I had the opportunity to join in on the fun this summer at our Day of Discovery in San Diego before ISTE where we had a supercharged day of professional development with our friends from Adobe to officially launch our partnership around the updated Adobe Youth Voices curriculum.  Since then, I’ve been exploring the endless resources available to you all through this program and thought it timely to share some of my favorites as you start the new school year.

The Essentials

Check out the Adobe Youth Voices Essentials section to access resources around a number of subjects like animation, audio production, digital photography, graphic and web design and more.  Personally, I love the Create with Purpose Guide and Critical Response Handout under Youth Media Fundamentals.

Curricular Connections

The Moment of Truth: Video Narrative Curriculum provides all the resources you need to help your students create powerful stories that capture their feelings and emotions.  The curriculum has everything from sample storyboards to a handout on camera basics.  What I like most about the curriculum though is its natural emphasis on a holistic approach to developing literacy skills within your students.  From drafting a story, revising that story, creating a storyboard and communicating the story in powerful ways while employing and demonstrating technical literacy skills, it’s a must for teachers exploring these concepts.

Aspire and Inspire

There’s no better way to get your students to see the possibilities of what they can create than to show them examples from their peers around the world.  So, if you are looking for some inspiration for your students this school year, check out the winners of the Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards. What a great way to inspire your students to aspire to great things.  Below are the top winners in each category, but all of the award winners created amazing products.  Check out all the projects and share them with your students at: http://youthvoices.adobe.com/awards.

Narrative – Angel in My Sky

Animation – Cambio Jovenes

Photography – Propaganda Posters

Documentary – Hoodforts

Music Video – Keep Pushing

Poetry/Experimental – Dream

Graphic Design – I’m a Woman and I’m Proud

Audio – Big Feet

So, as you start the new school year and are looking for ways to engage your students in the writing process, understand themselves and their place in the world, and generally motivate them to tap into their creative side, register yourself on the site and start exploring today.

P.S.

Share the resources with your friends and colleagues, especially the Aspire winners.  These student works are fantastic and I’m sure they’d appreciate your audience.