Go outside!
The best way to explain the concept is to send the class outside to experience a simple mediascape, made of a few sampled sounds, that switch on and off when entering and exiting areas. Four or five regions can be enough for students to get the idea that they can attach sounds and images to places of their choice. We've made a quick sample for you to try out here or you could make your own.
Get other staff on your side
Get other members of staff engaged - send them all out to try your sample scape and discuss how you can collaborate on a project.
Simplicity
Keep any student projects simple to start with - ask them to create a simple mediascape structure, e.g. 'switch on/switch off one sound per region', and focus on the content production.
Take time
These times are only guidelines, but may help you schedule the project:
2 hours planning your mediascape
2-4 hours creating images and sounds, depending on their complexity
1 hour creating the mediascape, followed by 1 hour testing
1-2 hours experiencing the mediascape outside and tweaking it
Don't underestimate the time it will take to plan, write, record and edit sound; allow enough time to gather sounds to use, as this is often the most time consuming activity. Allow time for copying, moving and organising the files, too.
Space awareness
Spend some time in the planned location and think about the relationship between the space and the scape.
Sharing
Decide which files can be shared and which are kept personal.
Organise your shared resources such as images and sounds, so they are easily accessible.
Resources
Each small group working together should have a PC to work on, and preferably a PDA/GPS set for testing their mediascape outside - a suggested minimum is one PDA set per six students (and some rules about turn-taking!)
Headphones are very useful, especially when you have 30 students editing a variety of sometimes very interesting sounds...
Pair up
Mediascape projects work best with pairs of students or small groups, with group members swapping roles every half hour or so.
The whole group can be involved in creating the media to be used.
Mix it up
Try and set up mixed ability pairs to create the mediascapes: students will need to be able to read the instructions carefully.
Let students provide the technical support to each other, both when using PDAs, and testing and 'troubleshooting' each other's mediascapes.
Spread the word
Encourage other classes, year groups, parents and members of the community to experience the finished mediascapes - an event and a target audience gives an end point to a project, and helps define the project boundaries, e.g. is this for your friends, your family or your teachers?
Safety
Keep safety in mind when planning and using the mediascape, especially if it may involve crossing busy roads when wearing headphones.
Let the novelty wear off
Get students used to PDAs so they are not just 'novelty toys'.
If possible, let students take kit home to record sounds and images.
Enjoy the process
Remember that the process of producing content can be equally as important as the end result.
Save your project as you go
Remind your class to save their projects as they go to avoid accidental loss of their (and your) hard work.
Location
Find the right site for the mediascape - check that the intended location is not surrounded by tall buildings or trees that will block the GPS signals