of black parents cant afford to pay for schools and the only choice they have is to sent there kids to public school, which still don't provide enough education. communities are still segregated today. people want best for their kids. AND IN LIFE YOU ALWAYS HEAR EVERYONE SAYING EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO LIFE...how could we get better in life if our educations aren't helping us. some teacher don't teach well...some just give up on the kids. but most of then don't care because of your race.

An Accident!!!!!!!!!

I probably have had to make many decisions throughout seventeen years of living. Just hearing Jesus (the guy we learned about today) conflicting with himself to help a white woman with a baby, siutcase and two kids and his reasons why were very interesting. His dilema was that he wanted to help the white lady but was confused because it was so late, he would come off as a someone who would just be up to no good. This situation occured in the 1950's. His conflict was about courtesy. Mine was just an accident....I know that the decision that i made for just going through the electronic doors at Ruggles station probably wasn't the best thing to do. But he didn't have to touch me! I was coming from shoooting a short film with a friend of mines when i got to Rugggles. To make a long story short, i heard my train approaching, ran to the doors (without hitting anyone) but some idiot on the other side went through before me. I just went through after he did, instead of missing my train to go home early for the first time all school year! I heard this MBTA police officer yelling "hey, hey!" I turned around towards him beore i went downstairs and i waved my pass at him so that he knew that i wasn't "cheating the system"....I didn't know that he was running after me. Instead of being a gentleman and ask me to get off the train, he used force! To this day, i'm glad for this experience because he will get his (karma) eventually and i see things differently. The challenges that this decision that i made were more than i thought could ever happen to me. It was obvious that this was a racial thing because out of all the people at Ruggles station, he pinpointed me...a young African American woman, who he probably enjoyed slamming around. The case is still in the process, but now my lawyer recently told my mother that it was finally reaching up to the Cheif of the MBTA.The day that i had to go to Juvy, all everyone did was laugh and the case was dismissed because it was so silly. My issue was that police can swarm public transportation stations, but can't reach a spot that someone was killed until like hours later!!!!!!!! The decision that i made wasn't the best, i kno, but his wasn't either. The impact of my decision was huge. I had made my whole entire family worried from my emotional call from the police station and even i worried my friends and staff at school. Not smart on my part, but it was an accident....

Same history from 1960s-2007

The history in Boston that occurred in the 1960s that was dealing with segregation which is still going on today is really not the same but there is one way that I can connect to the history because today you really don't see any black students attending to all white school a.k.a private schools and if you look into "Boston public schools you will only see about 3 white kids.Also like the film they were talking about how the black kids in the 1960s always got the rip up books that were ruin and today in Boston public schools books are all tore up but I bet if you go to a white school in the suburbans there books are Nice like they never been used not destroyed at all and they get everything they want. In black schools we don't even get enough scholarship's to support some of the students but in the non Boston public schools they have plenty of scholarships to give out to every student.

School System Still Sucks!!!!!!!!!

I think think that today, the school system is not as bad as the 1960's and 1970's. But it still sucks. Today, mainly all of the white students go to private, expensive schools that have the best education perhaps that money can buy. But the schools in the inner city is mainly made up of miniorities. There is actually a lot of misconceptions about both schools systems. From talking to my cousin, who goes to a school out in Natick, she says that she really wants to live out in Boston with me so that she could be around more people like herself (ie Black ppl). But her friend, who is also black was taught that all the inner city kids have bad education becaus of the lack of money provided in their schools and that inner city kids have bad attitudes and always fight. But a few of my own friends feel that kids in the Subarbs are snobby and stuck-up. I don't know what to believe except that honestly some inner city kids don't care about education (ie skipping school a lot, etc). Its sad to see all of these films in Facing History, showing how black ppl really fought for their kids to get the best education, yet years later, a few of these kids are not taking thier education seriously :(

The history in Boston that occurred in the 1960s that was dealing with segregation which is still going on today is really not the same but there is one way that I can connect to the history because today you really don't see any black students attending to all white school a.k.a private schools and if you look into "Boston public schools you will only see about 3 white kids.Also like the film they were talking about how the black kids in the 1960s always got the rip up books that were ruin and today in Boston public schools books are all tore up but I bet if you go to a white school in the suburbans there books are Nice like they never been used not destroyed at all and they get everything they want. In black schools we don't even get enough scholarship's to support some of the students but in the non Boston public schools they have plenty of scholarships to give out to every student.

heyy guys. this is sophieeee =]

my first blog on here. i'm reallie excited foh this summer. s0rry, you guys are gonna have to get used to how i type [[blame AiM]]. buh yeahh, yesterday's lectured reallie WOWed me. Steven was reallie knowlegable. it was crazyy how he knew how the dates and names. the whole time i wanted to get a visual of the scho0l committee and today i have the chance to. Louise DayHicks, grrrs. wells, movin` on. our advisors are reallie co0l, they have a lot of things that we'll be able to learn from them. &&as foh my fellow team-mates foh the next 3 or so weeks are just amazin`. each &&every one of you guys have your own style in clothin` &&such. some people are takin` a little longer than others to open up but it's okay. i think everything will be okayy.

oh yeahh.

i'm reallie excited to find out who i will be workin` with foh the next couple of weeks. who ever you are, hope we have a great time together.

a`more sophieee

The history in Boston that occurred in the 1960s that was dealing with segregation which is still going on today is really not the same but there is one way I can connect to the history because today you really don't see any black students attending to all white school a.k.a private schools and if you look into "Boston public schools you will only see about 3 white kids.
also like the film they were talking about how the black kids in the 1960s always got the rip up books that were ruin and today in Boston public schools books are all tore up but I bet if you go to a white school in the suburbans there books are Nice like they never been used not destroyed at all and they get everything they want and in black schools we don't even get enough scholarship's to support some of the students but in the non bostion public schools they have plenty of scholarships to give out to every s

Summary : Day Two Down!

Today was the second day of the Digital Legacies Project. I think the students literally sat through a six hour history lesson...and were still asking questions and sharing their thoughts by the end of the day! I was amazed. Steve Cohen, a professor from Tufts University, came in the afternoon to talk about Boston in the 1960's and 70's. He told a fascinating story of white flight, segregated schools, and the 1974 busing crisis. Everyone had such great questions and comments! Tomorrow everyone finds out what group they'll be working in to make their film and which civil rights activist in Boston they'll be interviewing. I can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!

Summary : the D.L.P

wow! how awsome...i cant believe that im really working. its my first job and im really enjoying it. but for some strange reason we were talking about the nastyest things and it was akward but fun. im being myself around here. Julies great. shes very educated. love the way she teaches. and juan hes always on point at all times...funny i kow. paulinas really layed back...she agree with everything wich is not a bad...we need that type of good energy around early in the morning huh...i guess the DEVIL REALLY DID WEAR THE PRIDA.As a younge teen i dont rally get a lot of great opertunitys, but so far so good. evryone here is really cool and fun to talk to. they always got jokes, but when its time to get to work we get down to bussiness. sophia and i are becoming close to each other. she cool to talk to.Savon's funny., he plays that " shy " game. Angelica is forever talking about FEILDS CORNER...LOL...Kevins kinda of quit...but he talks now and then.. ( maybe hes not use to the enviroment, we'll gave him time). im losing it, im always calling taina tati...which is weird because my cousins name is tati and they look nothing alike. "D"...well what can i say hes a really smart kid...he uses all these big words and i feel AWESOME being around that type of inviorment. jessica goes to school with me...and she and i underestand some things such as the sare values that i used yeaturday when we was making our gorund rules...( community with social respect)...all i have to say is that the girls exciting. i love how she said " think with your feet" thats soon to be my motto. dancers dont talk they listen and think with there feet. i know im a dance freak i cant help it...but yeah. arvia came today happy, energetic and raedy to work and learn. speaking of learning this is one of the best ways that i've learned something. usally i'll be sitting in calss listing to the teacher. its like i hear it but im not listening..lol..strange huh..im soo stressed out...u asked why im this way..well i dont know if i should get these sexy 8Os high top blaack and green pumas... or should i get a new phone...my minds going kinda CRRRRRRAAAAAZZZZYYYY...but i hope i find something good to eat for lunch

SUMMARY

Tuesday,july 10 day 2: YEAHHHHHH MANNN!!! =]
Ok,today...we learned about the civil rights leaders & their personal dilemmas.We had conversations on pivotal moments in history.We focused on incidents such as the murder of Emmett Till and The Little Rock 9.OoO yeSSSS!!! It was intense!lol.I really enjoyed hearing other people's personal experiences and seeing how others around me felt about the whole situation.It was very nice to learn things that I had not in school but was always curious about.I also thought that the activity I participated in today was fun....the one concerning a man who was afraid to help a woman off of a train because of his skin color.I probably would have had the same reaction being that so many people have misconceptions and numerous stereotypes about "minorities" and how we supposedly act.Its a shame that that is the way we are percieved.Although, so many of us are not bad ppl...that is what we are labeled as. My mother always told me that if someone passes judgement over you,do your very best to prove them wrong because most likely what they think of you is the total opposite of how u are.Do not stoop down to their levels and humor ignorance for its just an excuse to appear as if nothing is wrong.They only look at you with superior attitudes because they can smell fear and try to intimidate.She tells me to always keep my head high.I wonder if others were as lucky to recieve that same advice??

Monday, July 9th : Day 1

Day 1 of the project is off to an exciting first day. We began with Human Bingo, my favorite part of the day. Some highlights included learning that Oumaru had spent the first 9 years of his life in West Africa and speaks 3 languages, Angelica's grandmother run a bakery out of her home (Sophia was interested in having cake)and Teeyana has family in Jamaica that she will visiting in August.
Lunch time, brought good pizza and continued conversation/banter, some subjects included how chitlins are prepared to what a hot dog is made of. Yuck! No one cared for the orange soda, maybe this was because we were drinking out of bathroom paper cups. Mr. Love made an appearance, or shall I say Dr. Love and handed out discounted bus passes. Yeah!
The day ended with the sharing of our understanding of the Civil Rights Movement. I heard lots of curiosity and energy in the room. We're off to a great start!

Welcome to DLP

Hi All,
Welcome to the first day of an exciting four weeks!