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Ball State students shoot video using a Sony high definition camera. Their stop in Reggio Emilia, Italy, was one of many they made during an around-the-world trip to shoot a documentary about the effects of digital technology on education.

IMAGINATIVE FACULTY, looking for ways to break the mold of how their disciplines typically function, developed the concept for Ball State’s iCommunication initiative. Within the past year, it has been transformed from idea to reality with the backing of a $20 million grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, Inc. Six different iCommunication classes are being offered this fall, and students and faculty in communication, architecture, and business are aggressively seeking to adapt and use new digital technology for educational and business purposes.

In early July, iCommunication performed a successful test of the Global Media Network, which uses an Internet connection to transmit audio and video in real time. The test allowed English Professor Rai Peterson, who was visiting a university in Korea, to teach a room full of students in Muncie. One of the classes being offered this fall takes advantage of this Korean link to connect scholars and students in weekly virtual discussions to analyze and critique Korean and American film.

The goals for iCommunication go far beyond merely using technology. The initiative is built around the production of content for emerging digital media, which will shape the way society views art, news, information, and entertainment. This summer, communication students and faculty took the first steps toward that future. Equipped with the same type of Sony camera George Lucas used to film his latest “Star Wars” installment, they criss-crossed the globe making a documentary on how digital media is affecting teaching. Along the way, legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who shares an interest in the subject, promised to compose the score for the film.

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