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Interactive Media and STEM Writing: Future Leaders Camp


Class
Purchase for $535

Enhance your students' reading, listening, speaking, viewing, research, vocabulary and writing skills. Present your research in any medium you wish. No more summer reading and writing slides! Embedded lessons from our AOL Writing and TJ Student Portrait Writing classes. Enrichment, study skills, time management, and test prep in one!

This workshop is designed for grades 6-8 students eager to explore the dynamic field of interactive media, web, and video game design, coupled with the art of STEM and persuasive writing. Participants will explore creating digital narratives and interactive experiences, learning how these mediums can convey powerful messages and stories. The workshop emphasizes the importance of persuasive writing techniques and research skills, vital for crafting compelling narratives within games and for academic endeavors such as scholarship and college essay writing. By merging interactive media or game design with writing, students will leave with unique skills, ready to influence the world of interactive media and beyond.

These camps, with a focus on interactive media, offer students a fun and engaging way to spend their summer and provide a multidisciplinary approach to learning. By integrating multimedia, web, or video game design with academic skill-building, students gain practical experience that enhances their creativity, technical skills, and writing abilities, positioning them for success in their educational and future career paths.

STEM Research Writing English-Language Arts Alignment 

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.7 (Conduct short research projects to answer a question, draw on several sources, and refocus the inquiry when appropriate.)
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.7 & CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.1 (Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.)
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-8.8 (Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.)

Integration with Multimodal and Digital Literacy Standards

The curriculum for the Interactive Media and Video Game Design sections aligns with multimodal and digital literacy standards, ensuring students learn how to use technology creatively and engage critically with digital content.

  • Interactive Media
    • Alignment: Students will demonstrate the ability to create and interpret multimedia content, understanding its impact on audience engagement and communication. This includes aligning with standards emphasizing the production and distribution of writing and digital media (e.g., ISTE Standards for Students, specifically Creative Communicator).
  • Video Game Design:
    • Alignment: Focus on game design and development principles as a form of storytelling and interactive communication. This includes teaching students to work collaboratively and to use digital tools to create original content, aligning with standards for collaborative communication and the innovative use of technology for learning (e.g., ISTE Standards for Students, specifically Innovative Designer).

This integrated curriculum promotes the acquisition of technical skills in interactive media and graphic design and enhances students' abilities to conduct research, think critically, and communicate effectively through writing. By the end of the course, students will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the design process, from conceptualization to research and execution, preparing them for further exploration in these dynamic fields.

Here is the class outline:

1. Intro to Multimedia and Graphic Design

This is an introduction to graphic design principles as they apply to interactive media. Students will analyze various forms of interactive media, focusing on graphic design elements in the STEM fields. They will discuss their impacts and how they convey information.

2 sections
Exploring Interactive Media
Basics of Interactive Media

2. The Art of Storytelling in Multimedia and Games

Students will learn the importance and structure of storytelling in video games and interactive media. They will develop a storyboard for an interactive story or game, focusing on narrative flow and visual storytelling. They will write a narrative outline, including character sketches and plot development, supported by visual designs. Students will design characters and settings for games and interactive media. They will create detailed character designs and a setting using graphic design tools of their choice. They will also write descriptively about the game world and characters, integrating research on effective design strategies. Students will learn techniques for integrating narrative elements into game design and interactive media. They will develop a mini-game or interactive story that incorporates the narrative and design elements previously created. They will analyze the integration process, discussing challenges and solutions in combining narrative with interactive elements.

3 sections
Storytelling and Narrative Design
Character and World Building
Implementing Story into Design

3. Reading, Writing, Research and Curation Project

Students will formulate research questions related to their STEM topic of interest and their preferred media or game design output. They will read, gather, and analyze information, assess sources for credibility, research their chosen topic using various sources, and begin drafting the research paper. They will also learn note-taking, summarizing, synthesizing, and evaluating sources related to their projects. Their final output might be a website, video, infographic or video game.

3 sections
Planning the Research Project
Conducting Research
Finalizing and Curating the Research
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