Video Picks from October 2010
Here’s the archive of links to VideoAmy’s educational video picks from October 2010.
October Favorites
Nichole Pinkard on Media Literacy
In this excellent new video by the Pearson Foundation, Nichole Pinkard, founder of Chicago's Digital Youth Network, describes the importance of media literacy as an essential component of a 21st century education. Edutopia produced a video about Digital Youth Network and a profile of a DYN kid as part of our Digital Generation Project. (Source: New Learning Institute)
Here's a classic example of two great things made even better by being put together: Sir Ken Robinson and RSA Animate. If you haven't seen the RSA Animate series before, definitely visit the collection -- they bring compelling lectures and talks to life by putting them to animated whiteboard visuals, usually with fantastic results. Absolutely worth the 12 minutes. (Source: The RSA.org YouTube Channel)
October was National Bullying Prevention Month, and there are some amazing resources out there for educators. Sponsored by the PACER Center, an advocacy organization, the campaign is intended to unite communities nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention. Here's a great video that introduces some of PACER's tools. (Source: PACER Center's YouTube Channel)
Previously Featured: October 29th, 2010
RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms
Here's a classic example of two great things made even better by being put together: Sir Ken Robinson and RSA Animate. If you haven't seen the RSA Animate series before, definitely visit the collection -- they bring compelling lectures and talks to life by putting them to animated whiteboard visuals, usually with fantastic results. Absolutely worth the 12 minutes. (Source: The RSA.org YouTube Channel)
Amy Poehler's girl-power web video series is all about "changing the world by being yourself" -- a message she delivers with her usual deadpan wit. In each episode, Poehler interviews young girls who are excelling in school and various other pursuits, showing us how it's hip to be smart and well-rounded. Even better, the website includes a community and the opportunity for girls to upload their own videos and connect with each other. (Source: Smart Girls at the Party)
Don't forget to be safe this Halloween... and check out this 1977 educational filmstrip on costume safety for trick-or-treaters. If the cliffhanger at the end is too much to bear, you can see Part 2 here. Critical lessons: don't dress like a witch unless you have a lot of reflective tape handy. Happy Halloween! (Source: vancefink's YouTube Channel)
Previously Featured: October 22nd, 2010
Nichole Pinkard on Media Literacy
In this excellent new video by the Pearson Foundation, Nichole Pinkard, founder of Chicago's Digital Youth Network, describes the importance of media literacy as an essential component of a 21st century education. Edutopia produced a video about Digital Youth Network and a profile of a DYN kid as part of our Digital Generation Project. (Source: New Learning Institute)
GOOD Magazine shows us how "Second Life" teaching can be a powerful example of how we can expand the boundaries of the classroom and the scope of student-teacher interactions. For more information on Second Life for K-12 educators, check out this article from THE Journal. (Source: GOOD Magazine's YouTube Channel)
This video appears to have been made by an educator in South Carolina; in the description the producer writes that the project was created "to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so." Hear, hear. (Source: bjnesbitt's YouTube Channel)
Previously Featured: October 15th, 2010
Powers of Ten
The date October 10th, 2010 marked Powers of Ten Day - and what better way to celebrate than with Ray and Charles Eames' classic 1968 film, Powers of Ten? An adventure in magnitudes, the film takes us from a picnic by a lakeside in Chicago to the outer edges of the universe. Check out the Powers of Ten website for more information. (Source: Eames Office's YouTube Channel)
Comedy duo Abbott and Costello frequently made arithmetic brain-teasers the center of their sketches. In this scene from In the Navy, Costello employs some mathematical hocus-pocus to show Abbott how seven multiplied by thirteen equal twenty-eight. Here's a brief teacher's guide to using this clip in your class to explain place value, and here's a short article about the pair's math-related scenes. (Source: k50aker's YouTube Channel)
Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. At TEDxNYED, high school math teacher Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think. Visit Dan's blog for more real-life math problems. (Source: TEDx Talks' YouTube Channel)
Previously Featured: October 8th, 2010
PACER Teens Against Bullying
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and there are some amazing resources out there for educators. Sponsored by the PACER Center, an advocacy organization, the campaign is intended to unite communities nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention. Here's a great video that introduces some of PACER's tools. (Source: PACER Center's YouTube Channel)
Watch this powerful trailer for a new film called Bullied, from Teaching Tolerance, about student Jamie Nabozny's groundbreaking lawsuit, and then order a free copy and learning module for your school. Warning -- the is language not necessarily safe for work. On a related note, I was really moved by Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project on YouTube - check it out for more resources for supporting LGBT teens. (Source: Teaching Tolerance's YouTube Channel)
Stop Bullying is a rich and useful website from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They offer tools for both kids and adults: games, information, and a fun series of twelve animated shorts about dealing with bullies that include downloadable study guides. Tune in to the first episode below. (Source: Stop Bullying Now)
Previously Featured: October 1st, 2010
The Ultimate Block Party
On Sunday, October 3rd, in New York City's Central Park, there will be an unprecedented event that brings parents, children, teachers, and scientists together to demonstrate the transformative power of play for learning -- The Ultimate Block Party. Read more in this article from Mind in the Making. (Source: Ultimate Block Party's YouTube Channel)
Don Johnston, Inc. is a company that offers accessible reading and writing technologies for students with cognitive, physical, and learning disabilities. In this moving video, they take a hard look at the assumptions stopping schools from using technology, and call for a new way of thinking about assistive technology. (Source: Don Johnston, Inc.'s YouTube Channel)
A recent article from GOOD on the Nine Best Sesame Street Guest Appearances inspired me to check out some of the great video clips offered by Sesame Street, including this gem where Patrick Stewart offers a soliloquy on the letter B. (Source: Sesame Street's YouTube Channel)
Featured videos from September 2010
Featured videos from August 2010
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.