posted on November 26, 2010 by
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Launch Party 10: A Vancouver Event Not to Miss (and where to win tickets)

Back in the days when I was a children’s and educational writer for television and magazines and first exploring the digital sphere, I was incredibly fortunate to be welcomed into Vancouver’s technology scene and shown the lay of the land by a few of the early leaders in the space.  My guides and translators in the digital realm included Boris Mann, Megan Cole and the gang at Strutta.  My first encounters with the folks at Strutta were at their inaugural Launch Party, which very much became an event that help me to meet and mingle with some of the brightest minds in technology in this fine city of ours and to spark my imagination on how some of their technologies could be used in telling stories.  I’d be remiss here if I were not to mention one of the founders behind Launch Party, Maura Rodgers, who I have found to be one of the key visionaries in building Vancouver as an International Hot Spot in technology.  Not only is she a forward thinker and a believer of life long learning, but she has been incredibly giving of her time over the years and has always offered her guidance and advice when I’ve needed it.  While still involved with Strutta, Maura’s main focus these days is on Bootup Entrepreneurial Society, a community and mentor driven non-profit organization that was formed to inspire entrepreneurship in Canada and help Internet startups take their idea from conception to commercialization.  And it is this organization that now hosts Launch Party Vancouver (LPV).

 

Launch Party Founders – Maura Rodgers, Danny Robinson & Dimitri Sirota – at LPV3, as taken by Phillip Jeffrey.

I’m telling this story as the next Launch Party – LPV10 – is this coming week on Wednesday December 1, 2010 at 6 pm at Canvas Lounge in Gastown, and I happen to know that Emme Roger’s is giving away a pair of tickets to the event.  All you need to do is comment on her post, before 9 pm on Saturday November 27th, 2010, as to why you wish to go to LPV10 and she will stick your name in a hat and draw the name of one lucky commenter for the pair of tickets.

Regardless, as to whether you win or not, LPV10 is worth checking out, if you are already in the tech community and want to reconnect with others in the industry and check out the latest tech launches or are new to the world of technology and are there to learn and immerse yourself in the community. Just be sure to purchase your tickets before Wednesday December 1, 2010, as after that tickets jump in price.

Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Erica

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posted on September 13, 2010 by
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Back to School with Multimedia Ed Packages for the Classroom

Having been a classroom teacher, I understand what a demanding profession teaching can be and the need for quality support material for teachers and the classroom.  One particular source of frustration for me, as a teacher, was the unimaginative, rote learning materials that typically accompanied videos in the classroom – “watch the video and answer these questions”.  Watching a video is already a very passive activity in the classroom.  To turn it into an engaging activity, the teacher needs to accompany it with hands-on, thought provoking activities that stimulate discussion. Many  Educational Support Materials for films fail to do this, an issue that we are more than adequately equipped to address at Ahimsa Media with our expertise in education and curriculum, in addition to that in broadcast and transmedia storytelling.

As such, we have recently developed an Education Guide to accompany, Mark Leiren-Young and Tony Wosk’s film, The Green Chain.  This is the perfect cross-platform resource for the classroom, including The Green Chain Film, The Green Chain Book, The Green Chain Podcasts and the Education Guide (that is based around the film). The Education Guide includes hands-on activities, background reference material, blackline masters of worksheets, a unit project, answer keys and marking rubrics. It has students focused on a task during the film, doing individual and group assignments after the film, helping to engage them in research and debate current issues. These materials are appropriate for upper level middle school students, high school, and post secondary students studying Science, Environmental Studies, Social Studies, Geography, Global Issues, First Nations Studies, Natural Resource Management, and Forestry. For further information on The Green Chain and it’s Education Guide or to place an order, please contact Kinosmith at info@kinosmith.com.

We are also developing an Education Guide for Thomega Entertainment’s documentary series, Canada Remembers, which explores topics around Remembrance Day, our veterans, war and peace. This will be the perfect accompaniment and unit builder for upper level middle school students and high school students in History, Social Studies, World Issues and Geography. You can learn more about Canada Remembers and how to place your order here.

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posted on September 13, 2010 by
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Back to School With Ahimsa Media – An Interactive Classroom This Fall

It never fails, since my third birthday the autumn still means it time to head back into the classroom for me, some more conventional, some a little less so.  This is probably why in my mind the year runs from September to June and the new year starts for me afresh every September.  With a life long love for learning, the autumn also bring with it a sense of readiness and anticipation.

This autumn is no different, although over the years my classrooms have changed as has my role within them.   The classroom brings two most exciting educational opportunities for me this autumn. The first is my second Interactive Storytelling Course for Industry Professionals and other adults through Capilano University’s Continuing Studies Department.  This promises to be 10 thought-provoking and inspiring Tuesday nights, in which we learn from one another and all come out of the course with the beginnings of our own online storytelling for self, business or a creative endeavour. Here’s a description of the course:

 

Interactive Storytelling (A Capilano University Continuing Studies Course)

The face of media is rapidly changing. Join traditional and digital storyteller, Erica Hargreave, as she introduces you to the art of interactive storytelling and how to use tools such as Twitter, WordPress, Flicker, YouTube, Facebook, podcasting and blogging to tell your stories. Audiences want to access media from multiple platforms: online, offline and on the go. More and more audiences are demanding the ability to interact within the story, and with the characters and authors. The collective “voice” of media is changing, audiences desire a much more personal tone in what they read and interact with. This personal tone and voice extends beyond the story to the corporate brand as well. Audiences want the story behind the story, to feel that they are part of the story, the creators and the brand itself.

  • 10 Tuesday Evenings September 21 – November 23 6:30 – 9:30 pm
  • Instructor: Erica Hargreave
  • North Vancouver
  • CRN: 30049
  • $329

The second classroom is at the Merging+Media Conference that is being hosted by CMPA. I have had the honour of being invited to sit on the Advisory Board for the Conference and will be speaking on one of the panel.  Its shaping up to be an interesting conference, exploring the worlds of transmedia and convergence and how we build stories to cross platforms. It has speakers from current transmedia projects, gaming, ARGs, technology, viral marketing and broadcast media.  Promises to be an interesting conversation.  Take a peek at the agenda.  The dates to keep open are October 28th (Masterclass) and October 29th (Conference).

Hope to see you in the classroom!

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posted on September 7, 2010 by
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Liz Joins #mobilersca to Experiment with the Android Galaxy Smartphone

Love any excuse to sing the praises of our team and I am most pleased that Liz Kearsley just gave us such an excuse.

Liz has been selected to be one of Canada’s first Mob!lers!  Samsung Canada picked her and 29 other 20-somethings living in Canada to take part in a competition with their new Android Galaxy S Vibrant Smartphones. Liz and her Team Vansung will duel it out against five other teams in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver for cash and prizes, including a trip to Korea, in 4 challenges designed to experiment with transmedia with their Galaxy Smartphones.

Before the fun started, Samsung set the guys a mini challenge in Toronto which Liz’s Team Vansung won.

Mohammed Hassan-Ali

Here are Liz and her teammates:

 

Mohammed Hassan-Ali – @skysurfer64

Desired Superpower: To change the weather, so everyday he can avoid ever getting caught in those Vancouver downpours.

 

In Real Life: Grad Student studying Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology

Gyslain Lalonde

Gyslain Lalonde

Desired Superpower: Batman Wannabe

In Real Life: Server and reality TV talent

 

Chris McGuire

Chris McGuire @chrisonhismac

Desired Superpower: To be untouchable, yet imperceptible.

In Real Life: Web & Mobile Developer

 

Peter Verge

Peter Verge @peterverge

Desired Superpower: Snooping on Other’s Text Messages (a fly on the cell, if you will)

In Real Life: All Round Personality, MC and Broadcast Journalist in the making

Liz Kearsley

Liz Kearsley @LizKearsley

Desired Superpower: Information Osmosis (not surprising, as we see her similarities with an amoeba)

In Real Life: PhotoJournalist

Please help us to cheer them on in their last 4 competitions by keeping an eye on the Samsung Mobile Canada facebook page.  Go Vansung Go!

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posted on June 24, 2010 by
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Our Family is Growing

We are very pleased to announce that our family has grown!!!  We have a few new additions to add to the Hargreave / Yearwood team, on top of our wonderful crew of educational and tech based contractors.

The first new addition to the family is Liz Kearsley, a photographer and journalist hailing from the UK. Liz has already been a nominee in an international photography contest since she joined our ranks and has had a few rather amusing introductions to Canadian culture, having joined us in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, to help tell the Yorkton Film Festival’s story interactively.

3 of our new team members: Bronwyn, Liz and Alyzee

Shortly after Liz’s arrival, we had twins!  No, really we welcomed two new interns from UBC’s English Department, Alyzee Lakhani and Bronwyn Malloy.  Both have been a welcome addition to the team.  They have been getting their feet wet writing on the Yorkton Film Festival Blog and helping Emme Rogers out with her prose.  Currently they are busy developing a tween and teen friendly character for Erica Hargreave to talk about in the classroom, and they will be assisting Erica this summer with her programs for Capilano University and the Delta School District.

Liz, Alyzee and Bronwyn Playing with Imagery for the Shaw Rocket Fund

Finally, we are very pleased to have Susan Brinton acting as a business advisor to us on some interactive projects that we are building for the future.  With over 20 years experience in film and television, including as an Executive in Charge of Production for CanWest and the Global Television Network, and as a Senior Policy Advisor for Television for both the Canadian Television Fund and Telefilm Canada, Susan’s advice and guidance is absolutely invaluable. We are thrilled to be working with and learning from her.

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posted on January 2, 2010 by
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A New Classroom & Course for the New Year

Leerlingen van lagere scholen volgen op demonstratieve wijze een les op het Binnenhof / Primary school pupils stage a learn-in outside the Dutch Parliament

Photo from The Hague’s Nationaal Archief

I’m excited to be embarking on a new educational adventure this year! My new classroom will be in the Broadcast Communication Program at BCIT and the Continuing Studies Department at Capilano University.  At both schools I will be teaching Interactive Storytelling.  Not completely sure, but I do think these are two of the first Interactive Storytelling Courses at Post Secondary Institutions in Canada.

So what is Interactive Storytelling?

I define Interactive Storytelling, as storytelling across platforms of media, some of which are interactive, allowing the audience to interact with the story itself, if they so choose.

For the purposes of these classes, whilst we will be looking at examples of other forms of interactivity, such as ARGs and Gaming, the focus of the class will be on using different forms of social media (such as blogs, twitter, facebook, blip.fm, flickr, podcasting..etc) to make traditional stories (such as novels, films, tv, articles, radio, plays, brands …etc) more interactive. Through the course of the class, the participants will use these social media tools to build an interactive component to a project of their own.  This can be a project that they have developed in the past, are currently working on or are just using as a tool to experiment with telling stories interactively.

Who is this course for?

Anybody who has a story to tell, whether it is that of a place, a brand, a novel, a play or a film or TV series.

Here are the details on the two courses:

 

Capilano University

  • Course Code: CRN 10020 – Interactive Storytelling
  • 6 week course
  • Tuesday Nights from 18:30 – 21:30 (6:30 – 9:30 pm)
  • North Shore Campus
  • March 2, 2010 – April 6, 2010
  • This is a non-credited course through Continuing Studies.

 

BCIT

  • Course Code: BCST 1073 – Interactive Storytelling
  • 10 – 12 week course
  • 3 – 3 1/2 hours a week
  • Course Date Pending: Either April or September
  • This is a credited course through the Broadcast Communications Program, but don’t let that scare you off, as it is open to the public and you do not have to be a full time student to take it.

Also stay tuned for an Interactive Storytelling Course for Youth during the Spring Break with the Delta School District!

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posted on December 20, 2009 by
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Ooey Gooey Good Animal Tracks: Our Annual Holiday Activity

At Ahimsa, we have a tradition of sharing a yearly activity that can be enjoyed with friends and family, and you don’t have to be a kid to have fun with it.

One of my favourite winter time activities is animal tracking, especially in the snow.  I love finding animal tracks, identifying them, and creating stories of the critters that left the tracks behind on their travels. And animal tracks can be found anywhere in winter, even if there is no snow.  If there isn’t any snow, go hunting in the mud or on ground where the mud has hardened, for some tracks.

animal tracks

Here are some fun kitchen goodies that are easy for all ages to whip up and can help you to learn your animal tracks.

Peanut Butter Snack Tracks (A Tracey Temple Invention)

Recipe:

  • Mix ½ c peanut butter, ½ c icing sugar, 1 tbsp softened butter, and ½ c Rice Krispies together.

Activity:

  1. With your young ones or the young at heart, take a heaping spoonful of the peanut butter mixture, flatten the peanut butter ‘dirt’ and make the imprints different animal tracks in it, using the picture of animal tracks as a guide.
  2. Stick the peanut butter tracks in the fridge to harden.
  3. Whilst your peanut butter tracks are hardening, enjoy a winter walk and search for animal tracks, identify them, and create stories of the travels of the animals that left the tracks behind.
  4. Share your animal track stories and teach your family and friends some track id as you enjoy your peanut buttery snacks.

You can also find last year’s paper making activity here.

Happy Holidays!

The Gang at Ahimsa Media

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posted on December 18, 2009 by
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Emme Out & About Kissing Calendars for Dyslexia

It’s been a year now since we pushed Emme Rogers out from behind her computer screen and out into the real world, and we are proud to see her flourishing in real life as well as cyberspace.  Like any proud parents, seeing your kid making their way in this world, and in this case, truly embracing the reality of cross-platform storytelling, is rewarding to see.

"Reading is Sexy" Launch Party

Emme at the Launch of Reading is Sexy (Photographer: John Biehler)

This Saturday we will be proudly looking on as Emme makes her debut in Toronto society, kissing calendars for dyslexia!  If you are in Toronto, come and meet Emme Rogers from 1 – 3 pm, Saturday December 19th at Ben McNally Books (366 Bay Street).  You can also support The International Association of Dyslexia and promote literacy by buying a Reading is Sexy calendar.  Calendars are on special for $18 at the event or $20, if you want to kick in an extra $2 to dyslexia. Cash or cheques will be accepted.

Stick around afterwards and Emme will be heading to a pub with anyone that wants to join her.  And knowing Emme, she will buy a couple of plates of nachos and a few pitchers of beer for the table.

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posted on December 1, 2009 by
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All in the Name of Literacy

Reading is Sexy Exposed

Our sincerest of apologies to the Vancouver Community for any over-inflation we may have done to the following individuals egos, by placing them in a calendar, entitled Reading is Sexy:

Even More Reading is Sexy Exposures

You see, it is for a good cause and all in the name of literacy.  Aside from sadly feeding Emme’s ego and launching her into a new-to-her form of media, the calendar, we are helping her to raise funds for a cause that both she and we believe in –  literacy, and more specifically, dyslexia. A healthy portion of the proceeds from the calendar and the photo auction will be going to The International Dyslexia Association to help them get kids (and adults) with dyslexia to overcome their literary hurdles and have fun with words.

As our way of apologizing to the community, for allowing the above individuals to call themselves Miss, Ms, Mrs or Mr (Insert Month here) for the next year, we are helping Emme to throw a Reading is Sexy Literary Celebration this Thursday.  Here are the details:

Cost: Free

Local: Gudrun Wine & Cheese Bistro (150-3500 Moncton Street, Steveston, BC)

Date: Thursday December 3, 2009

Time: 7 pm until late

Festivities:

  • general revelry and enjoying of Gudrun Goodies (We will buy a few plates for the room, but bring some money with you to enjoy more Gudrun Goodies and some of the delicious wines and beer)
  • readings from a few of our authors (Ian Ferguson, Mark Leiren-Young, Lorraine Murphy, Raul, Rayne … to name a few …Emme may even read something from my yet to be finished novel)
  • special guest reading by comedian, Kirsten Van Ritzen
  • calendar signings by the ‘models’ on hand
  • auctioning of some of Robert Shaer’s photos from the shoot for charity

Come, heckle our various months and enjoy a good night of laughter.

And once again, our sincerest apologies, and please don’t blame the photographers, Robert Shaer and Tris Hussey, for this.

Oh and if you can’t make Thursday, but do want a calendar, you can order one here. (If you are in and around Vancouver, ignore the shipping costs as we or Emme can figure out physically getting it to you.  Similary, you can ignore shipping costs and pick up a calendar directly from the Canadian Branch of The International Association of Dyslexia, if you are in Toronto.)

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posted on September 1, 2009 by
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Recognizing the Importance of Story

I’m doing a workshop tonight on ‘Creating Interactive Brand Stories’ with Kontent Creative and hence a bit of research. Came across this Cannes Film Festival Short Story Winner, which really rings true on how important ‘telling story’ can be:

Historia de un letrero

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyGEEamz7ZM]

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