CertificateTiger

Digital Media Literacy Program To Acquire Effective Multimedia Technical Skills

At the end of the two weeks, the 12 students who participate in the program will receive a certificate. “The skill sets will serve well in all academic endeavors, internships and careers,” said Multimedia Courseware Developer Kate Lee.

Students who take part in the DML program will have the opportunity to form a strong foundation in media skills. The course will be separated into five sections: digital audio, digital photography, digital imaging, digital video and web development. The learning objectives of the program are to actively engage with different forms of media, use contemporary media ethically and creatively, communicate effectively while creating meaningful media content and gain media literacy by exploring diverse forms of communication.

“I believe that students who participate in this program will have a solid foundation in a broad range of media technologies that they can then apply immediately in their coursework, in their internships and in their careers,” said Lee.

The course was formed as part of IT Strategic Plan. One of the main principles of the 2011 Strategic Plan is to “create opportunities for students to develop a technology fluency and aptitude that will serve them throughout their lives.”

Smith students also expressed their desire to learn media technologies in an online digital media literacy survey conducted in spring 2012.

“I think this program could enable Smith students to not only articulate their voices through the media, but be able to control – in some aspect – how their voices are used in the media,” said Lisa Daniels ’12 in the survey. “I say this by looking at the countless women in the media, but not truly knowing who controls the lighting, the camera, the context, the content and the focus of importance. In short, this is an important skill to have in life.”

Other students agreed that digital media skills are desirable. “My background in traditional media and communications definitely makes me a competitive applicant for many political campaign and PR positions save for one thing – a lack of proficiency in digital media,” said Mackenzie Green ’13. “In today’s world of instant communication, simply knowing how to craft a press release or compile talking points is not enough. Because campaigns are so visual today, familiarity with effective digital communications is integral to success.”

The DML program will be offered on a trial basis during J-Term 2013. “We know that students are savvy media consumers but the program’s goal is to encourage our students to be media makers, to elevate a ‘point and shoot’ production mode to the next level,” said Lee.