Saturdays at the Hotspot: Weaving Philadelphia Music History & the Future of Student Presentations

As my final Master’s class for the UPenn Reading/Writing/Literacy program, I partnered with the Free Library of Philadelphia, specifically the Free Library Hotspot @ IDAAY to offer a series of workshops utilizing Philadelphia music history to display various ways of presenting information that Web 2.0 and other digital tools offer us. Week 1 focused on Mozilla’s PopCorn Video Maker and creating a music video countdown. Week 2 focused on Google’s MapEngine and creating content-rich map identifiers based on Philadelphia music trivia. Week 3 focused on recording a long-form podcast interview about Philadelphia music connections and audio editing software and tools. Lessons were abound for both the youth and myself.

Popcorn ain’t Poppin: Understanding the 1st Commandment of Web 2.0

“Thou shalt understand the minimum computer requirements and test beforehand.”

Exploring Musical Maps: Storytelling through the GoogleMaps Engine

The most complete session of the series, youth focused on interpreting Philadelphia music trivia questions through interactive map creation.

“I Answered the Question”: Podcasting & The Mysticism of Spontaneous Youth Conversation

Some things are the easiest to do until you are asked to do them.