Keeping Up!

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So admittedly it has been a long pause since I've posted here last. Yet it has also been a long time since I've gotten serious friend, vacation, or exercise time (not a habit I recommend). Which in some sort of internet way means, I wish I had been sharing all that has been going on at the Emergent Media Center with our EMC followers!

Often these days, I wonder if it would be simpler if I just put a stop to our collective creative thinking—then keeping up would get so much simpler. But truthfully there is much that needs doing, so many that can benefit by what we do, and so much that is worth doing! If we hold our collective breathe then the speed of change will make us obsolete. Likewise the value of the education we are creating would be less so.

Our EMC students (over 200 in two years) such as Kate Baxter walk out the door with classroom learning but also a fuller understanding of how their classroom knowledge applies to the world and with the skills to make visions reality.

It has been a very busy semester.

We progressed forward on or concluded a long list of projects this semester:

• Google Earth mapping of Burlington and the campus (which continues on this summer) driven by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron and Alex Keyes,
• the Virtual Vermont Archeology Museum project with star student now grad Mike Fowler,
• two projects driven by amazingly creative teams of students: 1) conversion of the Information Literacy game for the iPhone and 2) the movement of data from our Polhemus Motion Capture device to Maya and our game engines,
• and moving the United Nations game to end violence against women from concept into beta Breakaway.

Overwhelmingly the students reported that these projects were among the most valuable of their educational experiences—providing portfolio experiences, tying together classroom learning with real world outcomes, providing relevance that they could recognize, and pushing them beyond their comfort zones into accountability onto a formerly unknown scale.

We traveled to Saint Lucia, New York City, and Milan, Italy presenting, testing, and recording with the poorest of poor and with some of the most influential. We brainstormed with groups and thinkers such as the likes of Ben Cohen on concepts that could impact ways of viewing actions. We built upon classroom learning and applied it to sponsors' projects with real world goals—projects where failing or non-complete's were simply not an option.

And among ourselves we struggled with: our ideals of leadership and transparency; balancing productivity and insight in a learning/productivity structure; pipelines for production; continually changing teams/workforce; cohesively managing and producing as a cohort of millennials, next gens, and baby boomers; and producing work with professionals and world leaders on world impacting projects.

So it was a very busy 4 months. The summer looks even busier.

Our game, Breakaway, with the UN has found an international soccer star, Samuel Eto'o as its champion and launches in three weeks for the FIFA World Cup, the Google Earth project continues with the city of Burlington, other projects are in the pipeline to include internal Champlain College web projects, projects such as the Governor's Institute of Vermont in Information Technology for teens,

and the launch of the MFA in Emergent Media—bringing an entirely new dimension to learning within this real world, multi-dimensional format.

So much to look forward to—and if I'm lucky I will keep our readers informed and I'll schedule in some friend and exercise time!

Seeking Web Design & Marketing Specialist for EMC project

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The EMC is seeking a Web Design & Marketing Specialist for a summer project.  This would be a part-time position (or positions, depending on applicant skills sets) for some or all of the summer semester, and possibly into the fall if needed.  Applicants must be Champlain College students.


Here are all the details:

Web Design & Marketing Specialist

Number of Openings: 1-2 (might be split into 2 positions depending on skill set of applicants)
Pay Level: $9.00/hr
Term: June 1 - through summer semester, possibly into fall if needed
Majors who might be interested:  Marketing, Web Development, Graphic Design & Digital Media, Communications, Public Relations, Game Programming
 
Job Responsibilities:

• Collect, edit and create website content (visuals and copy) for the Division of Communication & Creative Media website
• Learn the Champlain College content management system.
• Create graphics and perhaps video for the website.
• Create interactive gallery/showcase of student work
• Maintain website presence
•  Apply marketing/branding strategies throughout

Job Requirements:

• Must be able to work during regular business hours, at least 10 hours/week for part or all of the summer semester.
• Must be able to use and/or highly motivated to learn the following programs: Champlain CMS, Photoshop, Illustrator, possibly Flash.
• Must be highly self-motivated with the ability to work independently, but also with collaborators. Effective communication is a must.
• Must be a creative thinker with new ideas and have the ability to listen and incorporate others’ ideas.
• Leadership experience is a plus.
• Samples of work (marketing plans, website design, flash animations, graphic design, writing samples, etc) welcome for submission.  Please include work you feel best shows of your skills.

Ways to Apply
Email your resume and cover letter to supervisor email address below OR
Drop off your resume and cover letter at the Emergent Media Center.
DEADLINE for submission: Wednesday, May 26^th

 
Send resume and cover letter (along with sample work if applicable) to:
Sarah Jerger
EMC Operations Manager
E-Mail:  sjerger@champlain.edu
Phone:  (802) 865-5479

Location:
The Emergent Media Center
3^rd floor in the Champlain Mill, Winooski
(Located across from Spinner Place main entrance)
 
www.champlain.edu/emc
Find all of our social networks at: http://card.ly/EmergentMediaCenter

Job Openings on Empowering Play Project

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Join our team!  The Emergent Media Center is hiring for late Spring/Summer 2010 positions on the UNFPA/Empowering Play project.  You MUST be a Champlain College student in order to apply.

Click HERE for a listing of open positions.

Hurry!  Resume, cover letter, and deliverables (if required) are due by Friday, April 16th!

MFA in Emergent Media is Seeking Creative Folk Eager to Learn!

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Finally you can learn all about it!!!! We will be hosting an Information Session about the new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Emergent Media that will launch in Fall 2010!!!! Anyone interested in finding out more about the program may attend this information session. You will get to hear from Mark Milne of graduate admissions on the ins and outs of applying, Ken Howell and myself on what the degree offers, the structure and classes, the faculty, and from advisory board member Coby Brownell of JDK on where media is headed. The program is awaiting NEASC approval but all other lights are green! Here is a link to the program: http://mfa.champlain.edu/

Join us for the MFA in Emergent Media Information Session at the Champlain College Emergent Media Center, located at 20 Winooski Falls Way in Winooski, Vermont. Join other Champlain students to hear an overview of the program and meet some of the faculty.

Then head over to the main Champlain campus, where you can hear a talk by a leader in this field. Heather Kelley, a game designer and advisor to our EMC's United Nations project will be at the Alumni Auditorium from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. as part of the Burlington City Arts program on Game (Life): Video Games in Contemporary Art.

A shuttle back and forth from the main to the EMC will be provided. To RSVP or learn more email Mark Milne: milne@champlain.edu 866-282-7259.

And a little bit of information about the MFA:

This innovative program has been designed to appeal to creative and collaborative minds, helping you develop and build technical skills while immersing you in the business, cultural, and aesthetic contexts of those skills.
Whether you want to create the next cool app, design a game that makes the world a better place, or write the next chapter of human innovation, this is your starting point.

Looking Back from Home

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The portion of the EMC team that traveled to Saint Lucia this past week has returned to Vermont. Our tests went well on our game being created with PMC and sponsored by the UNFPA. When I returned it was wonderful to be back in the crisp, snowy air of Vermont.

However our team shall not soon forget Saint Lucia. If you weren't able to follow our activities there pleas visit our sister blog: http://emc-gamestakeonvaw.blogspot.com/ . Tonight as a final gift before the new year, I would like to post images that our EMC students, Ray McCarthy-Bergeron and volunteer photographer Jim Reda shot in Saint Lucia. Without further adieu here are the pics.

All our group shots are by Jim.

Jaden. Photo by Mollie Coons.

Football is life. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

Life: cars, goats, bars, and the internet. Photo by Jim Reda.

Light at Piton. Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron.

Careful he bites: Alex. Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron.

Photo by Joel Pelletier.

Jim with EC currency. Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron.

Joel and Alex strategize pre-pizza at Dominos. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

Steve Beaulieu pulls an all-nighter finalize code before the tests.

Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron

Enjoying the game tests. Photo by Steven Beaulieu.

Sunset. Photo by Alison Seffels.

Alex joins the impromptu football match at Vieux Fort. Photo by Amanda Jones.

Food Q ad A testing by Alison. Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron.

The state of affairs. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

Volcanic boulders in the Caribbean. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

Ray plays king of the mountain. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

Hey Mikey, they like it! Photo by Ann DeMarle.

I say hello. Mollie and Dan. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

We are all in it together, we are sleepless at JFK. Photo by Ann DeMarle

Steve, Joel and Amanda at the Line on the Bay. Photo by Ann DeMarle.

Sunset and boat. Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron.

Gateway. Photo by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron.

Me by Ray McCarthy-Bergeron

Mad with Activity

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The Emergent Media Center at Champlain College has been mad with activity this last month- as I know many of you may have been as well. Students are working hard towards finals and those on the UN project to end violence against women have also been insanely working to complete the rough cut version of Episode I by the first of the year! Monday morning at 5:30AM, 12 of the 38+ team flew to St. Lucia to test the episode with 4 school groups in St. Lucia – down by Venezuela. I’ve personally been winterizing my home, packing for 80 degree weather, trying to get some holiday shopping done, and preparing proposals to continue funding the project. YIKES – it is a wonder we are all still sane!

Follow our progress in St. Lucia on our other blog at: http://emc-gamestakeonvaw.blogspot.com/2009/12/testing-in-saint-lucia-week-before.html