ISMA is Accepting Submissions!

May 17, 2013: Because AECT will not be judging projects this year through the International Student Media Festival, we refer you to the newly-formed International Student Media Association. That volunteer-run organization is now accepting media project submissions for judging. Please see www.ISMAssn.net for entry information and
then Start Here to create a Sponsor account at the International Student Media Association website.

Please note, they can currently accept payments via check or a PayPal account. They are still working on a way to accept credit cards. Go ahead and submit your projects and they will let you know when you can settle up with a credit card.

2012-2013 Entry Guide

May 16, 2013: Please read through the 2012-2013 Entry Guide.

Update on Entry Submissions

May 14, 2013: Our web developers are working hard to setup the new website and the entry submission system. Our goal is to have it work much like the ISMF entry process. Our target for opening the system for submissions is now May 17.

Project Judging Details 2012-2013

Organization in Transition

• AECT is no longer underwriting the costs associated with the International Student Media Festival.
• The members of the ISMF planning committee have formed a new organization to conduct media project judging this year, in the spirit of ISMF. Once the name and web address have been finalized, we will post that information here and e-mail it to the mailing list.

Submission Details

• The entry deadline is June 15, 2013. Extensions will be considered upon request.
• The entry fee for an online project is $22. A project on mailed media is $30.
• Sponsors will submit producer and project information through our online entry system, projected to open May 17, 2013.
• We will accept projects in the form of a link to an online project or mailed media such as a DVD or CD. A mailing address will be shared once the entry process is open.
• Student Insight and Reflection is important aspect of judging. You will be asked to provide this information in the online entry system. Please meet with your students as soon as possible and have them answer the following questions.
  1. What inspired you to create this project?
  1. Describe the steps you took to create your production.
  1. What would you like the judges to know about this project?
  1. What challenges to creating your project did you have, if any?
  1. What have you learned from producing this media project?
• We are in the process of writing an Entry Guide (similar to that of ISMF) to reflect this information.

Award Details

• Award certificates will be available to Sponsors as electronic (PDF) documents after judging is complete. Certificates will not be printed and mailed.
• Due to the loss of underwriting, no award plaques or plates will be provided, though personalized awards will be available for purchase from an awards vendor.
• Entries will be judged following the ISMF criteria check lists used in 2011-2012.
• There will be no ISMF gathering in Anaheim this fall as AECT originally planned.

Announcement from the AECT Board of Directors

March 4, 2013: The AECT Board of Directors at the February meeting voted to discontinue underwriting the Student Media Committee and the International Student Media activities.

This has been a difficult decision for the board to make. The decision has been in the making for three years as corporate support dwindled. We have also been aware of the difficulty schools and sponsors are having raising funds to pay for the submission of their entries and attending the annual festival.

AECT will continue to search for corporate partners and hope we will be able to restart this powerful learning activity.

We know you will continue to encourage your students to use media to enrich and extend their creative learning experience. If you have any ideas about corporate partners feel free to contact me.

Cordially,
Phillip Harris
Executive Director
Association for Educational Communications and Technology
P.O. Box 2447, Bloomington, IN 47402-2447
Toll Free: 877-677-AECT

The 2012 Festival Was a Hit!

The 38th annual International Student Media Festival held in Louisville, Kentucky was a huge success. Hundreds of students, teachers, and family members learned more about media production and shared ideas with each other. First-time attendees and old-timers alike came away with renewed enthusiasm for student media production.

The Festival activities were rich and varied. Attendees of our Panel Discussion questioned prolific student producers and then watched the panel members’ award-winning, feature-length film. Our breakfast kick-off event was a blast, as everyone played our very own – and lively! – version of the Run for the Roses. Participants in our hands-on workshops explored different aspects of media production and practiced new skills.

There was a buzz in the air at the Student Producer Showcase. Both students and adults were excited to see media projects of different types (Animation, Live Action, Interactive, Sequential Slideshow, Photo Essay, Podcast, and Website) created by students of all ages from different countries. The ballroom was packed while students were recognized for their excellence in media production in a glitzy Awards Ceremony.

Those of us on the field trip visited famous Louisville-area landmarks. In a room reserved for ISMF at Churchill Downs, we were served a delicious meal that included local favorites, such as Kentucky Hot Brown and peach cobbler. We stood below the famous spires and rooted for our favorite horse in a live race (a first for many of us) and toured the Kentucky Derby Museum. Then we explored the Louisville Slugger Museum and discovered first hand how wooden baseball bats are made.

The two and a half days folks spent at the International Student Media Festival were busy and enriching. Thank you to all who attended and helped make this an event to remember!