MULTIMEDIA LAB

How this elective came to mind? I wanted to fulfill 3 needs.

a) Teach kids about copyright, safety, source checking and exposure on the web

b) Introduce them to marketing, promotion, image making, and how to set up a proper video or audio. How to debate publicly, how to make arguments.

c) Give them a time frame and a project to work within, channeling their artistic talents and curiosity. Introduce them to new skills and tools.

Nearly every aspect of our lives -especially as adults- is touched by marketing, advertising, and promoting. With youtube, Instagram and Facebook, kids today do not dream of getting known for a specific ability, but for notoriety itself.  Our kids (mine included) learn almost everything through the internet, games and videos. 
This course elective is proposed to you, having several objectives in mind.
Knowing that our kids are involved with the internet from a young age, and the media (social or otherwise- youtube for example) I hope to channel their energy and creativity towards a selected project, with a workshop that involves creative writing (scripts), planning (story boards), knowing the traps of the internet (how to protect privacy, where and how to check for facts, sources, copyright laws), recording and editing of an audio file, subtitling and video making. (It all depends on the particular talents and inclinations of the team, it is a work in progress that will mirror the students)
The internet and multimedia aspect of the elective, introduces concepts they will encounter in the business world as adults, trends and designs, culture and art. The artistic part of the elective will be  –hopefully- generated by the students, (I hope we can have an original jingle composed, or cover versions with creation of lyrics and singing.)
The idea is to inspire them, awake their sense of perception of themselves, to find a little piece of their forming identity and personality, work and polish it, make it a milestone. I would like to show them how to channel their messages, how to look inside with honesty and how to convey that knowledge or needs into a project, an idea.….Or, find something that interests them, and make a debate, or a speech, or a presentation. This elective will help them find out how resourceful they can be, the messages they want to pass- or not, and it will cultivate their talent with techniques and practice, enhance group work and get a first feel of how to work towards a common goal without losing individuality. 
To be more specific, the course offers several lessons in audio editing, microphone technique, drawing, singing ( diaphragm exercises), creative writing, and most of all… thinking. We will read and surf and discuss things, we will find where we stand on issues, why and find a way to express them.
 Open minds, Inquiring minds, questioning minds. There is also, debate and public speech techniques- stage presence, relaxation and vocal/diction techniques that facilitate the diversity of sounds and “rolling of the tongue” in foreign languages.

Nicole Forup 

Multimedia and French Teacher 

A little about me 
I teach French for more than 20 years, to hearing and deaf children using kinesiology, visuals, and motivational techniques. I taught privately, in the UK, Greece, Cyprus and Denmark and in specialized supporting schools in Greece. I would take on “difficult cases”. 
 I have been also teaching vocal positioning since the beginning of the 90’s, combining techniques of voice projection, diction, relaxation. I studied with a variety of vocal coaches in the UK and teachers from Berkeley. (I come from a musical family).   With the birth of my daughter I became a “blogger” mom, and my blog was accidentally one of the top 5 during 2006-2007 in Greece. It was picked up by a publishing company. (This was my second book).I worked from home, writing articles for several magazines, scripts for advertising campaigns and doing voice overs for promo videos, e-learning applications, commercials etc…. 
Upon moving to Denmark I worked at a multiage school as a French and Art and societies teacher and continued to voice over.
In my background I can enumerate event planning, marketing for businesses, Tv presenting/producing, illustrating and many other. I was curious by nature and followed every opportunity to learn and be exposed to several aspects of the industries.
My long term dream and goal is to open an afternoon language café, where seminars just like this one will be available and free, for adults, students and foreigners, making it a cultural center, with amazing coffee 
My short term dream is to make our (mine included) kids curious and motivated to learn. Awake their determination and interest. And make them feel proud that from a simple concept and Idea, they created something real.  Something of a milestone in their development. And most importantly acquire skills they will use many times over, after this elective is over.