From Rwanda to California, �鶹��Ƶ Students Are Connecting with the World</h1> <article> <h1>From Rwanda to California, �鶹��Ƶ Students Are Connecting with the World</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:05:05 +0000</p> <span>From Rwanda to California, �鶹��Ƶ Students Are Connecting with the World</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-10-17T12:05:05-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - 12:05">Wed, 10/17/2018 - 12:05</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In early October, two musicians in Kigali, Rwanda, and one musician in �鶹��Ƶ, Ohio, played, sang, freestyled, and talked during a <a href="https://www.sharedstudios.com/purpose" target="_blank">Shared Studios</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> portal connection. </p> <p>The connection paired musicians continents apart who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to interact, were it not for the portal connection between the cities. Immersive audiovisual technology inside each portal allowed trumpet player and member of the neo-jazz band SoundEvr Daniel Spearman '17 and Rwandan activist and hip-hop artist Maktain and Rwandan pop singer Weya to perform, talk about musical inspiration, and discuss their respective futures and careers. And while performing and talking about music was their primary focus, their discussion also meandered to other topics, including politics and culture.</p> <p>Eloi Mugabe, the portal curator in Kigali, Rwanda, says this connection was memorable because each person seemed to really learn from the other.</p> <p>“They talked about how music industries are different and how, as an artist, you have to come up with your approach based on what you stand for or the message you want to share. This was one of my favorite portal sessions because I think it really benefited both sides,” says Mugabe.</p> <p>The <a href="/news/portals-connect-people-around-world-dialogue">�鶹��Ƶ_Portal</a>, created by art, design, and technology collective Shared Studios, is slated to remain in its current home in Wilder Bowl through November 10, 2018. Portals are equipped with immersive audiovisual technology that allows individuals to engage with others live, as if in the same room, with freestanding screen “walls” surrounding them. Live sessions include discussions, musical performances, and other interactions, and they are typically prearranged.</p> <p>According to �鶹��Ƶ_Portal curator Tekikki Walker ’12, participating in connections with others across the globe has been truly impactful.</p> <p>“From a personal standpoint, it’s a humbling experience to be able to hear someone else share their views or life story and to be able to listen,” says Walker. “From an educational standpoint, I see the portal as a tool that helps others learn in a non-traditional way that’s also crucial to the learning and social experience.”</p> <p>When Ellen Chamberlain, portal curator at Oakland International High School—a school whose student population includes immigrants, refugees, and English language learners—initiated a connection with the �鶹��Ƶ_Portal, her hope was to connect with someone who has ties to the immigrant community. Chamberlain also wanted to find someone with an understanding of the obstacles this group must overcome to not only attend but also thrive in college. At �鶹��Ƶ, Walker was able to connect the Oakland group to second-year philosophy and religion double major José, a first-generation college student who identifies as Latinx.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>José stands in front of �鶹��Ƶ_Portal. Photo by Tekikki Walker '12</figcaption> </figure> <p>“As a first generation, low-income Latinx student, [I know] how difficult the transition [to college] can be, despite having an abundance of resources. No one was telling me what I needed because they didn’t know, and even I didn’t know what I needed. I wanted to tell [the students in Oakland] that there might be a little fear going into college, but above anything else, I wanted to let the students know that they matter, they’re important. That’s what would’ve helped me in the beginning—to be affirmed by someone closer to my identity. I hope they felt like someone closer to their identity cares,” says José.</p> <p>José describes the portal experience as a surprisingly authentic one and says that he found it to be highly engaging.</p> <p>“You can’t really prepare yourself and draft a template to use in these settings. When you have the intention to inform and do it from a place that seeks no reward, then that’s where the purest, most engaged energy comes from, at least in my opinion,” says José.</p> <p>When asked what she would tell others about the portal experience, Walker says, “If I could encourage anyone to visit the portal, I would say to just come, and be curious. Education is about exploration!”</p> <p>To learn more or to schedule a portal pairing, go to the <a href="https://www.sharedstudios.com/oberlin">�鶹��Ƶ_Portal webpage</a>. Once your request is submitted, the �鶹��Ƶ_Portal curator will contact you to tailor your experience.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-10-17T12:00:00Z">Wed, 10/17/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Since September 6, 2018, the �鶹��Ƶ College community has been using a portal equipped with immersive audiovisual technology to engage with individuals in other Portal locations across the globe. The portal will be stationed in Wilder Bowl through November 10, 2018.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2566">Wilder Bowl</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Daniel Spearman '17 connects with Rwandan musicians in the �鶹��Ƶ_Portal</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tekikki Walker '12</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Portals Connect People Around the World in Dialogue</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 18:38:54 +0000</p> <span>Portals Connect People Around the World in Dialogue</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-08-08T14:38:54-04:00" title="Wednesday, August 8, 2018 - 14:38">Wed, 08/08/2018 - 14:38</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This fall, from September 6 through November 10, a gold Portal will be stationed in Wilder Bowl at �鶹��Ƶ College. </p> <p>Created by art, design, and technology collective <a href="https://www.sharedstudios.com/purpose" target="_blank">Shared Studios</a>, <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> Portals are gold shipping containers equipped with immersive audiovisual technology. Inside a Portal, an individual can engage with others in a distant Portal, live, as if in the same room with freestanding screen “walls” surrounding them. These live sessions can include discussions, musical performances, or other interactions and are typically prearranged. Since launching in 2014, Portals have connected more than 125,000 people around the world in intimate dialogues.</p> <p><a class="view-more" href="https://youtu.be/85XevOMQ4RA" target="_blank">View Play a Portal video</a>.</p> <p>The �鶹��Ƶ Portal is connected with a network of other Portals in various locations across the world, including such cities as Berlin, Mexico City, Gaza City, Nairobi, Los Angeles, and Chicago. View the full list of <a href="https://www.sharedstudios.com/communities">Portal sites</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>.</p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ faculty, staff, and students are invited to schedule a session with another Portal location. Please suggest a topic of conversation or an area of interest to engage in and note the Portal location you’d like to connect with. Some previous Portal engagements include:</p> <ul> <li>Students at the Johns Hopkins University collaborating with students at the University of Palestine in Gaza City, exploring ways of improving public health through scientific and design-based innovation.</li> <li>Opera singers performing for a Syrian refugee community in Jordan.</li> <li>Dancers at the University of Maryland collaborating with rappers in Herat, Afghanistan.</li> <li>Classical Persian painters in Isfahan, Iran taught Persian painting to students around the world</li> </ul> <p>View a list of <a href="https://www.sharedstudios.com/communities">past Portal projects</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> at educational institutions.<br> <br> To schedule a Portal pairing, submit your information using the <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/oberlin.edu/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWZ-PMHuwZJ9Xe0oY5qgM4IeC-31Ff-k1rtTkkqnmY-hV9Fg/viewform">online form</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>. Once submitted, the �鶹��Ƶ_Portal curator will contact you to tailor your experience. Please note that a Portal can accommodate approximately 12 people.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-08-08T12:00:00Z">Wed, 08/08/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A shipping container, or Portal, equipped with immersive audiovisual technology will be stationed September 6 through November 10, 2018, in Wilder Bowl. The �鶹��Ƶ College community is invited to use the Portal to engage with individuals in other Portal locations across the globe.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2566">Wilder Bowl</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Shared Studios</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>