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Launching Animators!

Writer-directors! Animators!

WGBH seeks 2019 Summer Creative Residents to work on two new series in Boston!

digital-tv

Launchpad at WGBH, a studio producing digital television entertainment series about complex issues, is seeking summer 2019 Creative Residents.

The Launchpad Creative Resident program brings media professionals inside WGBH to incubate new projects and to work on new WGBH digital television programs. For each of Launchpad’s three-week-long cycles in 2019, we will select 3 Creative Residents to work alongside WGBH producers, experts and mentors.

For the Summer 2019 Animation cycle (Monday, August 19 – Friday, September 6, 2019 in Boston), we are seeking 2D animation creators with a specific interest in storyboarding and design to work on a new WGBH animation series. Animation Creative Residents will receive a $1,750 stipend for this three-week cycle. Apply by 4 pm EST on Friday, August 2, 2019.

For the Summer 2019 Episodic TV cycle (Monday, September 9 – Friday, September 27, 2019 in Boston), we are seeking diverse writer-directors to participate in the rapid development and production of a new WGBH drama series. Episodic Creative Residents will receive a $2,500 stipend for a full-time, hands-on commitment to this three-week cycle. Apply by 4 pm EST on Friday, August 9, 2019.

Note: Much of the work will take place at or near WGBH in Boston. Launchpad does not provide for accommodations, travel or transportation.

To apply, complete this questionnaire  and email your resume and cover letter to launchpad@wgbh.org with the subject line “FIRSTNAME LASTNAME: 2019 Creative Resident Animation” or “FIRSTNAME LASTNAME: 2019 Creative Resident Episodic”.

For more information visit Launchpad at WGBH!

fun, games, html5, Molly of Denali, Video

Molly of Denali!

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Ready for an adventure? Come along with Molly as she explores Qyah, her village in Alaska! Kids will use informational text to solve different challenges, interacting with text such as books, apps, diagrams, and tables of contents.

Be sure to tune in for Molly of Denali,TM the animated series premiering on your local PBS station July 15, 2019.

This brand new website features an immersive, interactive world where kids can meet members of Molly’s community and go on missions such as picking blueberries or throwing treats to Molly’s dog Suki. Kids can also learn and practice their informational text skills across four games: Fish Camp, Sled Dog Dash, Beading Art, and Denali Trading Post.

Molly of Denali is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop knowledge and skills for interacting with informational texts through video content, interactive games, and real-world activities. A foundational aspect of literacy education, informational texts are designed to convey information, and include written words, images, and oral language. 

The digital team who created this incredible experience is Melissa, Bill​, Anessa​, Lizzy ​, Sienna, Kimberlee​, Kit​, Eric​, ​Jolin​, Mike, Jesse​, Becca, Nolan, Amelia, and Kate. ​

Coming soon: an app and more games! Check out the podcast too!

MOLLY OF DENALI is produced by WGBH Kids and Atomic Cartoons in association with CBC Kids. Funding for MOLLY OF DENALI™ is provided by a Ready To Learn Grant from the Department of Education; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American People; and by public television viewers. The contents of this program were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. [PR/Award No. U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A]

fun, html5, NASA: Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms, Research

Mission: Water – our new VR experience

Dan, Kennedy, Jeff, Sophie, and Lizzy attended the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in Philadelphia from June 23-25.

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They presented their virtual reality game, “Mission: Water,” under the umbrella of Microsoft’s presence at the conference.

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The ISTE Conference was very successful: close to 100 people demoed the game or chatted with the team about the project. Many educators and technologists expressed their excitement for the game and for the lesson plan, which will be published on PBS LearningMedia this fall. The team is very excited for the positive response and is looking forward to the official launch of all of the resources later this year.

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The VR game is available already here for free.

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The WGBH team, led by Bill Shribman, has been collaborating with Microsoft for the last year developing this game for a middle school classroom. The game consists of two networked apps: one VR game and one HTML5 game, both connected and communicating to each other.

In the experience, two players need to work together to travel through the solar system and collect samples of water at three destinations. The water samples provide data for the students to analyze and compare, and then the students can discuss which location provides the most abundant and accessible forms of water.

One high school teacher reacted to playing this as follows, talking about the children she teaches:

 

Molly of Denali, Reviews

Molly Podcast in Fast Company

Great write-up of our new Molly of Denali podcast in Fast Company, “While everyone loves a good mystery, what makes this podcast (and TV series) truly groundbreaking is that all the indigenous characters are voiced by indigenous actors, and Alaska Native voices are featured across the production, including in story development and creative direction. The theme song, which is featured in the PBS KIDS series and podcast, is sung by members of the Yupik Alaska Native band Pamyua, with music from Gwich’in fiddler Brennan Firth.”

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Subscribe to the podcast here.

ARTHUR, fun, games, html5

Dark Bunny Needs Your Help!

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Dark Bunny​ Needs Your Help! is a new cooperative ARTHUR game.

Based on a video game that appears in an episode of ARTHUR, Dark Bunny brings players into the world of Dark Bunny – with Sue Ellen or Bionic Bunny as a sidekick – on a quest to save the people of The City from the bad energy of Dr. Aardvarkian.

Fly rocket scooters to collect fuel (and snacks!), protect others, and rescue citizens and pets who have been captured by the nefarious ne’er-do-well. This HTML5 game has one- and two-player modes, allowing for cooperation both between the characters AND between players.

So team up with Dark Bunny, Sue Ellen, and Bionic Bunny, and work together to defeat the infamous Dr. Aardvarkian once and for all!

You’ll find the game at: https://pbskids.org/arthur/games/dark-bunny

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Design Squad Global, fun, games, html5

Fidgit Power!

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Design Squad’s latest digital game, Fidgit Power!, has launched!

You can check it out on the Design Squad website or in the PBS Kids Games App, where it is debuted as Game of the Day.

In this HTML5 game, players create and test wind turbines that provide electricity in an environmentally responsible way for the places where our Fidgit characters live, work, learn, and play.

 

Congratulations to the tireless and creative team members who brought this concept to life: producer Louise, developer Dan, designer Nolan, senior producer Melissa, and production assistant Sienna! We also benefitted from support from Eric (developer), Jesse (designer), and Kimberlee (production assistant). A big thank you as well to project leader Marisa and our content advisors, Dr. Chris Whitbeck and Josh Watson!