Insights on Digital Media and Higher Education

Over the last ten years, there have been reports of the publishing industry cracking down on professors who make copyrighted work available to students, a practice they estimate costs them nearly $20 million a year. As James O’Neil with Bloomberg News put it, “The conflict stems from the interpretation of ‘fair use.’” Considering how difficult fair use is to interpret and how technology has opened the door to presentations and projects using multiple medias, this conflict has started to affect a lot more than just textbooks.

New technologies have made it easier than ever for anyone with an idea to create a movie and distribute it. This has left many professors and industry insiders wondering what film schools should offer their students. While some experts believe that digital filmmaking, YouTube, and Vimeo have fundamentally changed the way film should be taught and studied, others contend the opposite: classic techniques and approaches might become more important than ever. Here are five predictions from both points of view on what film schools could and should be including in curriculum for the future of film education.

The bored, daydreaming student is more than a cliché. It’s a real problem educators face at all levels. As more and more students find it difficult to focus, spend adequate time on projects, and produce results, the term student engagement has gained popularity throughout education policy. The Great Schools Partnership’s Glossary of Education Reform describes engagement as, “...the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion students show when they are learning or being taught.”