youmedia
The Story of YOUmedia… from YOUmedia @Chicago Public Library on Vimeo.
graphic links to youmediachicago.org
how do you build the infrastructure for a young person’s network of learning… turns out – the library is one of those spaces..
The Story of YOUmedia… from YOUmedia on Vimeo.
We’re imagining crowded/stressed school buildings start emptying out as people realize options available to pursue interests. As buildings empty, restructure existing buildings to facilitate this useful notion of space – but not restricted to previous stated ages – and building could be combos (ie: highschool bldgs): youmedia center-ish, middle school bldgs: maker space – ish, elementary bldgs: mission hills – ish) and higher ed: shikshantar/swaraj uni-ish. We’d like to restructure at least one elementary, one middle and one highschool over the next year. [See more here – city as floorplan deck.]
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library as hub – vision
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april 2013
via presentation on connected learning:
ull recording & other curated content up later today at http://bit.ly/10LPfBr
Penny Bender Sebring is a founding co-director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) at the Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago. CCSR is dedicated to informing and assessing policy and practice in the Chicago Public Schools. She serves on the board of the directors for the Chicago Public Education Fund, the editorial board for Catalyst Chicago and the Social Sciences Visiting Committee, University of Chicago.
Eric Brown is a research analyst at CCSR for the Focus on Freshmen project and the Evaluation of the Excellence in Teaching Pilot. He is interested in researching family and community level-interventions to improve educational outcomes for students in inner-city schools.
in the hangout: In the Hangout (l to r): @ElyseEA, Penny Sebring, @intellectsmuse, @brothermike1, and @taylorbayless
65% have a relationship with a mentor at the library
blue: school work
red: writing skills
green: communicating with adults
when asked – what’s made this successful
Brother Mike – part of his answer – focusing on the window and the mirror
type of mentors: having the skills – you plan to teach, web 2.0 skills, cultural capital, digital portfolio:
we intentionally don’t have an advisory council, so that it is more an everyone 24/7 situation.
lyricist’s loft –
regularly schedule open mic sessions.
“Library of Games” podcast: http://libraryofgames.org
nice – Brother Mike saying – the mentorship can’t be owned by us… we can set stuff up, but kids can say – this isn’t really what i wanted, so revise.
on spaces at youmedia:
5000 sq ft, loft on first floor, open, broken into 3 sections:
hangout: in this space people often say – am i in the library – games, music, ..
messing around: in middle, check in, computers, equip out to get hands dirty, every tues – graphic design mentor with smart board, studio space
geeking out: like walking into a design studio, where a lot of workshops happen
also an iremix online space… so learning goes out beyond space – pulls in lots from throughout the city, can take work home…
youmedia has become a focal point, many kids meet there before going places together..
question was asked – do you have a plan to move kids from one pathway to another
Brother Mike says – from beginning they were intentional to be about engagement, so when not happening, they lean in and listen more, in the middle.. and when you meet in the middle (top down, bottom up) is where some of the best projects have come, mentorship is a lot about building up that belief system.. that you can do it. based on their interests, help them develop a pathway … this creates the learning ecology
Taylor – lowering the barrier to participation is huge ie: 6 wk intensive game design – usually too much
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