Posted by SMAD October 7, 2007
Story by KATRINA BRAMHALL

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- For 22 years, SMAD Professor John Woody has graced JMU with his broad knowledge of rising technologies, and has been awarded for his efforts towards implementing them in the classroom. Woody was named Apple Distinguished Educator in 2001, a national recognition given to only five individuals in the creative and design field that year.

He said that if it hadn’t been for fellow SMAD professor Dave Wendelken, he wouldn’t have gotten the ADE title. Woody taught the first class in the program with a borrowed Macintosh computer from Wendelken. “I was using one computer [for] twenty students. From that one class, literally the whole multimedia department blossomed,” he said. After a few short years later, he was nominated for the ADE program.

As an Apple Distinguished Educator, Woody is given the opportunity to work with software developers and engineers.  This allows ADEs to prepare for applying new products in the classroom.

Before Woody discovered his passion for video, he was convinced that he would make a career around music. After high school, he played the guitar and led the true life of a musician, traveling the country for months on end.ad

When he decided to attend college, he chose JMU, named Madison College at the time. Bob Finney, Woody’s speech professor recognized his talent in video production after watching a film he made on sound. Woody was told to meet Finney in his office the very next morning. Finney handed him a completed change of major form and urged him to leave his current major, psychology, to become a communications major. “I was playing rock’n’roll and country. I was doing everything and just fell in love with video. Since I fell in love with video, it all ended.”

For a person who was born in the jungles of Brazil and hadn’t seen TV until he was 11 years old, Woody has come a long way. He has created thousands of video productions and ranks second or third in the nation for the most awards held by a faculty member.

Before teaching at JMU he worked as the Manager of Program Development at the Learning Channel in Washington D.C. He has also worked freelance for many years. Woody is especially proud of the projects he created with students in the SMAD department. MacRockumentary, One Day/One Community, Pat McGee Live, and Beyond JMU: The DVD are some of the student-made productions driven by Woody. Fascinatingly, the revenue from the DVD sales has been used to fund a scholarship created by the students. This fund, “One Day/One University Scholarship” may be the only scholarship program in the nation produced by students.

In addition to being an Apple Distinguished Educator, Woody has received dozens of awards. The Broadcast Education Association has presented him with 17 awards, most of them first-place. Woody has also received awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the National Broadcasting Society.

Woody currently teaches Digital Post-Production, Advanced Video Post-Production, Entrepreneurial Video, and Fundamental Skills in Media Arts and Design II. His interest of focus is high-definition video work.

Constantly bombarded with requests for producing videos, Woody is always working on something. “If I’m down for two weeks and I’m not producing something, I go crazy,” he said.

The project that he is currently most excited about has involved four years of shooting footage. Woody is looking forward to editing the footage, and predicts a release date of early summer.

Apple has recently invited Woody to apply for their Learning Fellowship Program. The program will entail traveling around the world, and working alongside other teachers who incorporate high-end software in their curriculum.