Northwestern IT Services & Support: Media and Technology Innovation

This quarter, AMPS has the pleasure of hosting Jordan, an intern from the Have Dreams/Project SEARCH program.  The collaboration between Project SEARCH and AMPS has provided an excellent opportunity for the staff to improve their own teaching and mentoring skills while contributing to this important effort.  We have been delighted to get to know Jordan, and see him grow in digital media skills as part of the AMPS team.  Jordan has proven himself to be an exceptional contributor, an enjoyable team member, and an enthusiast of computer games, excellent food, and unique cars.  Jordan dreams of working in video game creation, and we are honored to be a part of his career journey!

As we approach the final weeks of this 10-week internship, I would like to take a few moments to share with you some of the work that Jordan has done with us.

His very first day with us, Jordan helped us test a new b-roll filming option – using a GoPro camera mounted on a remote controlled boat

[left to right] Nate and Jordan control the GoPro Boat

Jordan practicing slating on the Content Strategy MOOC shoot.

[Left to Right] Nate, Josh, and Jordan bring equipment back after the Talmud MOOC wraps filming.

Jordan’s first film set experience was as Assistant Camera on our recent Content Strategy MOOC shoot. He also helped break down and pack up equipment from a Frontiers of Experimental Radio Astronomy event recording and the Tamud MOOC set.

He’s also helped Nate create timelapses, including learning about keyframes by assembling this timelapse.

Jordan has been learning animation skills using Illustrator and After Effects.  He worked with Aaron to create a simple animation for the Talmud MOOC.  Jordan is finishing creation of a character in Illustrator that he will then bring into After Effects and animate with the help of the DUIK plug-in, a tool that we’re using for the more complicated Talmud MOOC animations.  This will give him more practical experience implementing the skills he’s learned and prepare him to help on additional AMPS assignments.

The AMPS Video Team has periodic Teambuilding Lunches which provide an opportunity to step away and take a fresh look at processes and team interactions.  Jordan and several of our student workers joined the most recent lunch and the entire team benefited from their contributions.  The highlight of the lunch was an activity surrounding soft or people/team/organization skills.  The goal was to identify, discuss, and acknowledge these skills to help the team work more efficiently and contribute to innovation.  Each individual contemplated and then discussed as a group:

1. What skills they see in themselves?
2. What skills they see in each team member?
3. How different people’s skills interact and benefit the group?

The lunch concluded with a brief art activity where the team, in two groups, created a poster that positively represented each member of that team:

[Left to Right] Irene, Nate, Aaron, Jordan, Nic, Stephen, Cameron, Brigita, and Laura pose with their artwork.

More learning and multimedia work awaits in the last few weeks of this internship!  Check back in mid March for another update from the Project SEARCH – AMPS collaboration.