About Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius
With generous support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, WGBH brings you this media literacy project for kids 6-11.
This is a pilot – a test – with Ruff Ruffman videos looking at the red-hot topic of how kids can and should use media and technology. Our first videos focus on texting, sharing photographs, using search, and finding an appropriate balance of technology use.
On this site you can also find resources for parents and teachers.
Check out our latest work looking at Distracted Driving!
Visit our production blog for more detailed project information.
Project Credits
Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius was devised and produced by Bill Shribman, co-written with Gentry Menzel, designed by Dan Nolan and Tara Taylor, and developed for the Internets by Kevin Lesniewicz.
Animation was created by Flaming Medusa Studios Inc. and Global Mechanic and post-produced by Arnie Harchik and Mark Geffen.
Music was created and performed by Moby with additional tracks from Kit Buckley and Gentry Menzel.
Special thanks go to our friends at PBS KIDS team for their support.
Brigid Sullivan and Terry Fitzpatrick is and/or are and/or were the Vice President(s) for Children's Media and Educational Programming.
Jim Conroy is the voice of Ruff Ruffman.
Major funding for Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Also for WGBH, in Order of How Many Letters Are in Their Names:
Erin Lee
Gene Lee
Alan West
Amy Green
Amy Stahl
Anna Fort
Deb Frank
Maya Gaul
Bara Levin
Kara Brady
Molly Hall
Glen Berger
Jay Fialkov
Kaja Fickes
Nathan Long
Norah Jones
Amy Stockman
Bharat Battu
Caroline Lee
Denise Olson
Dennis Biron
Evie Kintzer
Jay Thompson
Jeff Bartell
Laura Nooney
Mandy Miller
Michael Raia
Nike Okediji
Pat McDonald
Andrea Morris
Chris Dietlin
Frank LeClair
Jessica Fjeld
Karen Baseman
Tristan Walsh
Cynthia Broner
Natalia Miller
Sue Kantrowitz
Carol Greenwald
Molly McDonough
Sylvia Castillo
Melissa Carlson
Belinda Arredondo
Carolyn Gallmeyer
Michael Steadman
Brenda Burke-Lyons
Denise Descoteaux Olson
Cindy Wittman Zollinger
Animation
Animation is by Flaming Medusa Studios Inc. and Global Mechanic.Animation Direction by Darcy Vorhees. Storyboard by Darcy Vorhees and Tom Beuerlein. Layout/Animation by Tom Beuerlein and Matthew Augustin. Production Assistance by Amber Nicole Childers.
Advisers
Sherri Hope Culver, Director of the Center for Media and Information Literacy at Temple University and president of NAMLE.
With support from:
Dr. Urs Gasser, Executive Director of the Berkman Center at Harvard University
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director, National Association for Media Literacy Education
Dr. Amy Jensen, Department Chair, Theatre and Media Arts, Brigham Young University
Dr. Alison Head, Information Scientist at Berkman Center and Executive Director of Project Information Literacy at the University of Washington.
Dr. Carla Martin, Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
Dr. Rey Junco, Education & Human Computer Interaction at Iowa State University
Ken Denmead, publisher of GeekDad
Vicky Rideout, VJR Consulting
Joi Podgorny, Director of Community Engagement at Smart Bomb Interactive
Ana Lilian Flores, founder of Latina Bloggers Connect and Co-Founder, SpanglishBaby.com
Anastasia Goodstein, author and Vice President of Digital Services at the Advertising Council
Dr. Claire McCarthy, Medical Communications Editor, Children's Hospital, Boston
Sandra Cortesi, Director of Youth and Media, Berkman Center at Harvard University
Dr. Julie Frechette, Professor of Communication at Worcester State University
Dr. William Yousman, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Frank Baker, President of the Media Literacy Clearinghouse
Many Thanks Also Go To:
Griffin Quasebarth (Intern/Intergalactic Space Hero), PBS LearningMedia, Marnie, Lucy, Zoe, Belhina, Nicole, Jackson Mann K-8 School, DxB Boston, JOCAM, Pine Hill Elementary School, Apprentice Learning, GeekMom.com, GeekDad.com, Dr. Julian McDougall, Marketa Zezulkova, Monica Bulger, Dr. Sonia Livingstone, Dr. Jarmo Viteli, Erin McNeill, and the Berkman Center at Harvard University.