Ingrid Roche

“Mapping Our Diverse Communities”, Roche’s innovative program idea, involves the students describing, in their own words and images, what  their communities are like. By collaborating with other students, they will show the cultural variety of their communities through  photography, videography, cartography, and through other forms of technology. They will explore a variety of multimedia skills and will  use those skills to create a visual and audible storybook of their lives and community, showcasing their rich cultural backgrounds and  ultimately, the rich cultural landscape of Boston. Students will draft and photograph places of importance within their communities and  create maps highlighting important places within their neighborhoods. As a group, they will determine which aspects of their communities  to share, keeping a focus on ethnic and linguistic diversity. They also will take photos and videos in their individual neighborhoods and  create interactive web applications that will allow the viewer to click on photos and videos to hear more about their communities. They  will share their work with the class and will share with the world through the Internet, the interactive web applications of their  communities. Roche, who lives in Brookline, hopes the program will help students gain a deeper understanding of who they are.