We’re moving into a age of new media, and we’re going to have to draw on some old familiar skills and learn some new ones to keep up with the rapid changes in the way we communicate. While old media will always have a major place in academia, new media is making inroads. Imagine the old media format of an academic journal online, where readers can interactively comment. Imagine the old media line drawing in a science or engineering article converted to 3-D animation. You have no doubt already seen these applications, and you’ll no doubt see more of them.
New media is the going term for digital media, and it includes the concepts of easy access (on various devises such as computers or phones) and interactivity between users and producers (such as your ability to post comments to this blog). The term can mean much more, but I’m going to keep this simple and just focus on the fact that 21st century communication requires a more than pen (or computer) and paper (or printer). With the web, social media, access to video or audio production, video games, animation—so many possibilities—communciation is now often multi-media, combining words, moving or still pictures, sound, and more.
So here are a few non-threatening ways you can learn some of this new stuff. These resources may also be useful to your students (who, as you know, will be much more adaptable than you).
For help on writing for the web, check out our handouts: Writing for the Web: Basics and Writing for the Web: Managing Content.
Producing video requires technical skills. A good place to start is Vimeo Video School (http://vimeo.com/videoschool). If you’re just starting out the 101 videos are good to watch, but you can get advanced technical information, too.
If you are more concerned with the writing skills required for video and production, check out Elements of the Video Script (http://www.mindspring.com/~mmm/element.html). For tips on structure and plot of videos go to a YouTube video produced by some of our local high school students: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o62l_F8GW80&list=PL4A7BE5694F4DAA3F&index=5&feature=plpp_video. This is a good example of a promotional video that is short, to-the-point, and well-made. Keep in mind that the makers of the video only had 3 hours total to conceive their idea, shoot and edit the video.
Storyboarding is a great technique for screen writing, but it can also be used for writing oral presentations or planning scripts for audio production (like podcasts). Try Storyboards Online (http://www.storyboards.com/) or Storyboards from Ohio State University (http://accad.osu.edu/womenandtech/Storyboard%20Resource/).
One of the most important things to think about in new media is color composition. Because the options are virtually endless, selecting good colors can be tricky. A good place to get an idea of the right color combination and to brainstorm ideas for color palettes is an online color wheel.
If you want to produce an audio-only script, try a site like Podcasting Voice Talent (http://www.podcastingvoicetalent.com/podcast-script-writing-sample-show-outline-podcast-intro-script/) to get started. The UWC also has a helpful guide: Podcasting or Audio Broadcasting http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/2010/podcasts/write-right/podcasting-episode-57/.
Have a bit of fun with these resources. You might come up with an assignment that will help your students learn exciting new ways to apply their academic knowledge.