DIGITAL IDENTITIES: ME, MYSELF & I
Online or in the real world, our identity is what defines us. Our digital identity is made up of all the traces we are leaving behind us when we log on to the Internet. Among “voluntary” traces, “involuntary” traces and “inherited” ones, our online identity is made up of what we are choosing to say about it, what others say about us but also by some computer trails. Thus, in this atelier, students will have the opportunity to take on the complexity of digital identity by making avatars of themselves and other students. They will also tackle the subject by looking up some browsing histories and trying to figure out which kind of user is actually behind it them.
IMAGE: LOOKING DIFFERENTLY
Among our five senses, vision is a very important one. It makes up nearly 70% of our brain’s information about what surrounds us. The eye, our organ of vision, constantly processes a considerable amount of data. It captures light and images to turn them into electrical signals that are transmitted from the optic nerve to the brain. The brain sends back the processed images and thus enables us to interpret our environment. How do our eyes work? How do they allow us to visualize the relief of what we see? By doing scientific experiments, the students will have the opportunity to use the scientific method to experiment with several principles of vision. Finally, by creating their anaglyph images, they will become aware of the notions of relief and perspective that govern their vision, as well as of how they function.
WRITING: NEW STORIES
With the rise of social networks over the last fifteen years, we are witnessing the emergence of new types of digital narratives, far from the traditional literary publishing paths. These hybrid narratives are usually unveiled piece by piece to their readers. As a consequence, they often attract all types of readers, captivated by this easy-to-access format. However, each social media has its type of audience and functionalities. Therefore, this narrative content always needs to adapt itself to the codes that govern each platform: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc. By re-writing a story with Whatsapp, Instagram and Twitter, the students will have the opportunity to approach the concept of interactive storytelling and understand the specificities and codes of each social network.
MUSIC: SOUND JOURNEY
How does sound arrive to our ears? The aim here is to understand how sound moves in real life and on-screen. The Digital Atelier starts by listening to several sounds to understand their characteristics and to make some hypothesis. It continues with the visualisation of sound waves through some simple scientific experiments and some music apps. It ends with the testing of the “tin-can telephone”, a simple mechanical acoustic device through which the sound can be transmitted over a greater distance.
UNIVERSE: PLANET GENERATOR
What is the solar system? This name is given to the planetary system that includes the Sun and all the celestial bodies gravitating around it: the eight planets and their natural satellites, the three dwarf planets and thousands of other small bodies. How are the rest of the planets different from Earth? What are the planets made of? By using the scientific research method, the students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the different planets, their appearance, composition, movement, etc. With this information, they will be able to imagine new planets inspired by the characteristics of the existing ones. Finally, they will be introduced to Pepper's ghost optical illusion and use it to materialize the created planets.