Facing History and Ourselves to Host Global Symposium, Launch Network to Transform Use of Media in Classrooms
Facing History and Ourselves to Host Global Symposium
Launch Network to Transform Use of Media in Classrooms
BROOKLINE – Beginning July 25, the international educational nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves will host a weeklong symposium with leading scholars and practitioners from across the globe about ways to increase student engagement through the use of new media and documentary film in the classroom. The symposium is part of a two-year project, the Facing History and Ourselves Digital Media Innovation Network, in which Facing History staff and educators from the United States, Canada, London, South Africa, and China will explore uses of digital media for teaching and learning, further building Facing History’s capacity to integrate new media and documentary films into its classroom resources, professional development, and support services for its global network of more than 50,000 educators.
Funded by the Righteous Persons Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and The Fledgling Fund, the Facing History and Ourselves Digital Media Innovation Network is a multifaceted, professional development initiative consisting of an online community, a face-to-face symposium, pilot projects, student and educator workshops, and extensive evaluation.
“Today’s young people are active consumers of digital technology, finding new ways to use media as quickly as the technology evolves,” said Margot Stern Strom, executive director of Facing History and Ourselves. “Facing History and Ourselves seeks to teach media literacy skills that will enable educators and their students to be critical consumers and to engage in meaningful ways with content and interact with peers in their classrooms and around the world.”
The project’s participants include Facing History staff members, as well as experienced teachers committed to acquiring new skills and sharing knowledge with other educators. These teachers have received in-depth training from Facing History and have successfully integrated the use of Facing History’s content and teaching methods into their classrooms, schools, and districts. The symposium provides a unique opportunity for teachers from around the world to become immersed in new practices to bring back to their schools. Participants will also work together to develop innovative media projects to implement in their own classrooms.
Orlando Bagwell, director of Freedom of Expression at the Ford Foundation speaking on the importance of Facing History and Ourselves’ Digital Media Innovation Network said: "The introduction of narratives and technology into the classroom immediately enhances the opportunity for students to be storytellers and creates a space where collaborative learning, knowledge sharing, and problem solving can be an active part of learning every day."
"The Righteous Persons Foundation is thrilled to have been able to support Facing History and Ourselves in its work to help educators and students around the world, interact with and use new media tools in their classrooms. While the tools are new, the need to ensure that the next generation understands the lessons of history and the importance of being civically engaged, continues," said Rachel Levin, associate director of the Righteous Persons Foundation. "We are excited to be a part of Facing History's global symposium and to support the organization's work to provide curricula and training for documentary films and digital media."
Throughout the two-year project, participants will explore and document new ways to use digital resources as tools in the teaching and learning process. They will also share best practices with the broader education community, and explore the ways digital technology can enhance Facing History’s approach to learning--promoting dialogue with others, exposing students to multiple perspectives, expanding access to primary sources, and providing new platforms for students to express their views about the impact of digital technology and new media on their learning and their identities.
Topics to be explored at the symposium include creative uses of online collaborative tools, student-produced video, podcasts, and photojournalism in the classroom, and media literacy. One focus is to develop projects inspired by Reporter, a documentary film about New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof. Educators, supported by Facing History staff, will pilot a variety of projects inspired by the film and its themes. Students will learn how to become consumers of media with twenty-first century digital literacy skills, and how to create their own media products to share with a global audience. In December students from these pilot classes will gather online to discuss their learning, work, and experiences.
About Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide and mass violence, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives. Facing History reaches nearly two million students each year through an international network of more than 50,000 supporters, scholars, educators, parents, and community leaders. In 2009, the Facing History website received more than 700,000 visits from people in 215 countries, with 2.6 million page views. The positive impact of Facing History on teachers and students has been documented in more than 90 studies over the last three decades. A recent two-year study provides definitive evidence that Facing History helps to create effective teachers who improve their students’ academic performance and civic learning. Learn more at facinghistory.org.
Contact: Emma Samler
Facing History and Ourselves
617.735.1641
emma_samler@facing.org
