Welcome to Entertainment Marketing! There are THREE online services we use to communicate and collaborate inside and outside the classroom. All of them are connected to your @stcschools.com account, and each helps us in specific ways.
You may receive an invitation in Google Classroom from Mr. Weaver at the beginning of the year for the course(s) you are enrolled in. If you don't receive a direct invitation, it means we will take care of this in person using class codes!
We use course folders in your personal Google Drive to keep track of everything you create! For example, if you are enrolled in Musical Engineering, you should create a folder in your Drive named "Musical Engineering" (or something similar). This folder is a home for your production documents, finished creative projects, and feedback journal. This is good practice for any course, but for Entertainment Marketing courses it is a necessity.
The search function in Google Drive is great, but files can easily get lost without folders to keep them organized! Make sure you upload your completed projects to your course folder in Drive BEFORE attaching them to a Classroom assignment.
Our website includes a Mission Board (reddevilproductions.com/missions) enabling past and present students in the program to sign up for extra-curricular events! Our work outside the classroom is an important public service for the school and community. These events are fun opportunities for you to gain more experience operating cameras, assisting in production, and learning more about how video production works in the real world.
ALL extracurricular events are organized using the Mission Board. Spots for each event are limited, so be sure to sign up in advance!
Dates and times for upcoming events are public, and mission details include current student sign ups (first name + last initial). Logging in with your "@stcschools.com" account enables you to sign up for posted missions as well as see a list of your current sign-ups.
Please make sure you download the Rocket.Chat app and enable notifications before signing up for events on the Mission Board!
As we complete projects in and out of the classroom, you have the option of collecting evidence of your mastery in your Google Drive course folder. Once you master certain sets of skills and provide the required items, you will earn certification badges through Badgr. These badges track your growth as a creator as the year progresses, and because they are public, shareable and verifiable by others, they serve as proof of your achievement to people outside our program.
For returning students, certifications can unlock optional advanced projects that take the place of regular course curriculum as well as the opportunity to work independently for extra-curricular videography events. For more, please see the Certification page of the Program Handbook.
Do you go by a name other than the name on your Google account? Let Mr. Weaver know and he will update your displayed name for our website and chat services.
Red Devil Productions Chat (https://chat.reddevilproductions.com) is an online message platform built on Rocket.Chat and accessible only through your "@stcschools.com" account. In addition to group & direct messaging, you will gain access to several chat "channels," including dedicated channels for each course.
Rocket.Chat is a popular platform used in many industries to enable communication between professionals. If you are familiar with Discord, you will feel right at home. Rocket.Chat can be accessed from any web browser as well as through dedicated iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows apps.
The Rocket.Chat app, installed on your mobile device and signed into https://chat.reddevilproductions.com, is a requirement to check out equipment. please see the equipment agreement for exceptions.
Using your Chromebook:
RDP.chat uses "channels" to organize messages between users. Channels can be private (only invited students) or public (any student can join), and all channels begin with a hashtag (#).
Discussions are special sub-channels created by Mr. Weaver for specific projects or creative teams. They are used throughout the year for collaboration between courses. Discussions are visible to any student in the channel the discussion was created in and most often appear in #general. Discussions can be hidden from your list of chats but will re-appear if another message is sent.
Direct messages are private and created on demand, just like a text message. Direct messages can include one or more students, but they can only be created by Mr. Weaver. Once created, they will be available for you to contact him when necessary. Like discussions, direct messages can be hidden from your chat list and will reappear when you recieve a new message.
Don't have a direct message open with Mr. Weaver? You can @mention him in your Course Channel and ask for a direct message to be created for you.
The Directory (hashtag icon) at the top left of the screen is a list of all available public channels. When you first log in, you should automatically see two channels: #general and #latest-releases. If you don't, please find them in the directory and join them! Joining a channel will give you the ability to read and write posts as well as receive a notification when you are mentioned in a message. Most channels are not course-specific, which means every student in the program will participate.
There are several optional public channels available to everyone in the program! Some are for collaboration between classes, some are to share your favorite songs and videos, and some are just for fun.
In addition to public channels, you will be added to your specific course's Team channel. We'll utilize these team channels year-round for collaboration, polling, and brainstorming.
While notifications are most useful in the Rocket.Chat mobile app, you will also get notifications in any open Rocket.Chat tab whenever you A) receive a direct message, or B) are mentioned in a channel using the @ symbol. These notifications will also be pushed to the Rocket.Chat app if you have it installed on your mobile device!
Typing the @ symbol followed by a user name in your message will push a notification to that user. For example, if you had a question about an upcoming event, you could send a message in the #general channel saying:
Hey @mr.weaver, what should we wear for the event tonight?
Mr. Weaver will get a push notification and get back to you. Mentions are useful to get someone's attention when posting in a channel or discussion with many users. For example:
@john.snow did you take care of the last 3 shots of the storyboard? We HAVE to start production tomorrow.
John will get a push notification for this message as long as he is a member of the channel it was sent to. Need someone else in on the conversation? More than one user can be mentioned in a message.
@sansa.stark @bran.stark @john.snow Are you guys available after school today for open lab? We can knock this edit out...
Mentions are a great way to "loop someone in" to a conversation. Use them in your team channels!
Download the Rocket.Chat app from the App Store or Google Play Store:
Rocket.Chat for iOS
Rocket.Chat for Android
For Windows and MacOS:
Download the Rocket.Chat app from the official website, then follow the instructions for mobile devices to get connected.
All this information is just scratching the surface of these platforms, and you will get tons of experience using them as the year progresses! We will review everything on this page at the beginning of the year and practice using each service during class. This page serves as a reference if you are absent for our orientation, or if you need clarification on any of this information. When in doubt, email Mr. Weaver with your questions or technical issues or ask him in person. It is essential to get connected!