United Nations and USC Shoah Foundation Institute Debut IWitness
January 20, 2012
New Online Educational Resource
Showcases Video Testimonies of Holocaust Eyewitnesses
MEDIA ADVISORY
The USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme will hold a special event on Monday, January 23, to unveil IWitness.
Designed as an online resource for secondary school teachers and students, IWitness makes 1,000 video testimonies of survivors and other eyewitnesses of the Holocaust available to provide a deeper understanding of 20th century history and an opportunity to learn 21st century digital and media literacy skills. The event is held in partnership with the United States Mission to the United Nations and in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
About 350 New York metropolitan area secondary school students who have been using a beta version of IWitness over the past month will attend the event to convey their experience completing one of the online activities that involves viewing portions of Roman Kent's testimony. Roman Kent will be present at the event to hear students speak about this learning experience, provide his own reflections, and answers the students' questions about his experiences. The results of the students' projects will be shared with those attending the event.
"Through IWitness, survivors will not only continue to teach students about the Holocaust and inspire them to act against intolerance, they will also help empower young learners to develop the literacy they need to excel in a world being transformed by information technology and new media," said Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute.
WHAT: Unveiling of IWitness with 350 secondary school students from New York area with two students presenting their project and all of the students having the opportunity to talk to Mr. Kent.
WHO: Dr. Stephen Smith - Executive director of USC Shoah Foundation Institute
Mr. Kiyo Akasaka – Under-Secretary-General for Coummunications and Public Information, United Nations
Roman Kent – Holocaust survivor
350 New York area secondary school students and their teachers
WHEN: Monday, January 23. 9:30 media check-in. 10 a.m. program
WHERE: Conference room 2, North Lawn Building, United Nations (First and 46th Street)
WHY: IWitness marks the first time testimonies from the Shoah Foundation Institute, founded in 1994 by filmmaker Steven Spielberg after completing the film Schindler's List, will be made available over the Internet to secondary school teachers and students to fulfill a goal of the Institute to make the testimonies accessible so that future generations will be able to learn directly from these eyewitnesses in a transformative way.
For media accreditation: Visit www.un.org/media/accreditation or contact Isabelle Broyer, chief, Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, United Nations Department of Public Information, 212 963 6937 or .
Contact: Eddie North-Hager at (213) 740-9335 or edwardnh@usc.edu.
Anne Marie Stein at (510) 893-3271 x109 or annemarie@oneprstudio.com.
MEDIA ADVISORY
The USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education and the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme will hold a special event on Monday, January 23, to unveil IWitness.
Designed as an online resource for secondary school teachers and students, IWitness makes 1,000 video testimonies of survivors and other eyewitnesses of the Holocaust available to provide a deeper understanding of 20th century history and an opportunity to learn 21st century digital and media literacy skills. The event is held in partnership with the United States Mission to the United Nations and in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
About 350 New York metropolitan area secondary school students who have been using a beta version of IWitness over the past month will attend the event to convey their experience completing one of the online activities that involves viewing portions of Roman Kent's testimony. Roman Kent will be present at the event to hear students speak about this learning experience, provide his own reflections, and answers the students' questions about his experiences. The results of the students' projects will be shared with those attending the event.
"Through IWitness, survivors will not only continue to teach students about the Holocaust and inspire them to act against intolerance, they will also help empower young learners to develop the literacy they need to excel in a world being transformed by information technology and new media," said Stephen D. Smith, executive director of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute.
WHAT: Unveiling of IWitness with 350 secondary school students from New York area with two students presenting their project and all of the students having the opportunity to talk to Mr. Kent.
WHO: Dr. Stephen Smith - Executive director of USC Shoah Foundation Institute
Mr. Kiyo Akasaka – Under-Secretary-General for Coummunications and Public Information, United Nations
Roman Kent – Holocaust survivor
350 New York area secondary school students and their teachers
WHEN: Monday, January 23. 9:30 media check-in. 10 a.m. program
WHERE: Conference room 2, North Lawn Building, United Nations (First and 46th Street)
WHY: IWitness marks the first time testimonies from the Shoah Foundation Institute, founded in 1994 by filmmaker Steven Spielberg after completing the film Schindler's List, will be made available over the Internet to secondary school teachers and students to fulfill a goal of the Institute to make the testimonies accessible so that future generations will be able to learn directly from these eyewitnesses in a transformative way.
For media accreditation: Visit www.un.org/media/accreditation or contact Isabelle Broyer, chief, Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit, United Nations Department of Public Information, 212 963 6937 or .
Contact: Eddie North-Hager at (213) 740-9335 or edwardnh@usc.edu.
Anne Marie Stein at (510) 893-3271 x109 or annemarie@oneprstudio.com.
USC Information