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Courses and workshops for School groups
Thinkspace workshops engage all participants in a hands-on, creative making experience, designed to enhance and extend knowledge and skills in and across curriculum areas.
Workshops are suitable for high school classes in years 7 – 12 and primary school classes in years 4 - 6.
2 hour workshop (max. 30 students) - $300*
4 hour workshop (max. 30 students) - $500*
Why not combine your Thinkspace workshop with a tour of our exhibitions?
Cost includes access to the Museum (excluding ticketed exhibitions) for each student.
Pathways to space
This project designed to encourage students in Years 9-12 to consider university studies and careers in science and engineering, by exposing them to real robotics and astrobiology research being undertaken in the Mars Yard, a simulated Martian landscape in the Museum.
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Music Producer
Create a short musical experiment, learn to use a computer based music studio, and apply your musical skills and understandings in a practical and fun workshop. Along the way, you will gain an appreciation of different musical genres, explore how loops are created by digitising sound (sampling), and discover the origins of loop based music in hip-hop and DJ culture.
Music producer 2 hour
- Select edit and sequence loops to create a unique musical arrangement.
- Explore musical concepts especially duration, structure, and timbre.
- Use MIDI keyboards, microphones, sound cards.
- Use professional computer music software (Sony Acid Pro).
- Discover how sound is digitised and loops are created (sampling) and its origins in hip-hop and DJ culture.
- Copyright issues.
Music producer 4 hour
In addition to topics covered in 2 hour workshop, in the 4 hour workshop participants will develop their project to higher professional quality by
- Record vocals and analogue instruments - electric bass, electric guitar, percussion in sound booth.
- Explore digital sound processors (DSP).
- MIDI techniques (eg Quantize).
- Introduction to copyright and creative commons.
- Discover CC media libraries such as prelinger archive, freesound archive, flickr.
Video Editor
Screens fill our world and we are constantly being bombarded by messages designed to inform, sell or persuade. Our place as a responsible and active participant in society relies increasingly on our ability to access, analyse, evaluate and effectively communicate in a variety of text types. This workshop delivers practical skills relevant for making video projects and conceptual understandings which contribute towards fluency in media and cinematic languages.
Video Editor 2 hour
- Combine a variety of media types including video clips, still images, sound tracks and sound FX, and titles into a cohesive and explosive creation.
- Explore time-line editing techniques such as transitions, layers, fast/slow motion, etc.
- Develop understanding of non-linear and non-destructive editing systems.
- Save and compare project files and rendered playable media files.
Video Editor 4 hour
All topics covered in 2 hour workshop plus
- Capture live video in the green screen cyclorama.
- Explore compositing effects.
- Animation techniques eg titles, key-frame.
- Discover media libraries prelinger archive, freesound archive, flickr.
- Introduction to copyright and creative commons.
Music Video Producer
More than just a promotional tool for the music industry, the music video is now well established as an art-form in its own right. This format is now widely represented and influential in advertising, short and feature film, in art-galleries, and of course on youtube. This highly engaging practical experience explores the temporal relationship between audio and video content, and is a great introduction to larger projects across a range of creative fields and syllabus areas.
Music Video Producer 2 hour
- Select edit and sequence loops to create a unique musical arrangement using professional computer software (Sony Acid Pro).
- Combine a variety of media types including video clips, still images, sound tracks and sound FX, titles into a cohesive and explosive creation.
- Explore time-line editing techniques such as transitions, layers, fast/slow motion, etc.
- Design an artistic relationship between audio and video components.
Music Video Producer 4 hour
All topics covered in 2 hour workshop plus
- Capture live video in the green screen cyclorama.
- Explore extreme rhythmic editing techniques (e.g. strobe, staccato, random)
- Explore digital sound processors (DSP).
- MIDI techniques (e.g. Quantize).
- Discover media libraries prelinger archive, freesound archive, flickr.
- Introduction to copyright and creative commons.
Interactive presentations with Scratch
“As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively”. (source: www.scratch.mit.edu)
Scratch is a computer program developed by MIT Media Labs that is used to create interactive presentations, games, animations and stories. A great way for learners to develop and present their understanding of any subject, Scratch is the 21st Century alternative to written reports, posters and dioramas. This workshop is also a perfect introduction other programming such as Lego NXT, Java, Flash, etc.
Interactive presentations with Scratch 2 hour
- Build a classic computer game with the easy to use Scratch interface.
- Discover how to create and animate characters called “Sprites”.
- Animate by combining code bricks together (eg control, looks, move, operators, variables).
- Problem solve and de-bug Scratch projects.
- Discover the online community of Scratch, hosted by MIT; a place to learn, publish and find inspiration.
Interactive presentations with Scratch 4 hour
All topics covered in 2 hour workshop plus
- Develop a personal project, environment or situation.
- Build a Lego We-Do model.
- Write a Scratch program to control the motors in the We-Do model.
Introduction to Photoshop: Make a mutant!
Photoshop is an essential 21st century professional skill, relevant across a wide range of professional roles, projects and syllabus areas. From a media literacy perspective, the images presented to us as advertising or promotion campaigns are created to inform, persuade and even manipulate. This workshop reveals the processes involved in constructing a visual image.
Introduction to Photoshop: Make a mutant 2 hour
- Use a digital camera to take a portrait.
- non-destructive photo compositing (editing)
- mask and overlays
- layer blending
- retouching
- mashing
- design a world for your mutant to inhabit.
- Discover media libraries prelinger archive, freesound archive, flickr.
- Introduction to copyright and creative commons.
Stop Frame Animation
Stop-Frame (or Stop-Motion) Animation is the process of creating a movie by photographing single frames and assembling them together in order to create a continuous narrative. Utilising a variety of materials and techniques, students are directly engaged in the production of their own animated film, from planning to photography, to editing.
Stop Frame Animation 4 hour
- Create a high-quality stop-frame animated film using professional production software (Stop Motion Pro)
- Develop an understanding of the filmmaking process, including lighting and continuity
- Explore basic video editing techniques
- Export their files in a variety of playable formats in order to share their work
- Utilising professional video editing and audio production software (Sony Vegas Pro) to further enhance their work
Digital Storytelling
Produce a short personal story using video production techniques. Record a spoken narration, add photographic images, text and titles, music and sound FX. This workshop presents a wide range of technical skills and conceptual understandings about genres including documentary, creative non-fiction, historical fiction, oral history, etc. Story content can be drawn from diverse personal experiences and syllabus areas.
Digital Storytelling 2 hr
- Record and edit spoken narration.
- Combine a variety of media types including video clips, still images, sound tracks and sound FX, and titles into a cohesive story.
- Use cinematic language techniques to create a visually arresting and engaging story
- Develop understanding of non-linear and non-destructive editing systems.
- Discover media libraries holding content which can be used with creative commons licences.
- Save and compare project files and rendered playable media files.
- Please note: This workshop requires participants to have already prepared a script, images and storyboard.
Digital Storytelling 4 hour
All topics covered in 2 hour workshop plus
- Animated titles.
- Compositing effects.
- Picture in picture