Hi everyone,

 

We've now entered 2011, and I hope you've all had a great winter holidays. We're leaving 2010 behind, but it is also time to leave Mobile Identities behind, at least on ning.

 

Our project started back in 2008, which feels like such a long time ago. Some of you have left school, and those who are still here don’t have that long to go. Well, except for us teachers, of course... :-P

 

The project closed officially in September, but now it is time to also close down the website. I will leave our final project video up for now, but all the rest of the content—your texts, photos and videos—is offline by the time you read this. I have archived all of the material safely, so if you would like any of it back, just e-mail me (stefan.backstrom@jarfalla.se).

 

I have enjoyed and learned from these two years immensely, and I hope all of you have too, teachers as well as students. So many bright and kind students, so many wonderful ideas and works. Best of luck in your future endeavours, and I hope to run into you some day again.

 

-- Stefan.

The “Mobile Identities” project’s title refers to its double meaning: 1) ”mobile” phone as a contemporary tool (handy, up to date and familiar technology to youngsters) and 2) ”mobile” as fluid and everchanging nature of identity; questioning the stereotype of identity as something constant. By involving schools from different geographical parts of Europe (North, South, East, West), from various cultural regions and at the same time exploring students’ present, past (their parents’ and older relatives’ experience) and future ideas and expectations of identity we obtain both synchronic as well as diachronic insight into the problem.

To increase students’ interest we will provoke their creative potential by offering space for free self-expression through multiple of media. The spontaneous approach will be, however, backed up by theoretical seminars. All the while, the students will learn how to express these definitions, commonalities and differences through video, music, painting etc. and combinations of these forms. Both of them (creative and theoretical part) will be continuously discussed by all involved students on the web-blogg and youtube.com. They will also use technologies like Skype and MSN to communicate directly with each other.

The main result will be the film – living document. Its preparation will take considerable part of four workshops organized in four countries. The film will be presented not only to all participating schools but also to its communities.