For Teachers

Media Xperiments (MX) is a think tank and social web portal for students, media professionals, educators and business leaders to develop new models of engagement. Through a combination of competitions, tours, workshops and portfolio development opportunities, students are able to transition from passive consumers to active producers of media.
Media Xperiments is a program of the Media Diversity Council, (MDC) a non-profit organization that is umbrellaed by the National Diversity Council.

Mission

MX’s mission is to encourage minority high school students to graduate from high school and pursue higher education by exposing high school students to media related careers in an effort to encourage media employment diversity. 

It Could Be U

The It Could Be U initiative is a series of calls to action for students around the state of Texas to participate in Media Xperiments’ on-line and in person activities. Through a series of public service announcements, school assemblies and on-line activities, under served populations of students are challenged to create a vision for their future in which higher education plays a larger role.

It Could Be U Days

It Could Be U Days are calls to action to participate in the Media Xperiments (MX) on-line community and expose students to media and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) careers. Business leaders, entertainers, video game developers, media and STEM professionals interact directly with students and inspire them to take a more active role in their own education.

Media Makers Workshop

Media Makers Workshop is a series of on-line and in person workshops featuring professional musicians, digital media professionals, writers and video game developers sharing the secrets of making compelling content. On-line workshops kick off in November with in person workshops in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, TX kicking off in January 2010.  Students will RSVP for workshops according to the Ad Squad role they choose and on a first come, first serve basis.

MX Essential Concepts

Below is a list of the Essential Concepts critical for student success in the Show Your Reel 2010 Competition.

Scientific Method

Consumer vs Producer

Cultural Capital

Business Model

Value

Attention Economy

Approaches to Demonstrating Concepts

MX Essential Concepts may be covered in a variety of ways. They may be done on a weekly basis with an entire class or department covering 1 concept at a time or they may be divided up amongst teams and/or classes that each take on a concept and present it to their peers. The key is to get students to work collaboratively as they make relevant products listed on the bottom half of Bloom’s Taxonomy Wheel (see http://www.mediaxperiments.com/profiles/blogs/media-mash-up-scoring-guide) and move them away from simple comprehension to products that show synthesis and evaluation.

Research Resources

Students are encouraged to use the Internet as a resource to understand these concepts by doing keyword searches on sites such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. Students may choose to write a blog and cite examples of these concepts shown in videos, other blogs and articles. The idea is that there is more than one way to demonstrate a concept. The power of your solution depends how well you can support your point of view with evidence and good communication skills.

Students are also encouraged to seek out members of the community such as subject matter experts or community leaders. Their products could take the form of video and/or audio interviews and podcasts in which they feature community members demonstrating MXs Essential Concepts.

Scoring Rubric

Student Products may be scored by the students themselves and instructors on a 5 point scale (5 being the highest) averaged in 2 categories – the Producer Index and Artistic Merit.

The Producer Index is rubric that MX developed based on Bloom’s Taxonomy Wheel (see figure 1). As students create products that demonstrate higher level thinking such as reviews, poems or songs, they are transitioning from passive consumers of information to active producers. Most products the students can be correlated with an activity that is shown on the outermost layer of Bloom’s Taxonomy Wheel. Products on the top part of the wheel represent “passive consumer” student products or lower level thinking such as comprehension. Products on the bottom of the wheel represent “active producer” products or higher level thinking such as synthesis and evaluation.

Artistic Merit is a much more subjective view of a product. If someone chooses to make a podcast but it is poorly executed or doesn’t show mastery of an Essential Concept, then their Producer Index score may be a  5 while their Artistic Merit score might be a 1.  Therefore, their actual score would average out to a 3. The goal is to get students to think critically about both creating and evaluating media. Facilitating class discussions on evaluating each others work is very helpful for students. Students post their Products through their MX blogs in whatever manner they choose. Other site members around the state are able to view and comment on their products as well.   

If students are able to cover all 6 MX Essential Concepts, then we recommend a cumulative score minimum of 18 points (6 products X 3pt min.) to prequalify your students for participation in the Show Your Reel 2010 Contest which kicks off in January 2010.  Otherwise, we leave their participation to the discretion of their teacher and/or Adviser.

Forming Ad Squad Teams

In order to compete in the Show Your Reel 2010 Contest, students must form Ad Squads that mirror essential roles of an advertising agency. We highly recommend that Community Advisers or Teachers, have the students demonstrate the MX Essential Concepts prior to forming their teams. As students show mastery of these concepts, they will identify their strengths as media makers and be able to make an informed choice about their team role.

Roles:

Researcher/Strategist

Copywriter

Art Director

Account Planner

Producer (Audio, Video or Interactive)

In Person Workshops & Tours

Student chosen roles will also affect their eligibility to attend Saturday Workshops. For instance, Researcher/Strategists would receive priority registration for the Strategic Planning workshops in their local area. There is no role restriction on tours. Students may RSVP on a first come first serve basis.

Regional Semi & State Finals

Regional Semi Finals will take place in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, TX in February. Students will highlight their ad campaigns with the top teams receiving scholarships, gear and an opportunity to compete statewide at the finals in Austin, TX.

Media Protégé Program

In addition to team Ad Squad competitions, students may also apply to become Media Protégés. Media Protégés receive opportunities to job shadow and work side by side with seasoned media professionals to serve the community. Media Protégés are able to develop professional portfolios while being advocates for local non-profits as well as under utilized businesses in the community.