- Who is going to author (create) the scape?
- Who is providing the content to get started?
- How much time have you got?
- How much access to the kit do you have?
- How many students are you working with?
- What you are trying to achieve?
- Is the activity safe?
- Preparatory non-tech/lo-tech work
- Where will it be located?
- Is this a process or end-result oriented project?
- What is the current level of media literacy?
- Sound recording
- Editorial control
- How open/collaborative is the project?
- Assessment
Who is going to author (create) the scape?
You could either
1) create the mediascape with content that you have written, and then give it to the students to experience, or
2) ask students to create a mediascape with a subject or theme that you set.
Who is providing the content to get started?
You could provide a half-built or simple mediascape for the students to take apart and rebuild. See the Library for a simple scape to download and adapt to your school field or local open space.
You can also quickly create a mediascape using the step-by-step wizards.
You could provide the students with pieces of content that they put in the scape to get them started. This could be turned into an activity that tests factual knowledge, e.g. give them a set of sound files describing objects in the landscape that they have to put in to the 'right' place, but first they have to understand the meaning of the sounds, which are in French, or Spanish, or English.
You could create some elements/materials in advance and then get the students to capture their own as well.
How much time have you got?
Simple mediascapes can be built in an hour, if you have already prepared the media files (sounds/images) to go in them.
It doesn't take long for anyone to get going - children as young as Year 6 can grasp the basic concepts and build a simple mediascape in an hour.
Students' projects can range from the very simple - 'switch on/off' functions with one sound or image per region - to mediascapes with layers of complexity and a narrative structure that needs logic programming.
Do you have an arts week where you could block out a whole week or would this be a once-a-week activity for half a term? Allowing time between workshops allows the students to reflect on what they are doing, develop new ideas, and create or find new sounds or other media to put in to the mix.
How much access to the kit do you have?
Does the school own the hardware or have to borrow it for the project?
The amount of kit you have will affect the number of students that you work with, and also whether students work in small groups to create a range of mediascapes or the whole group works on one final mediascape.
You need recording equipment and a PC to create and edit the media to go into the scape, a PC to build it, and PDAs and GPS units to experience the scape outside.
See ICT set up for further info.
How many students are you working with?
Consider how many students should work on any single mediascape
Are they creating one scape as a class or individual/pair ones?
Alternatively, you could consider a combination of the two approaches, it can be a good way of developing group work skills.
What you are trying to achieve?
Think about the final 'user experience'; keep it in mind as it will help make the other design decisions.
Is the project about improving digital literacy, getting girls interested in using computers, providing a performance space, an incentive to use handhelds, delivering facts in a fun way? The list is endless.
Is the activity safe?
Consider the environment of the mediascape and surroundings from a safety point of view: is there any risk from traffic, machinery etc? Is the terrain hazardous at all? Could the students find themselves in any other risky or dangerous situations?
'Preparatory' non-tech/lo-tech work
How much time can you spend on using paper/mapping/walks/exploration to get an understanding of the space that you are locating your mediascape? This may not seem relevant if you intend putting media on a field, but you still need to be aware of environmental issues such as frequency of use by others, sound levels from local noise, areas to avoid etc.
Where will it be located?
Do you have a specific place in mind? How much space is there? Is it inside or outside the school grounds? If it is in the local area, what is the traffic like? How safe would it be for students to go to and explore? Do you have the resources and support to accompany them there when they want to test their scapes, or will they have to wait until a set time when everyone goes simultaneously?
Is this a process or end-result oriented project?
How much emphasis are you placing on creating a final 'polished' piece of work? Or is the process of researching and producing the content something that they can value too? If you have a large group working on different facets of the same scape, it may be helpful if you allocate roles and responsibilities for them the first time.
What is the current level of media literacy?
Do they have previous experience of working with sounds and images? What is the students' experience of working with PDAs? Students should gain more IT and media literacy skills through using the mediascape tools.
Sound recording
What do you know about sound recording? Are there any musicians or DJs in the school who are familiar with using sound equipment and could help with recording?
Editorial control
In a group project, who decides which content is used?
How open/collaborative is the project?
Mediascapes can have an organic ongoing development, where adding (to) layers is a permanent process, and where new students can exchange or adapt what is there already.
Decisions to make include whether people can pull the final mediascape apart, or can only add to it. What is archived - the component parts or the mediascapes?
It would be good to discuss notions of what the students might want to keep private, who their audience is, and whether they are happy for others to re-appropriate their content, etc?
Can you make links to other archives/professional content?
The development of a collaborative narrative can be confined within the school but could also involve distant partners and institutions - take the idea of swapping school narratives with twinned schools. What issues are there for experiencing the mediascapes - can you present the material as a mediascape, but also as a website, or a podcast, etc?
Getting images or sounds from other websites can be a quick and useful way of finding content, but remember that this media is often copyright-controlled, and is an information resource that should not be abused. Most sites will state copyright on their content, but both you and your students should check carefully before downloading.
Assessment
What opportunities are there for review and feedback? How much and what do you need to assess during the process? Can the students set their own assessment goals?