俄罗斯著名歌曲:Students wow lawmakers with video savvy

Students wow lawmakers with video savvy

eSN's Empowered Education Award winners tour Washington, advocate for educational technology

By Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor

Oct 17th, 2008

The winning schools receive their Empowered Education Awards.

After spending many days and countless exhausting hours producing videos worthy of national exposure, the winners of eSchool News’ Empowered Education Awards–a national student video contest sponsored by the Pearson Foundation–celebrated their success with a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., highlighted by meetings with federal lawmakers to discuss technology’s importance to education … and their future.

eSchool News created the Empowered Education Awards program to discover and celebrate the accomplishments of some of America’s brightest young creative minds, while also spotlighting the key role technology plays in 21st-century education. To participate, students from all educational levels were invited to make three- to five-minute original videos on the theme “How Technology Helps Me Learn.”

“Our goal was to give talented young people a rich learning experience that expands their horizons with technology, while deepening their understanding of how America works,” said Gregg W. Downey, president and publisher of eSchool News.

Three semifinalists in each of three categories–elementary, middle, and high school–were chosen by eSchool News editors with help from visitors to eSchool News Online. From these semifinalists, a panel of esteemed judges, all experts in educational technology and/or video production, chose the winning entries based on criteria such as creativity, knowledge of technology, journalistic style, and overall quality in conveying how their schools employ technology to advance learning.

With support from the Pearson Foundation, winners of the awards were flown to D.C. to experience the city, take part in an intensive video workshop hosted by the Digital Arts Alliance, meet with their senators and congressmen , and be honored in an awards ceremony. (See video and photos of the trip here).

Arriving on a Sunday night, the winning student-teacher teams from Ernest Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum, Idaho; Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington, Vt.; and Wyandanch High School in Wyandanch, N.Y., settled into downtown D.C.’s Marriott at Metro Center hotel, miles away from home and eager to enjoy what the nation’s capital has to offer.

“My intentions for competing were twofold,” said Jay Hoffman, teacher of the winning team from Frederick H. Tuttle. “I wanted to know if the skills I was imparting were adequate; in other words, are [my students] competitive on a national level with other middle school students? If not, I would readjust my approach to teaching technology to better equip them.

“Second,” he continued, “I hoped to have positive results so then the kids would see just how much they do know and how fortunate we are to have such great resources in our small Vermont schools. Often students underestimate their ability … much to my surprise.”

The next morning, the winners were escorted from their hotel to the D.C. Duck Tour–a ride along the Potomac River and around various museums and monuments aboard a fully restored World War II DUKW amphibious truck.

Students, teachers, and eSchool News staff climbed aboard for an hour filled with sightseeing, “quackers”–or whistles that sound like ducks–and the informative tales of Captain Franklin, who let the students have a turn at navigating the boat while on the Potomac.

“My best memory was on the Duck Tour when everyone was blowing their quackers at the same time,” said Ernest Hemingway student Tara Burchmore.

“No doubt the Duck Tour,” said Grace Gorham, also from Ernest Hemingway. “I can’t believe the captain let me drive!”

With the sound of the quackers still reverberating in everyone’s ears, it was off to the Digital Arts Alliance program at the National Education Association headquarters in downtown D.C.

There, the winners participated in a workshop with two of the Alliance’s professional filmmakers, where they learned advanced digital video editing techniques.

“This involved looking at narrative form and structure, as well as the conventions of different kinds of short interview-based films and public service announcements,” said Adam Ray, a spokesman for the Pearson Foundation.

The students also learned the basics about how real films are made and distributed. “The students were wide-eyed about that, especially the fact that a film projects takes years to complete,” said Ray.

Students honed their new skills in the context of making a public service announcement (PSA) on the importance of educational technology, using cutting-edge hardware and software provided by Apple Inc.

Each student received a Nokia N-95 phone loaded with the PSA that he or she could take to Capitol Hill the next day. “Using locative media in this way was a big part of the message, and I know that surprised some of the senators,” said Ray.

“This trip definitely allowed my instructor and me to strengthen our video production skills,” said Wyandanch High School winner Lena Cooley.

“I especially liked the symposium on video making. I had recently bought Final Cut Express, and being able to use Final Cut Pro and be tutored on it gave me a great introduction to it,” said Scott Slonim, technology teacher for Ernest Hemingway. “It was also fun to watch the kids come together and work together to make [the PSA].”

After a long day, the winners were treated to a dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s Grill, a celebration hosted by the Pearson Foundation.

Students feasted on surf and turf, treated themselves to luscious pastries, and drank soda from wine glasses under the dim lights and dark mahogany that defines D.C.’s classic elegance.

“To the winners of the Empowered Education Awards!” chanted the mothers, fathers, siblings, and even grandparents who accompanied their beaming children. Glasses clinked, and laughter could be heard at every table as the participants got to know one another.

As the night concluded, teachers made sure to remind their students they had to be alert for the meetings with their congressmen the next day.

Ernest Hemingway students met with Rep. Michael Simpson and Sen. Mike Crapo. Frederick H. Tuttle students met with Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Patrick Leahy, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Wyandanch’s Cooley met with Rep. Steve Israel.

The students said having the chance to talk to their congressmen about how technology helps them learn was exciting and the highlight of their trip.

“I loved seeing the kids’ faces when they spoke with [their lawmakers],” said Slonim.

Students got the chance to show each congressman their PSA and discuss their winning videos.

“It’s so wonderful to meet with you here, because you are our future and what you guys can do with technology these days is incredible,” said Rep. Simpson. “What I do every day, I do for you.”

“I am now more acutely aware of how important it is for me to be proactive in the political arena about technology and its use in schools,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman also plans to voice his schools’ technology needs to local lawmakers. “My students are the perfect group to tell lawmakers what they need to succeed in the 21st century,” he said. “I am currently planning to have our Lieutenant Gov. Brian Dubie visit us here in our studio. We will sit with him and basically spell out what it is we need to facilitate these skills on a daily basis.”

In the afternoon, the winners were brought to the Mayflower Hotel for the trip’s climax–an awards ceremony in their honor.

Kathy Hurley, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for Pearson School Companies, greeted the students and congratulated them on their hard work and talent.

Under the vaulted ceilings and opulence of D.C’s historic hotel, just blocks from the White House, students watched their videos with their peers and received their awards to the thunderous applause of their proud supporters.

“Making movies is what I want to do, so it was nice to win an award for it,” said Burchmore.

“Experiences like these are an essential component for any student and educator to foster and inspire a broader view of technology in education. It was a wonderful and eye-opening experience to share with other schools, technologists, and industry professionals,” said Bruce Penn, technology advisor for Wyandanch.

With their awards in hand, quackers in their pockets, and the impact of Washington on their minds, the winners went home to their schools to share what they’d learned–remembering that with technology, creativity, and a desire to succeed, anything is possible.

Links:

2008 Empowered Education Awards

Pearson Foundation

Digital Arts Alliance

National Education Association

Note to readers:

Don’t forget to visit the Technology Without Breaking the Bank resource center. With every dollar at a premium, school and district leaders are looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing their education initiatives. The good news is, new advancements in technology make this scenario possible. Strategies such as software virtualization, software as a service, open-source software and open technologies, and a new breed of low-cost computers enable school IT directors to streamline their operations and bolster their ed-tech programs-without breaking the bank. Go to: Technology Without Breaking the Bank