Tag Archives: Digital Media

Help with Google Earth

Submitted by Carrie Macfarlane

This year, we will continue to support geospatial applications like Google Earth and Google Maps through student tutors in the Wilson Media Lab at the Main Library, but we’ve altered the scope of our services a bit.

Like last year, all tutors have been trained in Google Earth and related applications, and a few tutors have additional expertise.  Unlike last year, we won’t be able to do in-depth GIS (geospatial information systems) projects during the school year.  During the school year, we’ll only be able to help people with projects.  During the summer, as long as we have student tutors with GIS skills, we should be able to DO projects for people.

Anyone who would like assistance with geospatial projects can visit the Wilson Media Lab on the main level of the Main Library, or send a request for assistance to DigitalMediaTutors@middlebury.edu.

Kids’ Informal Learning with Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures

Submitted by Shel Sax

This is a recently completed three-year collaborative project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Carried out by researchers at the University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, the digital youth project explores how kids use digital media in their everyday lives.

Digital Youth Media has the complete report as a white paper and a two page summary in pdf format. If you’ve wondered how today’s youth are using digital media, It is interesting reading.

Digital Media

Submitted by Joe Antonioli

This summer, the Digital Media Tutors took on numerous projects, more than three times what had been proposed in the past. The following tallies do not include the walk-in Language School assistance.

Number of proposed projects – 90
Number completed or being supported this fall – 84
Faculty and staff we worked with (not including research or staff assistants) – 64

Images scanned with metadata – ~1400
Videoclips – 32
Original video – 8
Blogs created and designed – 16
Segue sites, created and re-imagined – 11
3D projects – 7
Wikis – 2
Maps – 2

Formal one-on-one instruction sessions – 17
FYSE assignments – 13
Other class assignments – 3

Some of these projects will continue this fall, as the DMTs who worked with faculty during the summer will now support the First Year Seminar classes taught by those professors. For samples of their work and activities, go to http://sites.middlebury.edu/dmts/ and http://sites.middlebury.edu/virtualmidd/.

Thank you to Brett Wilhelm for setting up the development environment for WordPress MU, allowing us to test plugins before bringing them to the production environment.

Recently, three more plugins have been added. Private Only allows the owner of a blog to require a login for anyone to view their blog. WP-Stats will allow a blog owner to view user activity on their blog. Ian McBride recommended and tested cForms, a plugin that allows a blog owner to create and embed forms in their blog, and have the submissions sent to the owner via email.

A plugin must be activated so that it can be used on your Middlebury blog. To do this, got to the PLUGINS page (the link is in the upper right-hand side) and click on the Activate link.

If you would like your blog listed on MiddBlogs, please email Joe at jantonio@middlebury.edu.