Teaching middle schoolers how to use ETC Ion

[Jason Antwi-Appah]

I'm not entirely sure if this is the right place to post this, but my school is holding a workshop for 8th-graders to learn about our space and how to light it, and I was wondering if anyone had any input on things I should probably teach them or resources they've used in the past to teach lighting. They've all learned lighting in some form at their middle schools, but this will be their first time in front of a computer-based lighting console.

Thanks, Jason

 

[Crisp image]

Hi Jason,
with the console get on to the ETC youtube channel it has the best training videos. Also on the ECT web page there are workbooks that you can work through using the videos as a guide ETC Tutorial found here
And the best part is you can download the software onto a computer and then use it to learn how to use it using the virtual keyboard on screen or learning keyboard shortcuts. Couple this with the visualizer file (also available from ECT) and you cans see the changes as you make them.
This is how I learnt to drive the console.
But this is the easy part. Learning lighting is a whole other bit. there is colour, focus, fixture type and the list goes on.
It is great that you are wanting to do this with the 8th graders. It might inspire them to go in to a career in technical stage work.

Regards
Geoff

 

[What Rigger?]

Dang Geoff...I think I know what I'm doing tonight at work.

Jason, I don't know what middle school is like in your part of Texas, but I've been in a few out here in LA and it's a lot of "cafetoriums" and what little the kids knew was taught by the lunchroom staff (like how to wrap a 50ft XLR around their forearm). Encourage them to be ready to let go of what they might think or know in favor of better knowledge and technique. That always worked for me.

 

[Colin]

How much time do you have with how many students? How will they engage with the console after the workshop? Fixtures in the rig? What are your goals - competence at typing what you say into their ear and then running a cue list, or familiarity with the possibilities more than specific programming syntax and console layout? Obviously a workshop needs to find a focus within the very big topic of Ion/Eos.

 

[lwinters630]

@Jason Antwi-Appah I would keep it simple to start. Assuming you have lights aimed to specific areas like Down Right, Down Center Down Left. For example Channel 1,2,3. Draw the stage and a big circle for each one with a label. Then show them how to record ch 1 on sub 1 and label them. Next step select sub1 and with 2 fingers to put it on the play back 1. Do the same with 2 and 3.
Get 3 students or staff to join this next part as you tell them a story of rock, scissors and paper. Each character takes a chair on stage.
Now TELL the story of how Rock would come over . . .as you have the kid slide up sub 1. Record cue 1. Continue your story, Next Rock meets paper and ask Paper to have a seat Down Center. You now have one of the children to turn the sub 2 on. Record cue 2 As you continue the story having fun filling in stories of his adventures. Scissors is finally on stage and lit.
Using the opportunity to teach how to record a cue of the whole group and a group of the cue. You continue regaling this story adding cues, groups and color as paper is embarrassed. As these characters run around the stage you play a chase effect.

So in this short story you have taught the basics: a light, channel, cues, sub, and effects, including timing and color as your story plays out.
We all know the story, you tell it with fun allowing hands on creativity. As you end ........ASK the final Question.
WHAT IF ROCK LEFT?

Enjoy.

 

[Colin]

I'll add something I've found to be consistently true across 15 years teaching: any specifics on consoles will be swiftly forgotten if not swiftly repeated in real production situations.

 

[TimMc]

Hi Jason-

I'm gathering from your first post that the students have already learned some basic area lighting techniques so this workshop is more about teaching "how to do that in our space" rather than teaching a 2 hour workshop in Lighting 001.

Here's what this education-track college dropout has to say about education: you don't really know something until you can explain it to 3 different people - probably in 4 different ways - and have all of them leave with the same comprehension of the "it". Brief story (cue the flashback harp music): in a previous decade we hired a new guy in our audio shop (condensing the why) who had no music background and whose technical proficiency was installing his car stereo. He had a lot of truck cab time with me and I trained him as best I could while at least one of us drove the truck... But he'd patiently let me go on and on for about 20 minutes, then nicely asked me "can you translate that into Hillbilly?" Sometimes I could but other times I could not, and the latter was a humbling experience that sent me back to do homework, research, and ultimately transfer that knowledge to him. But what it clearly showed me is that I understood things and could use those understandings without having actual, transmissible knowledge formatted for the intended recipient, and that I was a lousy teacher for at least that reason alone.

 

[JonCarter]

I'm gathering from your first post that the students have already learned some basic area lighting techniques so this workshop is more about teaching "how to do that in our space" rather than teaching a 2 hour workshop in Lighting 001.

Tim, I was thinking the exact same thing but you beat me to it. Your students will learn more from what you teach and and retain more of what you teach once they know why they're doing it.

 

[RickR]

I'm a fan of the "Tea Break Tutorials" https://www.etcconnect.com/Support/Tutorials/Eos-Family-v2-2-Tea-Break-Tutorials-Series.aspx
They are for a fairly old software version (2.2) but still valid for basic operations.

The thing that makes it so good is that they are based on Hands On learning. You can also limit or expand the training by selecting topics as desired. I've taught high school students using this and it has worked well.

 

[ETCFIELDENG]

In addition to the online resources already mentioned, you might want to contact the folks with our ETC Education Center to see what other assistance they may be able to provide.