Wade Wolff is a digital media teacher who has a unique placement in his school, within the business department. He taught at Colfax H.S. before moving onto a curriculum job in Placer Union School District.

(PM) Good morning Wade

(WW) Good morning to you.

(PM) Wade can you tell me a little about the program at Colfax High School?

(WW) Yes, I taught a series of production classes at Colfax that included film/video production and web design. I was a business teacher in the industrial technology department at Colfax. I taught there for thirteen years.

(PM) Did you inherit a program or did you invent it?

(WW) I invented it. I got started because I had a close connection to many businesses in town and there is a slant up where we live in the Sierra foothills towards high technology. I know Place County has an ambitious business plan to attract these businesses so I began with a career tech emphasis; actually we still called it vocational education.

So, I started with one class and became very interested in media as we progressed.

(PM) You mentioned in the survey that you thought showcases of student work is extremely important. Why?

(WW) I really think that if students learn digital media in a rigorous system they will be able to either parley that into a career directly or go on to college in that area. I think this field is a high growth industry that is vital for California's economy. We have to get our students to be competitive. The showcases are important because they are a measuring stick for the students and in a way for the program as well.

(PM) Wade you spearheaded an effort in the Sacramento sierra Digital Art Studio Partnership Program and in conjunction with the Tower of Youth to upgrade the standards students the students had to achieve in order to show their work at the Teen Digital Reel showcase. Why was that important?

(WW) Well as I said the showcases are important and if you show a piece to the public you ought to be able to demonstrate that your work meets an industry standard. That really means something in the field today. So, I worked with Vern Bisho and some other teachers to require a documentation notebook for every piece a student entered. The notebooks are very demanding but demonstrate that the student's work was thoughtful and that they used professional grade processes to get though the product. My concern is that with software today, a kid could produce a slick but uninspiring piece without going through the real deal process. The notebook assures us they can't.

(PM) What's in the notebook?

(WW) The notebook documents all the steps the student had to go through to produce the work. It includes for example, treatments, and storyboards, shot scripts, scripts, casting processes, shoot descriptions, how the soundtrack was produced, as well as cast and crew lists. We created a rubric to score the notebook that is as important as the video piece itself. We really emphasis the fact that we will meet industry standards in this process. So, for example, students have to go through all of the same steps a professional would including producing an original soundtrack or one that is licensed.

(PM) That sounds extremely rigorous. Did you experience a drop-off in participation?

(WW) No, just the opposite. The students took this on as a challenge. If you expect a lot they will give you a lot. The night of the showcase, the notebooks were all laid out and the students I think were amazed and very interested in seeing other student work.

(PM) How does that translate to the classroom? What standards do you employ?

(WW) I utilize both the VAPA standards and the Career Tech Education standards. I find that between the two you pick up everything you need to do.

(PM) Now you actually have a business model you use, right?

(WW) Yes, we run the video production class like a small production studio. We call it Thundercore Production Company. There are managers and crew. Making movies is a team effort; no one makes a movie alone. Part of what the students learn is the roles and responsibilities that each member of the team has. That's important.

(PM) You checked all of the objectives possible that I listed for the class.

(WW) It points out that the digital media arts have value in the arts, business, as a vocational or career pathway as well as enhancing the academic performance of students. So I think students gain a lot from the classes they take.

(PM) You mentioned you did have some students attend Inner Spark.

(WW Yes that's a heck of a program.

(PM) You also have mentioned that you have partnered with community colleges, community organizations and businesses in the past. But that those relationships are not on going.

(WW) That's true. I would like them to be. Maybe the DASP model will develop those kind of ongoing relationships at some point.

(PM) Thanks for taking time for the interview Wade.

(WW) Thanks. I appreciate your doing this project.