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Middle School | High School
The Mobile Learning Institute in High Schools
The Mobile Learning Institute High-School Residency delivers
project-based digital storytelling programs, in-class computer
technology, and a team of specially trained program staff directly to
high-school teachers and students. Teachers can provide their students
one of two related digital-arts sessions.
The Mobile Learning Institute Classroom Residency
The Mobile Learning Institute's Curriculum Residency delivers portable computer technology and a team of specially trained staff right to high-school teachers and students. With this immediate support over a number of class sessions, participating students complete their own personally-developed digital films that connect directly with the coursework on which their school day is focused. In the process, teachers and students together have the opportunity to explore what happens when young people create dynamic presentations they can imagine being shared by mobile phone or on personal computers. The High-School Residency includes introductory sessions for participating teachers and preparatory and planning sessions for students. With this work completed up-front, students typically design, develop, and complete their digital presentations over a five-day period. They work in small teams, using laptop computers and digital video and audio equipment right in the classroom. Depending upon the scope of a school's needs and resources, program support can also be extended outside the school day and/or school setting.
The Mobile Learning Institute Portfolio Residency
In contrast to the Curriculum Residency, Mobile Learning Institute's Portfolio Residency asks students to work independently to document their own experiences and ambitions. This 15-hour session allows participants to create a film that, in their own words, frames their academic and personal achievements in the context of their future academic and career goals. The Mobile Learning Institute Curriculum Residency commonly takes place in three stages:
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Preparation: Prior to the actual residency, students first review interview questions and, in response, compose their personal narratives and assemble the supporting images and video that will appear in their finished film.
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Personal Interview: Next, students spend approximately thirty minutes recording a personal interview that highlights their achievements. The resulting narration subsequently forms the foundation for their finished presentations.
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Digital Resume Workshop: Finally, participants take part in a two-day digital arts workshop. During this time, they develop and refine their presentations, preview them among their peers, and then revise their final projects based on the feedback they have received. |
 For participants, the Portfolio Residency provides an opportunity to develop many of the skills they'll need once they leave high school. They're able to make use of technology to explore new modes of expression and to explore new ways of working independently and with others. Just as important, they come to understand the best ways they can present themselves to others. At the end of the workshop, each student's film is burned to a mini-CD, a digital business card, and archived for web presentation. Students can present these materials to potential employers or include them as part of an application for additional education, fellowship, or training opportunities. Because the finished films also spotlight the achievements of these young people's academic programs, participating high-school instructors and pathway coordinators can make use of the completed projects to support their own recruitment, fund-raising, and alliance-building initiatives.
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