Video Picks from August 2010
Here’s the archive of links to VideoAmy’s educational video picks from August 2010.
August Favorites
StoryCorps: Q and A
StoryCorps is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. These stories are broadcast on the radio and preserved in the Library of Congress. And just recently, StoryCorps has enlisted animators to make short videos from some audience favorites. In this clip, Joshua Littman, a 12-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome, interviews his mother, Sarah. (Source: StoryCorps YouTube Channel)
As everyone goes back to school for the year, we've been thinking about transformation. Check out this video about Sacramento High School's quest to turn around its reputation as a "dropout factory." Like many schools across the country, it is challenged by low graduation rates -- but the staff is committed to improving the quality of education for minorities and the poorest of students. Read more here. (Source: Vanessa Diffenbaugh's YouTube Channel)
Ever wish there was a way to find and sort the gazillions of educational videos on the Web? You're in luck -- check out WatchKnow, a website designed to help kids, teachers and parents collect and organize educational videos. It's a wiki, which means the more users contribute, the better it gets. It also offers how-to videos on using the site. (Source: WatchKnow)
Previously Featured: August 27, 2010
Katrina's Silver Lining: The School Choice Revolution in New Orleans
Sunday, August 29th marks the five-year anniversary of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. But out of the rubble, New Orleans has built the most market-based school system in the US. Test scores are up, and talented and passionate educators from around the country are flocking to New Orleans to be a part of the education revolution. (Source: ReasonTV YouTube Channel)
Ever wanted to go behind-the-scenes at a great school when it was just getting started? Come along as Co-Founder of Big Picture Learning Elliot Washor gives a tour of the inside of one of the nearly complete community schools at The Met campus in South Providence, RI in September of 2002. (Source: Big Picture YouTube Channel)
As everyone goes back to school for the year, we've been thinking about transformation. Check out this video about Sacramento High School's quest to turn around its reputation as a "dropout factory." Like many schools across the country, it is challenged by low graduation rates -- but the staff is committed to improving the quality of education for minorities and the poorest of students. Read more here. (Source: Vanessa Diffenbaugh's YouTube Channel)
Previously Featured: August 20, 2010
StoryCorps: Q and A
StoryCorps is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. These stories are broadcast on the radio and preserved in the Library of Congress. And just recently, StoryCorps has enlisted animators to make short videos from some audience favorites. In this clip, Joshua Littman, a 12-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome, interviews his mother, Sarah. (Source: StoryCorps YouTube Channel)
This video has been making the rounds on social media all week; it's clearly inspired by the series of "Did You Know / Shift Happens" videos, but with the distinction of being sponsored by the New Brunswick Department of Education. Can you imagine if school districts across the country started conversations among the teachers, administrators, and education stakeholders with videos like this? (Source: New Brunswick YouTube Channel)
At West Philadelphia High School the West Philadelphia Auto Academy formed Team EVX to compete in the Automotive X Prize. Building a 100 mpg car created a project based learning opportunity that provided students with real world experience ranging from engineering to public relations. Visit the West Philly Hybrid X Team website for more information. (Source: Gates Foundation YouTube Channel)
Previously Featured: August 13, 2010
There's been quite a bit of buzz about several documentary films that are critical of the current state of American education, with varying ideas about what should be done. Whether you agree with the point of view of any of these films or not, they are sure to get you thinking. To speak up with your own thoughts on the films and join the discussion about how education reform can actually happen, check out our community group, Reform Starts Here. If you've seen the films, let us know if you think any of these directors have got the right idea, or if you think there's a different story to be told.
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) follows a handful of promising kids through a system that he suggests inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth. (Source: Waiting for Superman)
Director Vicki Abeles' new documentary is about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture she describes as obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform. (Source: Race to Nowhere)
Madeleine Sackler's film The Lottery endeavors to uncover the failures of the traditional public school system by following four families from Harlem and the Bronx who have entered their children in a charter school lottery. (Source: The Lottery)
Previously Featured: August 6, 2010
Adora Svitak: What Adults Can Learn From Kids
Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach. (Source: TED Talks)
Ever wish there was a way to find and sort the gazillions of educational videos on the Web? You're in luck -- check out WatchKnow, a website designed to help kids, teachers and parents collect and organize educational videos. It's a wiki, which means the more users contribute, the better it gets. It also offers how-to videos on using the site. (Source: WatchKnow)
In Morocco, a new kind of school is teaching circus arts along with academics and social skills, helping former street children rebuild confidence in themselves and in society. The school collaborates with various community organizations and circus professionals abroad. Find more information about the school here. (Source: World Bank YouTube Channel)
Featured videos from July 2010
Share Your Favorite Education Videos
If you know of a must-see video, leave a comment here, email the URL to media@edutopia.org, or tweet a link to @VideoAmy on Twitter.com and I'll be sure to take a look. Note: Some videos may be preceded by brief ads; in some cases, free registration may be required; and news-sensitive links may expire over the next week.