hACkT: Combining Drama and Technology for Learning

[ ID ] dca18c69-6960-457e-a3d1-092167e0bb14

[ Submitter's Name ] Martin Russell [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] The Mercury Theatre Colchester [ Submitter's Twitter ] @mercurytheatre

[ Space ] digital [ Secondary Space ] youth

[ Format ] learning-lab, fireside, hands-on

Description

The Mercury Theatre runs a summer school for young people fusing theatre making with game design and tactile technology. We would lead a session that allows people to take traditional drama games and drama delivery and embed technology and approaches to game design to enhance and enrich activities - we would use makey makeys, Raspberry Pi's, Arduinos and free to use software to demonstrate that embedding technology neither be expensive or difficult and that trad drama activity can compliment technological approaches to learning and visa versa. We will also demonstrate that coding, gaming and technology can be a physical activity and can manipulate real space as well as digital space.

Agenda

We would need a space to accommodate maximum numbers to be introduced to traditional drama techniques and games and physical activity and then tables with raspberry pi' swith docking systems, laptops and a projector and screen. We would be able to show videos of delivery of the summer school and the results of a week of experimentation and exploration that results in a "sharing event" for a theatre audience. We are embedding Arts Award into the summer school at the Mercury Theatre so will be able to show evidence and feedback from the young people who take part.

Participants

Activities will be both for whole groups and broken down into smaller group sizes so we will be able to accommodate varying numbers. Drama games can be played with however many participants are in the group and we will have enough tech

Outcome

For the Mercury Theatre, an outcome will be that a traditional cultural organisation is seen as a regional hub and lead for using emergent technologies. For participants the outcomes would be that they have worked with experienced practioners and gotten ideas to take back their classrooms, organisations and creative learning spaces that demonstrate that it is possible to combine artforms and that STEM can be easily changed STEAM. It will allow participants to understand that computer science/technology does not need to stand apart from the traditional delivery of arts education... For young people that take part in workshops they will be supported to use the activity as evidence for Arts Awards they may be doing at other venues.

MozillaFoundation / mozfest-program-2016