DEN Blog Network

Apparently, that’s what the Department of Education thinks and would like to hear students’ thinking on that in a 2 minute video. And by student they mean “an active middle, secondary or college student 13 years or older.” I’m sure they set 13 as the starting point because of YouTube’s terms of service. If sharing their viewpoint with the federal government isn’t enough of an incentive for your students, the three winners will also receive a $1,000 award.

And if your students don’t want to or can’t enter the actual contest, they could still take the challenge to share their feelings with the class, school, administration, and maybe even the community as a whole. This is a great opportunity to encourage your students to think about what value they place on their education (and what investment they need to make personally). Cross-posted from our Digital Storytelling blog.

The World is Just Awesome!!

Lets not trash it, heat it up or waste it. Look around you. Look around class, the school, the community and your own home. How can you make a difference? Get a little info by watching, reading and listening to the media below and other people. Then share your thoughts. The only wrong answer, is no answer.

I created an assignment in Discovery Education streaming for Earth Day, April 22. I also incorporated the use of a great site, voicethread.com. If you haven’t heard of it check out the assignment below by clicking on the link.

Teacher Printable Version: Earth Day streaming and voicethread assignment

Student link to Assignment (must have Discovery Education streaming) Shoot me an email with “Earth Day” in the subject. Include your Discovery Education streaming username and I’ll send you the link.

Direct VoiceThread link.

5 minute Jing: An quick video overview of VoiceThread.

Extension Hands-on: Trash sorting Lab
Never heard of it? It’s simple. Collect trash for a few days. (Important: No animal by-products! Don’t want to send anyone to the emergency room. Plant material perfectly ok, but put that left over pot roast in Fido’s bowl or simply another trash bag) Bring trash bag into school and have students sort it. You can give them sorting categories or even better have them come up with their own. Also throw in some process skills here, how do you measure how much? Let them figure it out.
Main Point: A lot of trash, well just isn’t. How much(grams, volume, other) needs to go to the landfill?
Extension Media:
Got DE Streaming Plus? Have them watch a Planet Earth segment. The world rocks. Any will do, but “The Future” one is on topic. Don’t have DE Streaming PLUS.

Psst!! You can become a STAR Discovery Educator and get it for free through the end of this school year. No really, just another benefit of being a STAR. Find out how here.

David Jakes, an educator here in Illinois, put together a series of 11 screencasts teaching people how to use Photostory 3.  If you’re just getting started in the world of digital storytelling, this is an incredible resource.  Actually, his entire website, Jakes Online, is worth exploring.  Tons of resources, you could easily spend hours exploring everything he has there.