Silicon Valley has become a popular subject, not only in cinema, but on television dramas. Indeed, a great many stories at the moment concern the power and glory and development of the Valley. When we look at today’s society we can see how film and television have effectively become the authoritative sources for many of people’s knowledge of history. The objective of the unit is to illustrate to students that there is power in moving images, and they conjure up powerful feelings and communicate ideas in ways that transcend the written word. As product of understanding their own public history, students create self-documentaries that draw upon the rich histories of their neighborhoods and speak back to the broader historical narratives within Silicon Valley using the language, process and technique of filmmaking.

(Developed for Multimedia Arts, grades 9-12; recommended for Media Arts, U. S. History, and English, grades 9-12)