Blogs on Five-Minute Film Festival

Today is World Water Day. We're mostly made of it -- about 60% of the human body is water. We need a lot of it -- you can't survive more than a week without it. And we've got a finite supply -- only a fraction of the water on our planet is drinkable. Yet many of us take it for granted.

Ah, the silver screen: we all love to escape into other times, other worlds, and other peoples' stories. While millions tune in to the Oscars with bated breath and bowls full of popcorn, I know there are some educators out there who are wondering how they can drum up that kind of excitement and engagement in their classroom. Gone are the days when all the students fell asleep as soon as the lights went dim -- movies and videos can be incredibly powerful teaching tools, if you know how to use them well.

Sometimes you just need a short, powerful video to start a meeting, an event, or a presentation -- something that really makes everyone sit up straight and start listening. It's the beginning of a brand new year, in the dark and cold of winter, and it seems like the perfect time to offer up some meeting opener videos that will leave you feeling energized and excited. And since they say you only have a few moments to get your audience's attention, almost all of these videos are under five minutes.

Editor's Note: Spielberg's Lincoln film has stirred controversy in recent weeks for portraying three of Connecticut's four congressmen voting against the constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. In fact, all four of the state's representatives voted in favor. The film's writer, Tony Kushner, says it was an intentional inaccuracy aimed at showing how powerful forces, even in New England, were determined to block the abolition of slavery. Kushner stresses that the work is an historical fiction not an historical record.

Everyone is talking about Abraham Lincoln. With Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie Lincoln taking theaters by storm and generating Oscar buzz, there's never been a better time to drum up good resources to teach about our 16th president -- and the tumultuous times in which he led the country.