UC Delivers

4-H youth improve their technological literacy by producing films

The Issue

Youth in the United States spend much of their time with digital technologies. However, the mere use of technological devices is not enough to succeed in today's world; young people need to learn to apply and adapt technological processes and tools. Fluency with technology will help them thrive and participate in issues affecting their communities. In order to do this, they need practical, hands-on experience.

What Has ANR Done?

To promote scientific literacy in young people (now very linked to technological fluency), UC ANR supports the Enhancing Technological Literacy Through Filmmaking Project (ETLTFP), which addresses young peoples’ needs to understand technological principles and gain the abilities to communicate and collaborate using digital tools.
The ETLTFP was implemented across California by the state's 4-H Technology Leadership Team (TLT) with funding from BestBuy. Workshops on filmmaking and video production were hosted around the state. During the workshops, TLT presenters led small group activities on storyboarding (pre-production), filming (production) and video editing (post-production). After the workshops, county 4-H groups were able to check out digital camcorder loaner kits to produce videos of their own Revolution of Responsibility service-learning projects.

The Payoff

Youth produce dozens of films showcasing 4-H impacts on communities

Young peoples’ evaluations of the workshops revealed statistically significant gains of confidence and ability in their technological competencies with film production. Participants felt especially confident in storyboarding and using digital camcorders. They reported (between "Strongly Agree" and "Agree," on average) that the workshops improved their ability to produce films. These 4-H Revolution of Responsibility workshops focused on helping young people show how they have identified and addressed community issues through their service-learning projects. Dozens of films showcasing these projects have been produced by 4-H youth teams. These videos follow an effective four-part format: defining a problem within a community; showing how 4-H can be a part of the solution; telling how the project impacted their community; and signing off with “Join our Revolution.” All of the videos are available on the California 4-H YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/user/California4H.

Contact

Supporting Unit: Youth, Families & Communities - 4-H

Steven Worker: 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Coordinator; smworker@ucanr.edu