No more classrooms, no more books for outdoorsy SJMC students

March 06, 2017

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February was an unconventional month for SJMC students who wanted to get out of the classroom and into the "wild".On the first Saturday of February, senior lecturer Jon Zmikly took his Digital Tools: 360 Video & Virtual Reality course to the Meadow's Center for Water and the Environment on the campus of Texas State University-San Marcos. This one-credit "Digital Dash" hybrid course revolved around immersive storytelling and giving students hands-on experience with virtual and augmented reality. Armed with 360 video cameras, smartphones and GoPros, students learned how to plan, shoot and edit video content for these new platforms. "My favorite aspect of this course was the hands-on experience at Spring Lake. I am a very visual learner, so physically working with the technology allowed for me to fully grasp what I was learning in the modules," said student Savannah Stockton. "I enjoyed the change of devices and the ability to work different parts of the story using the different technology, and I feel as if it not only expanded my professional qualities, but also my level of coolness."Zmikly said all 18 students enjoyed getting outside and had fun with the unconventional "classroom.""I was amazed at how many students were excited to get up early on a Saturday morning for class," Zmikly said. "They also picked up quickly the nuances of filming for a 360 environment. It's a different world than flat video, so there was a lot more to think about than just shooting one subject. I was really impressed."The team worked with the Meadow's Center for Water and the Environment in celebration of the Center's 15-year anniversary. Multimedia intern and SJMC student Dy Rios also joined the team to help provide content and act as a liaison between the class and the Center."I can't tell you how much I loved working with the students at the Meadow's Center," said Rios.Some of the students' content will be published on the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment's website at meadowscenter.txstate.edu.Last weekend's out-of-the-classroom experience was led by senior lecturer Dale Blasingame, with help from Kym Fox and Jon Zmikly. After spending five weeks learning how to turn stories solely using their phones, students were responsible for creating social content that chronicle the rebirth of Bastrop State Park, which suffered a devastating wildfire in 2011 and a flood last year. Signs of life are emerging at the park – including flowers and new trees, nearly 2,000,000 of which have been planted in the past five years. "Weekends like this mean so much to me. Hearing the students talk about experiencing a park, some for the very first time, never gets old. I'm beyond excited to see the work they come up with," said Blasingame.The group used everything from Go Pros to smartphones to get footage and create social media-specific posts on topics from "10 Things to Do at Bastrop State Park" to "Signs of Life". They even partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife and "took over" the organization's Snapchat account. During the final night of the weekend, Texas Parks and Wildlife captured a Facebook Live of the campfire and has now garnered over 23,000 views (and counting)! https://www.facebook.com/texasparksandwildlife/videos/10154459433008693/?pnref=story "Obviously we're always busy on social media, but we never actually focus on the storytelling part of it," said student Marco Martinez.Both of these courses are digital electives for students throughout the SJMC program, and Blasingame and Zmikly said they are proud to be bringing an out-of-doors angle to the Digital Media Innovation major, of which they are faculty."Dale and Jon have been particularly creative in developing these experiences for students," said Dr. Cindy Royal, director of the school's Media Innovation Lab. "Their work has been instrumental to the direction of our Digital Media program in encouraging students to get outside and engage people with digital tools, as opposed to using technology to avoid doing that. I appreciate the time and effort they have taken to learn new skills, develop curriculum, manage the logistics and build relationships associated with these successful experience projects."Blasingame's three-credit Mobile Storytelling class began as a one-credit "Digital Dash" hybrid, and Zmikly said he hopes his 360 class can make the same evolution."I'm very excited students can gain hands-on experience on new tools for storytelling. It will serve them well wherever they go in the future," said Zmikly.