Global Kids' Online Leadership Program

Award winning machinima producer, Draxtor Despres' latest video report focuses on using machinima for social good and Global Kids machinima film "Discovered". In it he features interviews with Chris Hall and our own Rik Panganiban.

Posted by joyce at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The MacArthur Foundation recently published a series of articles to the "Behind the Research" section of their Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning site which highlighted some of our programs both past and upcoming.

Below you can read the article entitled "Behind the Research: Students Use Digital Tools to Tell a Real Child Soldier’s Story" by Mac Montandon.

Behind the Research: Students Use Digital Tools to Tell a Real Child Soldier’s Story

The Museum of the Moving Image and Global Kids Join Forces to Teach History.

Who learns more about history and current affairs, a student reading about Uganda in a text book, or one who talks to a former child soldier by Skype and makes a Second Life movie about his and his fellow soldiers’ lives? No question. Yet not everyone has this kind of learning opportunity in a classroom. That’s where museums come in.

Continue reading "[VVP] Behind the Research: Students Use Digital Tools to Tell a Real Child Soldier’s Story" »

Posted by joyce at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After the premiere of the VVP machinima, Discovered, there has been several groups and individuals who have posted about the movie. We here at OLP wanted to take a moment and thank them for their words and recognition! Read below for what each group/individual had to say:

• Overman's blog, on July 7, 2009, wrote "Rik Panganiban told me about this Global Kids machinima project. It’s nice to see kids making use of this technology, and particularly impressive that they’d choose to do so about such a serious topic. Created in Teen Second Life, this one isn’t about production values but instead about human values. Thanks, Rik.".
• Service Nation, talks about the premiere of Discovered, which took place on July 1, 2009. They described the premiere by saying, "What do you know about child-trafficking? Probably not as much as you could learn on July 1. That’s the day that the kids of the Virtual Video Project will be premiering their movie, Discovered, the story of a young Mexican girl who is sold into sexual slavery." The post also gives background for the Virtual Video Project and past projects, saying "The Virtual Video Project is designed for kids who are interested in film as well as public policy. They learn things like storyboarding, script writing and acting, as well as how to produce and edit their own films. In the past, participants have created animated movies about the rising power of media to affect young minds, race and child soldiers. This year, the kids, age 15 to 18, chose to focus on child sex-trafficking, a problem that is rampant across the world and in communities across our own nation." To read the entire post, please click here.


• Mal's SL Edu-blog shares the movie and briefly describes VVP as well. To read more, click here
.

• For the French speakers out there, you can read about Discovered here.

Thanks again for all the support!

Posted by Krista at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amanda Kloer writing for Change.org recently wrote up a spontlight on the latest VVP machinima movie release of Discovered for the "End Human Trafficking" section of their site.

You can read the post below or directly on Change.org here.

Continue reading "[VVP] Change.org spotlights the Discovered movie" »

Posted by joyce at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After tonight's successful public premiere of the Virtual Video Project's 2009 film "Discovered" at the Sony Wonder Theater, we are proud to announce the online release of this serious issue machinima. Created by 15 Global Kids teen leaders over the course of the school year, they decided on the subject matter, wrote the script, created the avatars, recorded the voices, shot the footage, and edited the final cut you see here.

We are so proud of our GK filmmakers for their amazing work, creativity, and commitment on this project! Read more about "Discovered" and the Virtual Video Project here.

Posted by Rik at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been a long year, but I still find it hard to believe it's over. I've had a lot of fun and I've met a lot of interesting people. I think the thing that I'll miss most of all is riding in the air-conditioned train, back and forth to the GK office. Learning to get around in Second Life was also an experience I'll never forget. There was a lot of lag which got in the way of maneuvering on Machinima Island. Customization of our avatars was also fun. There were extremes in editing, you could make your eyes really big or really small. I'll really miss coming to this program twice a week. I know I'll be really bored this summer while I'm away.
-Megan

Posted by VVP Megan at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

*sigh* Today is our last day to hang out together. I'm not feeling sad nor happy. Just content. When I first joined GK, I was thinking I would be talking more than I should be.

Please check out our movie at www.discoveredmovie.com
Showing only today in person at the Sony Wonderlab at 6pm

Posted by VVP Helen at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello everyone! This is my last blog. I just want to say to everyone thank you for being there for me in some way or another. I want to thank GK for giving me the chance to be a part of the program...I feel better knowing that I gained the skills to make videos and then edit them, I also learned good speaking skills to a public crowd. Shout out to Chris R, S.R., Luis R. and GK...yeah, bye everyone!

Posted by VVP Chris H. at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is my last blog of the year and I hope that the movie at the Sony Wonderlab will be even better than last year's movie, when I also participated in.

Posted by VVP Christopher at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can't believe this final chapter is coming to a close. So many people, so many memories. And I loved every moment of it! I loved the shirts we got too. Even though it's so hot i think it's worth it. I'm gonna miss everyone.

Posted by VVP Evin at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)