UMBC is a charter member of the Knowledge Network, a new broadcast network brining together the National Science Foundation and a growing consortium of universities and other institutions. UMBC is contributing content and broadcasting the network on campus channel 16. For more information see http://nms.umbc.edu/tkn/tkn.pdf.
The New Media Studio has partnered with Maryland Traditions in the "Mill Stories" project in which UMBC students use new media to document a dying industrial past.
Read more in the Baltimore Sun.
The New Media Studio and Maryland Traditions have produced a short documentary on J. Gruber's Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack. Maryland Traditions is the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org). On December 1st, 2012, Maryland Traditions honored the J. Gruber's Hagers-town Town and Country Almanack with an Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts (ALTA) Award in the category of Tradition. The film was shown at the award ceremony. The film also accompanied an article on the Almanack on the NY Times website on December 9, 2012.
J. Gruber's Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack , or The Almanack, is the oldest almanac in the United States that is still produced by heirs of the original founder, John Gruber. Established in Hagerstown (Washington County), it has been providing agricultural, meteorological and astrological information for the Mid-Atlantic region since 1797. The Almanack, which also contains folk remedies, local poetry, and other forms of traditional community wisdom, was printed in German for its first 25 years, reflecting the fact that the language was still heavily used in the region. In 1822, as readership increased, an English language version of The Almanack was printed and the publication of both German and English editions continued for 100 years. It is the English version of the original publication that has continued through to today. Currently edited by the great-great-great-great great grandson of John Gruber, Charles W. Fisher, Jr., millions of copies have been sold and distributed, impacting a significant amount of farming families and agricultural communities. It is said that The Almanack has made Hagerstown widely known throughout the US and has given Maryland an 'epicenter' of farming and agricultural life. At its core is the tradition of forecasting next year's weather, down to the very day, by using centuries-old astrological calculations, a process that is still continued by mathematician, Professor William O'Toole III of Emmitsburg. In recent years, other traditions have developed in association with the almanac, such as the annual Woolly Bear Contest, where caterpillar-like woolly bears are collected in large quantities so that a "complete and thorough analysis of their distinct markings can be made to determine how severe or mild the coming winter will be."
The New Media Studio has completed production on a series of 20 training videos for the University of Maryland Medical School's MD3 program. MD3 (Maryland M.D.s Making a Difference) is an innovative and comprehensive medical residency training curriculum for Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment (SBIRT) for individuals who misuse, abuse, or are dependent on substances including illegal drugs, prescription medication, alcohol, and nicotine. Through this program, SBIRT training and procedures are integrated into participating primary care residency programs at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), including Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Ob/Gyn, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, encompassing approximately 500 residents.
This series of videos is being used to train residents in the program. MD3 training videos demonstrating screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment are utilized to clarify the process and technique for each component of SBIRT. These training videos are used in online modules, during lectures, or viewed online for further practice. You can view the video series here.
The New Media Studio will offer a three-day digital storytelling workshop on January 16, 17 and 18, 2013 (10am - 4pm). Bringing together writing, photography and audio, the digital storytelling process facilitates the telling of personal and reflective stories in the form of digital movies. Through the process of producing their own digital stories over a three-day period, workshop participants gain insight into potential application of this approach in their own teaching. For those of you not familiar with the workshop you can find more information and story examples from last year here.
The workshop is available to UMBC faculty free of charge however we ask that you commit to attending the full three days. There are a limited number of seats available for faculty from other area institutions. The fee for non-UMBC faculty will be $500.
If you are interested in reserving a seat please contact me at shewbrid@umbc.edu. Preference will be given to those who have not taken one of our workshops before, however alumni are welcome to join us if space is available.
The New Media Studio is working with Dr. Mary Stuart of UMBC's HAPP program to document her work in translational research. This summer the production team spent a week in Tuscany recording interviews with researchers and administrators on Italy's innovative Adaptive Physical Activity (APA) program. The team also recorded clinical sessions and exercise classes.
In addition to creating several instructional videos for use in International Field Research Program, courses, the project is creating a documentary. The completed video will also cover APA-inspired programs in Maryland, showing an example of translational research in action.
UMBC's digital story work is highlighted in a new publication from EDUCAUSE. Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies contains case studies highlighting creative solutions to higher education challenges in difficult times. The chapter Stories in Our Classrooms: A Faculty Community of Practice as an Agent of Change by Beverly Bickel, William Shewbridge, and Jack Suess, describes the development of story work at UMBC and its importance in promoting digital literacies on campus.
Editied by Diana Oblinger, the book and individual chapters are avaiable for free download.
The New Media Studio's digital story work and the MCS 101 Multimedia Literacy Lab were featured in the April edition of "Urbanite" magazine. You can read "The Wired Campus" article online here.
Maryland Traditions and the New Media Studio at UMBC teamed up to make this short documentary on Patterson Bowling Center Duckpin Lanes in East Baltimore. Read more about the project here.
The documentary was screened at the Maryland Traditions 2011 ALTA awards.