What new in the MC? Well, we have 2 brand new podcast rooms bringing our total to 4 plus the studio, of course. One podcast room is modeled after the previous ones as we converted a walkin closet. The other one is a pop up room from the company Vocal Booth. It is a bit of a smaller space than the others but by setting it up in the collaboration space, people can record in there while small groups could still work on project. Seemed like a win-win situation to us. Stop by and take a look if you near by!
Nasim Fekrat, Dickinson Junior and Media Center Assistant, discussed his blogs among other things with Voices of America news live via Skype from the studio.
Today we again had the pleasure of working with PJ Crowley and connecting him to Fox News via Skype. Thanks to Tom Smith for taking on most of the work and Ryan capturing the event in real time. Here is a behind the scenes look and a video of the segment from Fox.
The Media Center hosted 10 first years for the Discover Dickinson program this year and had a blast creating Mashups from an assortment of old cartoons, government videos & creative commons music & samples. We are holding a contest to see which one is the best and we will be awarding a prize to the person in the next week or so. Take a minute and check out the videos below and then go over to our Facebook page and like the ones you think are outstanding.
What did you do so far this morning? Well, PJ Crowley has already had interviews with NPR & BBC to discuss Libya. The Media Center was happy to host him for his Skype call with the BBC and we will be setting him up for his CNN call later today (around 4:30pm today if you wanna tune in!).
Thanks PJ, for keeping the Media Center connected to the world outside of the Dickinson bubble!
That whole “If you build it, they will come” thing certainly rang true with the podcast rooms we created last summer. We built them initially to support the growing need for recording booths for podcast projects but realized there was a void on campus when it came to music recording. Our idea was to offer a space that students (or any college employee really) could fine a space to make & record music easily and not have to worry (too much) about bothering their neighbors.
We have a mics & stands available for check out and a mini mixer, midi keyboard & Imac outfitted in both rooms. Students have really enjoyed using the spaces and it’s always appreciated when they share the music with us so we can then share it with you. Learn more from the great video our student employee Eli created and the soundtrack is provided by Mike Dempsey who recorded this tune in our podcast room!
Did you know that our Language Technologist, Todd Bryant, is a scholar in educational gaming. Did you just get turned off because I used the term ‘educational gaming’. Worry not, most of these games are the same ones you want to play, but maybe with a little twist added to them (shhh…you might just learn something while you play).
We have Civ 4 that includes a mod written by Todd which includes a historical simulation of the western world in 1492. This modded version was written for, & played in, Professor Ed Webb’s Empires Course while they researched the Aztec empire. Another mod will be built by students during the Fall ’11 semester in Professor Michael Fratentuano’s Global Economy Course with topics covering resource scarcity, globalization and conflict in world powers and Africa.
We also have a range of contemporary games modded to be played only in foreign languages to achieve language immersion. Some of these include: The Sims 3, Prince of Persia & Mass Effect and others will be added over time. A game called Peacemaker is available that chronicles & analyzes the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and puts you in charge of trying to solve it. You will understand just how complex the issues are the drive the conflict.
Finally, we have 2 console systems in the Media Center. A Japanese Wii & a German Xbox with Kinect are available for check out.
Want to know more? Check out this slick video our student employee Brennan created!
