Managing Space
Managing Space in Media Arts

Media arts can occur absolutely anywhere

How much space? 

Media arts learning doesn’t depend on having a space of any specific size. However, media arts projects may require display areas for student work. These areas may need to be dedicated to the media arts event for a time, and may not be flexibly reusable while the media arts projects are on display. If display areas may not be dedicated to your class work, then photographing and displaying material online can broaden the audience.

Where do I find space? 

Media arts is ideally suited to work beyond the classroom walls. Under supervision, students can be expeditionary filmmakers, journalists, videographers or sound recordists with a free pass to take their cameras into the wider school and community areas. You may need to identify a zone in your classroom to store equipment and set aside an area for desktop editing. For the most part, this is something already established in the modern classroom.

Using my own classroom 

Consider setting up your own classroom as a film set or studio. This may be as simple as temporarily moving some desks to one side. Engaging students in the creative process of adjusting their classroom to enable their media arts project ideas may also enhance the opportunity for learning.

Tailoring an area for use as a media arts space 

Consider establishing a media arts zone with editing tools loaded onto computers and some simple staging space and props in or near your classroom. If your project involves sound recording, a temporary quiet zone can be created, if possible, so that students can avoid recording background noise.

Safety 

Some media arts projects involve students in expeditionary activities that involve leaving the classroom to capture images. It is important that students have clear instructions regarding where they may or may not go, the types of images they are permitted to take, when they need to return to a central spot and where you will be so that they can find you easily. You need to decide whether it is wise to allow the students out of your direct sight and you may need to seek parental permission.