Dr. Katherine Fry and WWW's Shannon Sullivan recording Katherine's presentation for Globaloria

Tonight, November 8 from 6-7pm EST, LAMP Education Director Dr. Katherine Fry will join Globaloria’s Master Class webinar for educators for a special question and answer session on News Literacy. The webinar is open only to educators within the Globaloria program, but fear not! You can still check out Dr. Fry’s video about how to evaluate information you find online, using coverage of the ongoing nationwide Occupy protests as a focus.

If you’re not familiar with Globaloria, this is a great time to learn more–especially if you’re an educator. It’s a program from the World Wide Workshop and teaches how social media and gaming can be used to enhance learning, innovation, entrepreneurship and an understanding of the world in economically disadvantaged and technologically under-served communities. The LAMP is proud to be working with Globaloria in helping educators and students gain the digital and media literacy skills they need to thrive in a digital landscape.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE LAMP ANNOUNCES D.C. VITO AS FIRST FULL-TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Significant Step for Education Nonprofit Shows Promise Despite Economic Challenges

NEW YORK, NY (August 16, 2011): In a move heralding a new chapter of growth for The LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project), D.C. Vito has become the non-profit’s first full-time salaried employee as Executive Director. Since 2007, The LAMP has been establishing a reputation as a critical pillar of 21st Century Learning development in New York City public schools and communities. Prior to his appointment as a salaried staff member, Mr. Vito carried out his Executive Director duties while also working full-time in the corporate sector building the Geographic Information System for Con Edison telecommunications (now known as Sidera Networks).

“The LAMP has been steadily growing, and it became increasingly clear that without an Executive Director solely focused on that growth, the organization would remain static,” said Mr. Vito. “My time spent in the telecom industry has been immensely beneficial to my work in helping The LAMP develop into a strong business, but transitioning to the role on a full-time salaried basis was definitely the next step.”

LAMP Executive Director D.C. Vito

Co-founded by Mr. Vito and Education Director Dr. Katherine Fry in September 2007, The LAMP began operations in the tumultuous weeks leading to a national recession. Yet even with declining giving from foundations and private donors across the non-profit sector, The LAMP increased its hours of programming by 75% from 2008-2010 under the part-time guidance of Mr. Vito. Working with The LAMP’s Board and with assistance as a member of the Incubator Program at the Fund for the City of New York, The LAMP and its volunteer senior staff continued to develop through a period of municipal and federal budget cuts. To date, The LAMP has provided media literacy programming to over 700 youth, parents and teachers throughout New York City, including several communities struggling with increased rates of poverty.

“Through our partnership with The LAMP, MOUSE has given our students exciting opportunities to enhance their media literacy skills that are critical in today’s media-rich, digital world,” stated Carole Wacey, Executive Director, MOUSE. “We are thrilled that D.C. Vito has become the full-time Executive Director for the LAMP. With his leadership, The LAMP has enormous potential to have a significant impact on media literacy education.”

In addition, The LAMP recently restructured its board. The new Board of Directors consists of Felipe J. Alvarez (FJ Alvarez Consulting LLC), Gillian Cassell-Stiga (Brooklyn Law Incubator and Policy Clinic), Anderson Duff (NBCUniversal Media LLC), Christopher Hickman (formerly of Vanity Fair), Mark Nyon (Grand Kru Technologies), Joshua Teeple (Crowe Horwath LLP) and Jared Yeater (The Mill). Former Board members remaining on the Advisory Board include Jennifer Proulx (Storycorps), Jorge L. Ramos (Telemundo New York) and Larry Smith (SMITH Magazine).

“Ultimately, this means that all of us at The LAMP will be better-equipped to carry out our mission of teaching people to think critically about the media they engage with every day,” said Dr. Fry. “We have been on the ground for almost four years, going directly to schools and communities where our services are needed, and it’s been amazing. But we still have a lot of work to do.”

With the new Board and the full-time appointment of Mr. Vito, The LAMP plans to continue its momentum of growth by offering a media literacy certification program, expanding its online offerings and increasing the number of public schools it serves throughout the city.

About The LAMP: The LAMP’s vision is that one day, media literacy will be seen as the critical requirement to understanding the world and our place in it. Educated consumers demanding more accountable media will create a ground swell to which media companies will have to respond. As part of this movement, The LAMP works in communities to build healthy relationships with all forms of media. Co-founded in 2007 by Executive Director D.C. Vito and Education Director Katherine Fry, Ph.D., The LAMP has taught over 700 students throughout the city.

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The LAMP Shines Light on Media Literacy: NAMLE Recap

Aug. 5, 2011 In internet time, the couple of weeks that have passed since NAMLE (the Nat’l Assoc of Media Literacy Educators’ conference) may SEEM like a virtual eternity or ‘old news’ as digital educators scurry about to start up a NEW school year having picked from an infovore smorgasbord of critical thinking workshops…

…But that’s part of the problem in our quick click culture. The 165 content rich workshops in the NAMLE feast may have been consumed, but they’re still not fully digested, that takes time. (check out the breadth/depth in this 36pp pdf)

Important presentations of colleagues may already be fading into a flash stick of a memory blur…The sheer overwhelm of the massive mental floss leaves people tucking swag bags stuffed with resources, slideshares, prezis, digital posters and media decks back into briefcases with “I’ll revisit the ones I missed later” and then they never do. Am I right?

Seems weighty media topics and expert speakers are getting clipped, churned up and mowed down faster than a summer lawn… It’s like the NYT article about “Long-form storytelling in a short-attention span world.” I say let’s enable the content to shine by taking the time to not just scatter seeds but to get our hands dirty and dig deeper into planting and embedding ideas enabling the fluid of the mind to nourish them.

Whether it’s NAMLE 2011 or the recent live-streaming 140EDU conference recap (great video archives) or this weekend’s BlogHer 2011. Just because an event is ‘over’ it’s far from finished. And I’m not talking about just the glad-handing follow-ups and schmoozefests of these mega-media events.

There’s far too much effort and collective human intellect to slapdash 140 character live-stream citizen journalism coverage or a rushed ‘who posts a recap first’ urgency…The rapid-fire delivery of digital age content means all too often people ‘move on’ too fast to the next big ‘thing’ without letting the depth and layers of rich content seep into the brain, especially when there’s copious quantities of high volume content and resources to nosh upon.

So this will be a multi-part ‘work in progress’ recap beginning with this overview guest post by The LAMP, a worthy grassroots org of fun and clever youth-driven media makers eager to impart hands-on knowledge through free public events instilling vital critical thinking skills for 21st century young minds.

AND…btw, for the record…THIS is also why the purported demise of long form blogging is bupkiss. We need it for digging deeper.

Before you go on to ‘the next big thing’ (or conference, or any cool tool or dandy device) think about whether you’ve DONE something with what you’ve learned already.

Digital distractions and shiny pennies can usurp the core elements of knowledge building. We need to USE collaboratories like NAMLE to further all our work in critical thinking…

As internet pioneer and humanist/hero thought leader Douglas Engelbart would say, it’s all about raising the collective IQ. Onward!

Fabulous K-12 Media Literacy from The LAMPcamp!

Guest Post: Young Media Minds at The LAMP Sum Up The NAMLE 2011 Experience as Both Presenters and Attendees

Critical Thinkers Who ‘Get It’– The LAMP on NAMLE

by Emily Long

It’s exciting when any group of people with a specific shared enthusiasm come together, but when that group of people is as (relatively) small as the media literacy community, it can be incredibly affirming.

This was what I found at the conference for the National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) held July 22-25 in Philadelphia. Even in the media mecca of New York City, me and my colleagues at The LAMP(Learning About Multimedia Project) often have to explain to elected officials, foundation representatives, community leaders and fellow non-profiteers not only what media literacy is, but why it is such a crucial need.

There is a certain type of eye-rolling–usually manifested by a deep sigh–that happens for me whenever I have to justify the importance of education. So, it’s invigorating to be in a room full of people who get it and act on it and keep on with the sometimes Sisyphean labor of advancing media literacy at a time when our country’s education system is being stripped to a skeleton.

Just as galvanizing as the communal spirit was the sheer number of presentations. NAMLE attendees chose from 165 workshops, screenings, panels, demonstrations and more, covering a range of topics like faith-based media literacy, Internet in rural Peru, digital storytelling, policy, media literacy in China, theory…and I could go on.

I was only able to attend the conference on Saturday and Sunday. Plus, The LAMP, represented by myself and co-founders Katherine Fry and D.C. Vito, did two presentations (one on working with elected officials, another on our LAMPlatoon ad-busting project) so although I could attend only a fraction of what I wanted, it did help to narrow down my choices.

Emily Bailin from Temple University’s Media Education Lab did a great presentation about her work with teachers at a charter school in Philadelphia, and talked about the practical realities of integrating media literacy in a diverse, urban school. I got an update on the fantastic work being done on the West coast to build digital citizenship in youth and teens (credits on this one go to Bobbie Eisenstock from California State University, Northridge; Kelly Mendoza with Common Sense Media; Meryl Alper from USC Annenberg and Erin Reilly, also with USC Annenberg).

As a news junkie, I enjoyed a primer from Paul Mihailidis of Emerson College and James Cohen of Hofstra University about the latest tools for news aggregation and literacy.

Keynote speakers Mohammed Bilal and Douglas Rushkoff were still another highlight. I was among perhaps a handful of people in the room who closely followed Bilal on the San Francisco season of MTV’s The Real World, so hearing him talk about what went on behind the scenes while making the sausage of reality television was particularly fascinating. But I was also captivated by how he combined his celebrity with his passion for peace, diversity and hip-hop to build on his experience in a positive way.

After a long night of drinking and debating with other NAMLE attendees, Douglas Rushkoff was the only reason I got up as early as I did on Sunday morning. He did not disappoint–his energy and humor was so infectious that he negated whatever need I had for coffee. I left with his “Program or be programmed!” mantra ringing in my head, a conviction that media literacy is the key to all of our problems, and the reminder of how much I still have to learn.

After our obligatory cheesesteak sandwiches, we packed up our things and headed back to Brooklyn. For The LAMP, the NAMLE experience was extra special, because it was our first. The conference is held every two years, and with The LAMP at not quite four years old, we were honored to present twice on our first trip. Still, for me, the main highlight was the media literacy community…The ability to finally meet the people behind the blogs and Twitter feeds I follow was exciting, but meeting new people and hearing about their work was inspiring as well. Meeting once every two years is definitely not enough.—Emily Long

About Emily: Emily earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University in 2006. While at Columbia, she edited and catalogued hundreds of interviews and transcripts for the Oral History Research Office, focusing primarily on their 9/11 Project. From 2006 to early 2009, she was also the Resident Dramaturg at Electric Pear Productions where she designed and facilitated their playwriting workshop, as well as production dramaturgy. The LAMP is pleased to have Ms. Long on board as Communications Director, offering her extensive experience with numerous media through her work with Columbia’s Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Atlantic Theater Company, Sesame Workshop and Cine Mosaic to name a few. She also wrote for the Independent Film Channel’s Make Media Matter blog.

Follow The LAMP on Twitter: @thelampnyc

Follow Emily on Twitter: @emlong

Follow Amy Jussel, Shaping Youth on Twitter: @ShapingYouth

Amy’s Note: The LAMP first came to my attention at Shaping Youth with their culture jamming/ad spoofs created by their “LAMPlatoon”…They literally put ‘ads on notice’ with backtalk that makes you do a doubletake…Love ‘em. Great deconstruction of what’s ‘really being said’ in a straightforward, kid-friendly manner. Here are a few recent favorites of mine…

LAMPlatoon: General Mills “Big G Cereals”

LAMP Student Violet Creates Critical Thinking Around The Highly Sexualized Bratz Dolls (I need interns like this! Go Violet! Could you do Monster High Dolls next please?–Thanks, –Amy)

LAMPlatoon: Bratz

Learning together in a LAMP family workshop

We get frequent requests from people who want to sign up for LAMP workshops. After all, they’re free, we come to you, we bring our own equipment and everyone (ourselves included) walks away a little wiser and even had fun in the process. But, most LAMP workshops are hosted by a school or community organization, and registration is open only to students or members of those groups. It’s rare for us to have free programming that is completely open to the public.

So it’s amazing that right now we have not one, but two open opportunities to participate in free LAMP workshops. The first is the Digital Waves Youth Media Festival on July 30th, open to students who are at least 13 years old. We’ll be doing a workshop on the news media–one of our most popular topics–and other organizations joining us will include Red Hook Radio, People’s Production House Radio Rootz and WNYC’s Radio Rookies. Registration is free, you get free lunch and we’ve got prizes to give away. The deadline to sign up is July 25th, so click here right now to reserve your spot.

And on August 20th from 12-4pm, we’ll be holding a family workshop in media literacy as part of the INDEX Festival. You’ll learn how you can work as a family to get smart about all the media that flood your home in the form of newspapers, magazines, movies, television shows, movies, radio, Internet content, gaming and more. Plus, it’s being taught by LAMP co-founder and Education Director Dr. Katherine Fry, so you know you’re going to have fun. Click here for more information or RSVP by emailing indexfestival@gmail.com.

Jennifer Proulx, Jorge L. Ramos and Larry Smith will continue with The LAMP as members of its Advisory Board. Detailed biographies for all members of the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board can be found here.

LAMPlatoon is encouraging people to think critically about media they see every day. By unpacking the messages sent through advertisements, you are learning to navigate a world of media which can be overwhelming and confusing. LAMPlatoon is also an opportunity for you to exercise fair use, talk back to mass media, and hold media producers accountable for the ways in which their messages impact our lives. Want to see what we mean? You can click here for LAMPlatoon on YouTube, or view the videos on our own self-hosted platform. We’ve also pasted the full press release below. But what are you waiting for? Join LAMPlatoon today!

The LAMP Helps Consumers Talk Back to Ads
‘LAMPlatoon’ project uses commercials and fair use to teach media literacy

NEW YORK, NY: The LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project) announces the February 7, 2011 launch of LAMPlatoon, an interactive video project using commercials to teach basic media literacy skills and guidelines about fair use in new media. LAMPlatoon exists online at http://www.thelampnyc.org/lamplatoon and http://www.youtube.com/TheLAMPlatoon.

The launch coincides with the day after the Super Bowl, when people are often discussing commercials which aired during the game.

“It’s not uncommon for people to be as excited for the commercials as they are for the Super Bowl itself. LAMPlatoon is trying to harness this as an opportunity to teach people how to respond critically to those advertisements,” said LAMP Education Director, Katherine Fry, Ph.D. “They can impact decisions we make about our health, how we spend our money, how we understand others and how we think about ourselves. People need to be able to filter media and make choices that are right for them, rather than follow what media tell them to do.”

Studies have indicated that the average American sees over 3,000 advertisements every day, but many people lack the media literacy skills needed to understand how, why and for whom advertisements are made. LAMPlatoon encourages the building of these basic media literacy skills, and also offers a way for people to respond to commercials and advertisements.

“We wanted to provide a sandbox where people can talk back to media,” said D.C. Vito, Executive Director of The LAMP. “It is not enough to just point out negative messages, or how they are made. With LAMPlatoon, people can actively reject media they think are harmful or applaud those which are positive. And by sharing their responses on the Internet, people are proactively engaging media messages, rather than passively consuming them. Hopefully, media producers will listen.”

LAMPlatoon also engages the fair use section of the Copyright Act, which protects certain instances of copyrighted media reproduction from copyright infringement. Although studies have demonstrated that understanding fair use is critical to an information age economy, it is frequently misunderstood.

“We are pleased that this project will teach students valuable lessons about fair use and copyright,” said Michael Weinberg at Public Knowledge, a Washington D.C.-based public interest advocacy organization. “Through their experiences they will learn that it is perfectly legal to build on the efforts of others to create their own work and understand their media environment.”

A preview of LAMPlatoon videos can be seen prior to the launch by accessing the following links:
Bratz, “Walking Bratz”: http://youtu.be/pswJ8gpeQkQ
Burger King Texas Double Whopper, “I am Man”: http://youtu.be/s84Hl6UUt_o
Cover Girl Fruit Spritzers with Rihanna: http://youtu.be/76wLEMAhsbE

About The LAMP:
The LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project) envisions that one day media literacy will be seen as the critical requirement to understanding the world and our place in it. Founded in September 2007 by community organizer D.C. Vito and Katherine Fry, Ph.D., professor of media studies at Brooklyn College, The LAMP has brought free media literacy workshops and events to over 500 New York City youth, teens, parents and educators, most of whom are underserved. Visit The LAMP online at http://www.thelampnyc.org.

Contact:

Emily Long, Director of Communications and Development
The LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project)
718-789-8170

http://www.thelampnyc.org

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Click here for the video!

Yesterday marked the first day of LAMPcamp 2010, running concurrently in the Bronx with the Mount Hope Housing Company and in Brooklyn at the Park Slope Armory with the Prospect Park YMCA!

In The Bronx, News 12 stopped by to interview LAMP students and teachers for a video segment on LAMPcamp. Click here to check it out!

Brooklyn LAMPcamp also got off to a fantastic start. In the words of lead facilitator Lorenzo Tijerina:

“The group was, as expected, very boisterous and lively and eager to get started. We began with the entrance survey, which everyone filled out. We moved on to to viewing commercials and got to use the fancy new projector, which I love by the way. We got the kids talking by showing them a few sensational videos involving BP and the World Cup, asking them to describe the purpose of these commercials in their own words. They had a great understanding of the intent and techniques used by the advertisers. We also showed them a re-cut BP commercial on YouTube and they were very excited about the idea of expressing opinion through satire and video.

We introduced the class to some of the vocabulary of persuasion, and with the help of the facilitators they really seemed to get it. By the halfway point we moved into the first exercise, the Media Scavenger Hunt. We ended up with about 16 kids, which allowed us to divide them up pretty evenly into four groups. I stayed behind while the kids hit the streets with the YMCA staff and the other facilitators. Katherine, Chrissy, Scott and Mike all agreed that the children were calm and well-behaved outside, but still excited about the exercise.

The children videotaped their findings, paying particular attention to ads that are not supposed to be directed at them, such as alcohol and cigarette advertisements. They did describe many of these ads as being very colorful and attention grabbing. This led into a discussion about their interest in these products, peer pressure and the glamorization of adulthood.

Finally, at the end of the class I went around with a Flip camera and got to know everyone. Then, everyone signed my cast and we called it a day.”

Stay tuned for more LAMPcamp news!