Newsletter Archive
Newsletter September 2008
From the Executive Director:
As the stories in this newsletter indicate, we had a summer packed with activity - teen camps, teacher workshops, a video journalism institute, plus launching our women's suffrage project. So after all of that - what's up for Fall?
eMerge News is back. The downtown office will hold eMerge News sessions Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., and will focus more heavily on documentary productions focused on issues that affect our region from a teen perspective. In addition, under a Washington State Community Technology Opportunities Program grant, eMerge programs will also be developed at two local high schools, Havermale and Rogers, creating a strong foundation of video journalism skills that they can build on as the year progresses. Dates and times for these sessions will be set shortly.
subVERSive, the program in which teens work with practicing poets to study prejudice and create spoken word poetry and videos, will be expanded this Fall. With a grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, six different groups will explore the integration of poetry and video as it addresses the hard topic of prejudice. Times for these sessions are now being established. Check with Tincan's office 744-0972 for upcoming details.
Tincan will also work with the YWCA and with Contract- based Education in the West Valley School District to teach students to develop documentary videos.
DONATE: While Tincan has a strong record of grants to support our programs, grants only pay for part of the cost of operation. We encourage you to donate through our online system. We take checks, too, made out to Tincan, and sent to us at 827 West First Ave., Suite 121, Spokane 99201.
Donate online now!
Karen L. Michaelson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Come See us at Bioneers
 Tincan will be at Bioneers October 17-19 on the Spokane Falls Community College campus. Teens will be interviewing attendees about what they attend to do to create a more sustainable world. Footage will be edited and uploaded to the web real time from the event. Our teens will be set up in the Youth Tent with their cameras and computers. Don't know what Bioneers is? Bioneers is a non-profit organization that promotes practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring the Earth and communities. The conference, which has lectures and symposia, endeavors to tap the richness of our region's diversity, inviting people to come together as a learning community, and explore new ways of living, acting and thinking that will nurture our sustainability. For more information about the conference, visit www.sustainspokane.org Students can attend the conference for free.
Teachers and Students Spend the Summer Learning to Develop Video Games
 Secondary school teachers learned to develop science-based video games during two Tincan summer workshops on EWU's Spokane campus. Twenty-seven teachers first developed paper games to master the concepts of game mechanics and game play, and to get their creative juices flowing. Then they created storyboards for a video game that included environmental science as part of the action. They mastered the complexities of MultiMedia Fusion 2 to get characters to move through the game and challenge players not only to win the game, but also to learn science concepts. Teacher games ranged from Lab Safety to Animals Gone Wild and Ionic Attraction. In some games, the players had to balance energy production with environmental impact, or clean up the environment in a short amount of time. After learning the basics of video game development, teachers assisted in two teen game development camps. Students went through the same struggle to unleash their creativity while mastering the programming skills they needed to create fast-paced and interesting games. They were challenged to include science content in their games, which included titles such as Trash Planet, Genetic Colonization, Space Survival, and Space Monkey 2. Teens play-tested one another's games, scoring them for playability, science content, and, of course, fun. Probably the most common theme in the game development camps was that is a lot easier to play a game than to develop one. The games are online for you to play at rssit.tincan.org/2008summer.htm. The workshops and camps were part of a National Science Foundation-funded ITEST project. Teachers, who were from all across the state of Washington, are now implementing game development activities at their home schools.
Small Town Museums Video Completed
 Tincan's video production team has successfully completed the film Small Town Museums: Reflections on Community Life, which details the significance of small community museums in preserving their region's heritage. Part of Tincan's Inland Northwest Memories Project, the film was funded by a grant from Humanities Washington. INMP staff traveled to 12 community historical organizations from Newport to Walla Walla to discover the joys and struggles of running a small community museum. Thank you to all of the museums and their volunteers for participating in this project. Excerpts from the videos are available on Tincan's history web site: history.tincan.org. Copies of the full video are available for a $10 shipping and handling charge and can be obtained from Elisha Durrant at elisha@tincan.org or 509-744-0972.
Summer Video Journalism Institute Teaches Investigative Community Reporting
 Seventeen high school-age teens spent 4 weeks in early summer exploring Spokane neighborhoods to investigate and report on the issues that make a difference to youth in our area. Working in three teams, they learned to interview, write a story, master camera and editing skills, and publish their work on line. They learned about journalistic ethics and the role of the press in society. Each team did a short video on the public's knowledge and opinion of the First Amendment, and the surprising lack of information that people had about the amendment. The five freedoms in that amendment are religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Few people knew that. They also did videos on Hillyard's skate park and on a barber shop that has been part of the Hillyard community for close to 100 years. The Institute was funded by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Communities Connect Program and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and through the generous donations of community members.
Exploring the Long Road to Suffrage
 In 2010, the State of Washington will celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. Washington was one of the first states to pass women's suffrage, well ahead of the national passage in 1920. Through an 18 month long seminar series, regional secondary school teachers will prepare to teach that important event in the classroom. The Suffrage Centennial Workshop reveals the struggles and triumphs that compose the story of women's suffrage in Washington State. The workshop, an effort of Tincan's Inland Northwest Memories Project, utilizes humanities scholars specializing in women's history, primary source research, readings, and site visits to historically significant locations. This workshop is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The first seminar took place August 25 and 26th with Dr. Susan Armitage as the presenting scholar. Our teachers met at Spokane's Masonic Center for lecture and discussion; toured the Spokesman Review; and were introduced to the primary sources available at the Northwest Room of the Downtown Library. This workshop was videotaped so that teachers joining the program late can get an overview of women's suffrage by a well- known scholar.
The October 4th seminar will bring the cultural context surrounding women's suffrage in Washington State into focus. One aspect of the cultural context is the pro and anti suffragist views, which will be explored through the life of Helga Estby. In 1896 Helga and her daughter Clara walked from Spokane, WA to New York City on a wager to save her family's farm.
If teachers or school librarians are interested in participating in this unique opportunity there is still space available. For more information or to register go to http://www.tincan.org/scw/.
Google Earth Goes to School
Secondary school science teachers spent two weeks over the summer learning to integrate Google Earth and environmental science to map local conditions. Working with students in the Eco-Mapping summer camp, teams went out with GPS units to learn to track way points and put them into Google maps. Then they chose projects to map, including the temperature at various points around the EWU downtown campus and its relationship to traffic, the location of graffiti, the relationship of various animal and bird populations in the area to food and cover, and the location and types of trash correlated with the number of people at different points. Some of the mapping projects can be seen at http://rssit.tincan.org/2008summer.htm. The workshop and camp were part of a National Science Foundation-funded ITEST project. Teachers, who were from all across the state of Washington, are now mapping the community environment at their home schools.
Women's Business Center on the Road
 The Women's Business Center has been on the road, providing business counseling and technical assistance to businesses in Stevens, Ferry, and Pend Oreille counties. Under a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, two counselors have traveled to Colville, Newport, and more remote locations to bring information to business owners. The Northeast Washington Business Development Network has established a strong partnership with the Tri-county Economic Development District (TEDD) and the Newport-Oldtown Chamber of Commerce. Over 35 businesses have been counseled this year, and 66 additional businesses have received information and referrals to various resources. Businesses range from a welding shop to a floral shop.
Student Spotlight
 Alayna Becker is a junior at Ferris High School who is attending Spokane Falls Community College through the Running Start program. She has been involved in eMerge and volunteered with the Summer Journalism Institute. In addition she volunteered her time to edit and film various other projects including INMP's first Suffrage Centennial Workshop. According to Alayna, her career aspirations are still developing. "I don't want my career path to limit my other interests." Film? Law? Education? International Relations? They are all possibilities. Alayna will be taking the lead in the eMerge program located at Tincan's downtown office.
Employment Opportunities
Tincan has three half-time positions available:
Science Educator
Video Production Instructor
Science Journalism Instructor
These positions will shortly be posted at www.tincan.org.
Please do not call Tincan about the positions. You will be disqualified as an applicant if you do not follow the instructions posted on the Tincan site.
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