Your Name and Title: Emma Olson, Development Officer             

School or Organization Name: The MY HERO Project

Co-Presenter Name(s): Jeanne Meyers, Co-Founder and Executive Director

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: The United States (Montana, California)

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience(s): Educators, Middle/Elementary/High School Administrators, Nonprofit Leaders, Parents, Students

Short Session Description (one line):

This presentation will introduce the resources freely available through The MY HERO Project website (myhero.com) and illustrate how the various Web authoring programs can be used to teach 21^st Century skills and character education as well as to foster cross-cultural communication and collaboration on both local and global levels.

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

The MY HERO Project uses media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and to empower people of all ages to realize their own potential to effect positive change. Since 1995, The MY HERO Project has helped people find their voices by providing them access to tools, media technology and a platform for self-expression. Through MY HERO’s website, workshops, mentorships and film festivals, people recognize the heroes who inspire them and in turn, inspire others.

This presentation will focus primarily on MY HERO’s child-friendly, commercial-free website, which hosts an array of educational resources and a digital library to enable individuals of all ages to create, share and discover inspirational media. MY HERO’s media arts and Web authoring programs can be applied across interdisciplinary curricula to build skills in critical thinking, communication, project management, research and media literacy.  The Teacher’s Room provides lesson plans and tools for educators. Educators used The MY HERO Project with students from age 2 to 94, indicating that the skills and lessons learned through participation benefit people of any age, anywhere in the world.