Kids. Cable. Learning. The Official Podcast Channel of Cable in the Classroom!

Time for Kids to Vote!

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 15:32:00 -0500

It's time for Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President!

The program's host, Linda Ellerbee, joined Kids.Cable.Learning for this podcast (15.6MB, MP3) to tell us about how kids can get involved - and pick the president.

Kids Pick the President airs Sunday, October 12th at 9pm EST on Nick. Then, kids get to vote for president online - polls open immediately following the show.

Kids can vote online from October 12th - Oct 20th.

The winner of the kids' presidential race will be announced on Monday, Oct. 20th at 8pm EST on Nick.

Web resources:
Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President
Nick Initiatives
teachers.nick.com
eLECTIONS game

Developing 21st Century Skills in School and District Leaders

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 10:03:00 -0500

During the 13th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) held in Washington, DC in March 2008, Cable in the Classroom helped moderate a panel discussion on Developing 21st Century Skills in School and District Leaders. CoSN is the country’s premier voice for K-12 education leaders who use technology strategically to improve teaching and learning.

Members of the panel discussed the 2007 revised framework of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which offers a vision for educational technology leaders. The panel, comprised of experts from cutting-edge districts and thought leaders from higher education and the nonprofit sector, examined common assumptions and goals for technology integration in the context of the 21st century skills movement. More importantly, panelists and attendees discussed what skills, knowledge and expertise school leaders must have for our nation’s evolving learning expectations.

For this podcast (MP3, 23.5MB), we spoke with one of the panelists, Terry Clark, a 2005 Cable's Leaders in Learning Award winner and the assistant superintendent for Instruction and Technology at Bethpage Union Free School District in New York. Mr. Clark discussed how teachers in his school district are currently implementing the revised framework of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which offers a vision for educational technology leaders.

Web site resources:
Consortium for School Networking
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Bethpage Union Free School District
Bethpage Radio
Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards

Documenting Youth in Action

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:37:00 -0500

Moises Velez is a Peabody-award winning producer and currently the head of development for mun2, the NBCU cable network that celebrates the lifestyle of U.S. Latino youth. He spoke with Cable in the Classroom about the network’s documentary news series revolving around some of the most important issues relevant to Latino youth - including immigration, the environment and military recruitment in schools. This series includes “Toxic City,” the topic of our recent podcast with student Ryan Perez from Los Angeles, and the “Latinos in the Military” news special.

In this podcast (mp3, 10.6MB), Moises shared how mun2 picked the topics for the documentary series and explained the process that goes into putting together the films. He also shared his thoughts on how teachers and students can – and should – use the series in classrooms.

Web site resources:
mun2
News Special
Inspiring Youth in Their Communities Podcast

Got STEM? Building Interest in STEM among Girls and Minorities

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 4 Aug 2008 10:13:00 -0500

This podcast (MP3, 33.1 MB) is a recording of a panel discussion held during the 2008 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC). Based on the content of the Summer 2008 edition of Cable in the Classroom’s Threshold, Helen Soulé of Soulé Consulting Services moderated this discussion on innovative approaches to build interest and demand in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields among young women and minorities. Panelists included Erin Reilly from the Project New Media Literacies, MIT Comparative Media Studies and Karen Peterson, from the National Girls Collaborative Project and the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Douglas Levin, from Cable in the Classroom, and Marina Leight, from the Center for Digital Education, also offered insights as part of the panel.

More eLECTIONS resources

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:24:00 -0500

Donna Krache, executive producer for CNN Student News, talked with us (MP3, 8.0MB) about this free resource from CNN, their contribution to CIC’s eLECTIONS game and what teachers and students have to look forward to from the organization in the fall.

Website Resources:

CNN Student News
Elections 101
CNN Student News: Talking Democracy

From the C-SPAN bus

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:40:00 -0500

Hear about C-SPAN’s plans (MP3, 3.3MB) for educator resources during this presidential election… from the exhibition floor at NECC 2008.

Website resources:
C-SPAN.org
C-SPAN Classroom

Ed Begley on HGTV's "Living with Ed"

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 5 May 2008 13:39:00 -0500

When actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. became motivated to help improve his smoggy Los Angeles, Calif., environment-around the first Earth Day in 1970-he started small: recycling, composting, and buying biodegradable soaps and detergents. Now, Begley shares his 38 years of environmental know-how through the reality series Living with Ed, an HGTV Cable in the Classroom offering that showcases his efforts to reduce his family's environmental impact, from sustainable landscaping to energy-generating wind turbines and solar panels.

In this interview (13MB, MP3) with Cable in the Classroom Magazine's Lauren Capolupo, Begley talks about how educators and parents can teach students about environmental responsibility-and why kids are such an important part of a larger shift toward green living. Read about it in the May 2008 edition of Cable in the Classroom Magazine.

WE tv – HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:31:00 -0500

Cable in the Classroom recently spoke with “Kim W.” who is one of the featured students in WE tv’s HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, a documentary series airing Mondays at 10 pm ET through April 28. The series follows 12 girls through four years of high school capturing their daily lives, motivations, challenges, and peer and parental pressures they experienced.

In this interview (MP3, 15MB), we take a look at recent Harris Poll findings on teenagers’ lives related to stress, lack of sleep, body image and interpersonal relationships. Kim W., now a student at Boston University majoring in Philosophy and Political Science, elaborates on her experiences in high school, particularly the stress she faced balancing parent expectations, academics, sports and other activities. We also hear how she is striving to achieve work-life-study balance now that she is in college. She describes what it was like to have cameras follow her throughout her high school years to major events, and what the reaction has been to the series. Check your local listings for WE tv to watch the series.

Website resources:

http://www.ciconline.org/we (including link to survey of girls and their parents commissioned by WE tv )
http://highschool.wetv.com/
http://highschool.wetv.com/girls/index.html
http://highschool.wetv.com/episodes/index.html
http://www.wetv.com/

Helping Parents Protect, Educate Kids about Media

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 7 Apr 2008 09:24:00 -0500

The 2007 Media Smart Award winner, Kelly Mendoza, presented her findings (MP3, 45MB) to an audience of education and cable leaders in March. Her paper Mapping Parental Mediation and Making Connections with Media Literacy, provides insight on how media literacy can strengthen and improve effective parental mediation.

Mediation is defined as any strategy parents use to control, supervise or interpret media for children. Parental mediation, described as one of the most effective ways of managing television’s influence on children, helps children to think about the use of media and the messages they receive in order to highlight positive aspects of media, but also to intervene in media’s potential negative effects.

“Effective intervention of parents with their children’s media consumption in the home may strengthen children’s skills in thinking more deeply about media messages they receive,” said the study’s author Kelly Mendoza. “Parental mediation informs children about television’s importance or lack of importance, how it should be used, and how much attention or disregard they should give to the material.”

Dr. Renee Hobbs, professor at Temple University, and Anna Weselak, immediate past national president of the PTA also commented during the presentation.

Inspiring Youth in Their Communities

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:16:00 -0500

Educators looking for programming that brings civics, environmental clean-up, economic development and social justice topics to life for their students, now have a new tool. The Mun2 News Special, “Toxic City: This Is Where I Live,” is the latest installment of the TV network’s Peabody-Award winning news special series and focuses on young Latinos across the nation who are improving their environments and communities.

“Toxic City” profiles Latino youth in highly polluted communities who are taking the lead for their families in causes of environmental justice. Shot in cities across the country including Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, New York and El Paso as well as Juarez, Mexico, the special report explores how a disproportionate number of U.S. Latinos live and work among industrial waste, noxious pollution, and contaminated communities, and how youth are mobilizing to address these environmental issues.

One of the stars of the program is Ryan Perez from Huntington Park, California – we spoke with him for this podcast (MP3, 25MB). Ryan is able to connect with young viewers who can identify with his environmental work as well as his outside interests and passions.

Toxic City will air, commercial-free, on mun2 on January 14th at 1am and January 17th at 3:30am (check local cable listings). Cable in the Classroom educators can record the English-language program for classroom use.

For more information, visit:
Mun2
Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
Youth for Environment Justice (Youth-EJ) My Space page

Win With Words!

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Tue, 6 Nov 2007 14:27:00 -0500

GSN, (Game Show Network), is now conducting its second annual National Vocabulary Championship (NVC). NVC is a nationwide academic competition that offers high school students between the ages of 13-19 the opportunity to win prize money toward college tuition through online qualifying exams and citywide championship events throughout the U.S. Students in grades 9 through 12 who are interested in qualifying for GSN's NVC Finals, that will take place in March 10, 2008 in Los Angeles, can visit winwithwords.com to take the test now.

The deadline to enter is November 30, 2007.

For more insights into this year's competition, listen to a podcast (MP3, 13 MB) featuring the host of the National Vocabulary Championship, Dylan Lane. Dylan is also the host of the new version of the game show Chain Reaction which also airs on GSN. He shared details about GSN's free support materials for vocabulary study available online and also spoke about this year's competition and GSN's plans for the finale next spring.

Also, listen to the Kids.Cable.Learning. podcast with the first-ever National Vocabulary Champion, Robert Marsland from Madison, Wisconsin, for more information about the competition.

Related links:

GSN: www.gsn.com
National Vocabulary Contest: www.winwithwords.com
Princeton Review: www.princetonreview.com

C-SPAN StudentCam

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 09:47:00 -0500

Listen to an interview with C-SPAN (22MB, MP3) about their 2008 StudentCam competition.

StudentCam is a video documentary competition that invites students to identify a current political topic of national interest and produce a ten minute or less video documentary which creatively explores the issue, while also integrating C-SPAN programming. The annual documentary competition for middle and high school students is a great way to get students engaged in exploring key issues during a presidential election year!

Entries are due by December 31, 2007 and a grand prize of $5,000 will be awarded in February 2008 to the best overall entry. Winning student videos may also air on the C-SPAN networks.

Related links:

Video links to previous C-SPAN StudentCam winners: http://www.ciconline.org/C-SPAN
C-SPAN Classroom (free resources for teaching Civics and US Government) : www.c-spanclassroom.org

Parenting Moves Online

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:11:00 -0500

This week, Cable in the Classroom and Common Sense Media released the findings from a nationally representative poll of parents about their internet-related actions and attitudes.

Today, we are pleased to make available a podcast [19MB, MP3] of the press briefing conducted to release the poll (conducted via web- and tele-conference).

Conducted by Harris Interactive, the poll, Parenting Moves Online, provides a comprehensive and timely snapshot of parents and legal guardians of 6-18 year olds (whose children go online from any setting) across the U.S. Among other contributions, the poll sheds light on the different behaviors, attitudes, and experiences of parents of children of different ages (6-10, 11-14, and 15-18); on differences between Moms and Dads; and on differences by parental views and practices (including between more and less engaged parents, and between parents who view the internet as more helpful to their children than other parents).

More on the poll and its findings can be found at www.ciconline.org/poll2007.

Based on the poll findings, we have made a number of recommendations for parents related to their children's internet use:

Talk regularly with your children about their Internet use and seek out high-tech parenting advice from trusted sources (like from our very own Point Smart Click Safe!);
Speak with your children about Internet safety and appropriate online behavior and about more frequently experienced issues;
Engage even very young children to set behavioral expectations; and
Look to teachers and schools as partners in instilling media literacy skills.

"This poll underscores what we at the PTA have advocated for a long time—the vital importance of parents getting involved and engaged in their children’s lives, online and offline,” said Jan Harp Domene, national president of the PTA. She further suggests that parents need simple, specific, and age-appropriate tools and information to help them engage in their kids’ online lives.

Other resources of note include:

Cable in the Classroom Magazine's July/August 2007 issue is devoted to keeping kids safe and secure online. It contains a Q&A for parents about technology and kids, an article on using interactive web tools at home, and two articles on social networking
The May 2007 issue looks at ethical behavior in a digital world, with articles on cyberbullying, plagiarism and copyrights
Cable in the Classroom Magazine's July/August 2006 edition covered internet safety, parental controls and advice for parenting a digital generation of kids.
Threshold magazine's Summer 2007 issue focuses on "Responsibilities and Ethics in a Web 2.0 World" with articles discussing the legal, social and ethical implications of new, interactive technologies and how children learn.
Parenting the MySpace Generation, a 2006 poll of parents on internet issues commissioned by Cable in the Classroom and conducted by Harris Interactive.

Technorati tags: media literacy, online safety, internet safety, social networking, parents, parenting advice, cable, CIC, Cable in the Classroom, cableintheclassroom, tv, school, education, NCTA

Take a Veteran to School Day: How to Get Involved!

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:02:00 -0500

In this podcast interview [17MB, MP3], the History Channel’s Dr. Libby O'Connell discusses the network’s Take a Veteran to School Day program that provides engaging curriculum for teachers, diverse learning opportunities for students and recognition for America’s veterans. Take a Vet to School Day is kicking off its first year this fall, linking veterans of all ages with young people across the country. The program offers free age-appropriate curriculum available online for Kindergarten to 12th-grade teachers.

Dr. O’Connell, senior vice president of corporate outreach and chief historian at The History Channel, describes how students who participate in Take a Veteran to School Day will learn a variety of things—history, vocabulary, and geography— while also recognizing these men and women for their service.

More information for schools, teachers and students about Take a Vet to School Day can be found at: www.veterans.com.

Cable systems interested in getting involved, should visit www.aetnjustclick.com.

Cable Celebrates Educators at NECC 2007

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 07:16:00 -0500

The cable industry was out in force during the 2007 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in June.

Represented by Cable in the Classroom, Discovery Education, The History Channel, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), CNN Student News, C-SPAN (which brought the Campaign Bus!), Court TV, and cable operators (including Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and others) the industry participated in in-depth presentations, held a networking reception honoring educators, and took the opportunity to share the wealth of educational resources offered by the industry to educators and educational technology leaders from across the country.

In this podcast (MP3, 19MB), we share just some examples of the cable resources that were on display for the more than 13,000 educators who attended this year's conference. We spoke with CNN Student News, C-SPAN, Discovery Education, the History Channel, Cox Communications and CTAM.

If we've piqued your interest, be sure to visit the Cable in the Classroom website at www.ciconline.org for even more!

Virtual Schools and 21st Century Skills

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:42:00 -0500

At the 2007 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), Cable in the Classroom's Senior Director of Education Policy, Douglas Levin, had the opportunity to join Susan Patrick, President and CEO of the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL), in presenting on the intersection of two emerging educational policy innovations: virtual schooling and 21st century skills.

Cable in the Classroom, as the national education foundation of the U.S. cable industry, is a founding board member of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The Partnership is the leading advocacy organization infusing 21st Century skills into education.

NACOL and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills collaborated on a joint position paper released late last year and this presentation [MP3, 38MB] generally follow the outline of that collaboration.

The punchline:

If we are serious about ensuring that all students master the skills they will need for life, work, and citizenship in the 21st century, the continued expansion of virtual schooling (blended and wholly online) will be required. At the same time, while virtual schools by their very nature foster some of the skills outlined by the Partnership, many will have to become more intentional in their approaches to teaching and assessing the full range of 21st century skills.

Those interested in the work of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills might also be interested in perusing the Spring 2006 edition of Cable in the Classroom's Threshold, focused on high school reform and 21st century skills.

Technorati tags: n07s689, necc, necc 2007, necc07, virtual schools, online learning, distance education, 21st century skills, P21, cable, CIC, Cable in the Classroom, cableintheclassroom, tv, school, education, NCTA

2007 Cable's Leaders In Learning Awards Gala: Comcast on the Red Carpet

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:51:00 -0500

On the evening of June 6, 2007, national education leaders, policymakers, and cable industry executives all gathered at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC to honor the third class of Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards recipients.

Elena Russo of Comcast on the Red Carpet was there to share the excitement of the evening with you in this five minute video segment [M4V, 58MB] airing nationally on cable systems like yours!

The 2007 class of Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards recipients included classroom teachers, administrators, community leaders/nonprofit executives, university faculty, and policymakers. Many of their inspirational stories can be heard on our companion Leaders in Learning podcast channel. While you are there, be sure to download and listen to interviews with the 2006 class, too!

The Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards is the U.S. cable industry's annual awards program to recognize those who demonstrate vision, innovation, action and transformation in education. The objective of the awards is to promote and encourage innovative learning practices by honoring individuals who have transformed an aspect of education on a large or small scale.

Managing the awards program is a year-long activity for those of us at Cable in the Classroom and it is without question one of the most rewarding things that we do. Being able to shine a bright light on just a few of those many educators making a difference in the lives of the nation's students is truly an honor and responsibility we take very seriously.

Who knows? Maybe you can join us on stage at the 2008 gala! The application window for the fourth class of Cable's Leaders in Learning opens in mid-September 2007. Detailed instructions on how to apply will be available at www.leadersinlearningawards.org.

Digital Ethics: A Threshold Forum

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:03:00 -0500

The Summer 2007 issue of Cable in the Classroom's Threshold: Exploring the Future of Education - released in conjunction with the 2007 National Educational Computing Conference - features articles focused on the challenges and benefits of Web 2.0 in today's education environment, produced in partnership with the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF).

[And, if you'll be at NECC this year, be sure to join us and our cable industry partners at numerous presentations and exhibits.]

In this podcast [MP3, 53MB], Dr. Ann Flynn, director of education technology for the National School Boards Association (and member of CIC's National Education Advisory Board), with the assistance of Threshold's Ellen Ullman, moderates a panel that explores the challenges of guiding student behavior in a world of web-based interaction. Panel participants include:

Jay Bansbach, program specialist in school library media for the Maryland State Department of Education and immediate past president of the Maryland Association of School Librarians;

danah boyd, a doctoral candidate in the School of Information at the University of California-Berkeley (who joined the conversation late);

Terry Clark, assistant superintendent of instruction and technology in Bethpage Public Schools in New York (and a 2005 Cable's Leaders in Learning award-winning educator); and

Tim Lauer, principal of Meriwether Lewis Elementary School in Portland.

An edited transcript of this conversation appears as one of several excellent articles on this same topic on our site.

For those interested in learning more about digital ethics, internet safety, and media literacy, Cable in the Classroom offers a slew of additional resources. Educators, in particular, may be interested in recent past editions of Cable in the Classroom Magazine, as well as the "Media Smart for Teachers" section of our website. Parents would benefit from content in the current issue of Cable in the Classroom Magazine, published specifically with the summer needs of parents in mind, and the "Media Smart for Parents" section of our website.

While there are many great resources available online related to this topic, be sure to take a look at the recently launched parent resource developed by the cable industry: Point Smart. Click Safe. We'll be working with a wide array of content and distribution partners over the coming years to bring these resources to communities nationwide, including with PTA, PLA, AASL, Common Sense Media, iKeepSafe, NetSmartz Workshop, and SETDA.

Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up to date and feel free to comment (below) or on iTunes to let us know what you think of this podcast (or the series)!

Tuned In and Totally Wired

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:01:00 -0500

Last week, Cable in the Classroom organized and presented a special session at the cable industry's annual conference focused on the technology and media behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs of today's students. Just as education administrators and policymakers are starting to look to students for their perspectives (for instance, see: here, here, here, here and here), so too are media companies and cable programmers trying to make sense of what the future has in store.

In this episode (MP3, 72 MB), we are pleased to provide you with the entirety of our panel session, with a special introduction by Cable in the Classroom Executive Director, Helen Soule. The panel is comprised of eight high school students (amazingly articulate juniors and seniors) drawn from five different Clark County Las Vegas high schools and moderated by the simply superb Anastasia Goodstein, a journalist and youth media expert (whose views are available online here and here). Kudos as well to the local cable operator, Cox Communications - Las Vegas, who put us in touch with several local teachers, who in turn helped us identify our student panelists.

The wide ranging conversation covers topics including: MySpace and social networking, blogging, communication preferences (email, IM, SMS, cellphone), TV and Tivo/DVRs, advertising, music (including the ubiquitous iPod), videogaming (PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, xBox), multitasking, internet safety, the portrayal of youth/teens by the media, their obsession with Apple and the forthcoming iPhone, and how their use of technology and media intersects with school.

It was an amazing conversation. Do take a listen and let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Winning with Words

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 9 Apr 2007 09:56:00 -0500

In advance of the TV premiere of GSN’s National Vocabulary Championship, Cable in the Classroom recently interviewed its champion, Robert Marsland, an 18-year-old senior at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, Wisconsin.

During the finals in March, he competed against 49 other students to win $40,000 towards his college education, and the title of National Vocabulary Champion.

In this podcast (MP3, 13MB), Robert shares how he became interested in words, how his studies prepared him for the competition and tips for students and teachers for getting involved next year.

You can watch Robert – and the other finalists – in action when GSN airs a one-hour special based on the National Vocabulary Championship finale on Sunday, April 15 at 8 PM eastern and pacific.

The National Vocabulary Championship is a new event on the academic landscape, open to all high school-aged students in the U.S. The goals are to emphasize the importance of language arts skills and to encourage high school students around the country to enhance and expand their vocabularies. The Championship is an educational initiative conceived by GSN, in partnership with The Princeton Review.

Next year’s competition will get underway in the fall of 2007, so interested students, teachers and schools should check www.winwithwords.com for more information, or check www.ciconline.org this fall.

Bringing Educational Innovation to Scale: A Threshold Forum

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 10:30:00 -0500

The Spring 2007 issue of Cable in the Classroom's Threshold: Exploring the Future of Education features articles focused on taking educational innovation to scale, produced in partnership with the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF).

In this podcast [MP3, 39MB], Christopher Dede (Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education) with the assistance of Threshold's Ellen Ullman moderates a panel that explores the current state of 'scalability,' educational change, and how to get where we need to be - a topic of critical importance to the government, grantmakers, and all those seeking to spread successful educational practices to other classrooms, school, districts, and states. Panel participants include:

Kathleen Fulton, Director for Reinventing Schools, NCTAF;
L. McLean King, Superintendent of the Encinitas (Calif.) Union School District (and a Cable in the Classroom National Education Advisory Board member);
Trish Millines Dziko, Executive Director, Technology Access Foundation; and
Josh Zoia, Principal, KIPP Academy Lynn (Massachusetts).

An edited transcript of this conversation appears as one of several excellent articles on this same topic.

The full text of Threshold editions is available free online at www.ciconline.org/threshold. Past issues explore topics such as the future of math and science education, high school reform and 21st century skills, emergency preparedness, and much more.

Be sure to comment (below) or on iTunes to let us know what you think of this podcast (or the series)!

Video Interview with LeVar Burton on the 30th Anniversary of "Roots"

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:18:00 -0500

Actor and director LeVar Burton recorded this video podcast [MPEG-4, 89MB] focusing on the role of the mini-series Roots and educational television in the classroom. Burton addresses how television programming is a powerful learning tool for teachers to use in schools across the country. The podcast was recorded in conjunction with the cable network TV One, which is bringing Roots to a new generation of viewers, beginning Sunday, April 8 at 8 PM ET.

For more information about this exciting classroom resource, be sure to read the accompanying press releases from TV One and from Cable in the Classroom.

Sharing Education Technology Innovations

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:28:00 -0500

The Education Technology Director for the National School Boards Association (NSBA), Dr. Ann Flynn, discussed the NSBA’s 2007 Education Technology Site Visits during this short podcast interview [MP3, 6MB].

NSBA has been hosting site visits in districts across the country for nearly twenty years. Education leaders return from the visits with specific, realistic strategies for meeting their own districts’ and schools’ challenges and needs. This year’s districts – in South Carolina, Virginia and Minnesota – showcase innovative programs that integrate technology into the learning process and boost student achievement within diverse settings. They represent three distinctly different districts, but each has met their challenges with unique and comprehensive technology initiatives.

Cable in the Classroom is proud to be the national sponsor of the NSBA Education Technology Site Visits again this year!

You can find more information on the site visits and additional NSBA educational technology resources at www.nsba.org/tln.

Election Connections: From the Classroom to the White House

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Thu, 8 Mar 2007 10:39:00 -0500

The 2008 election cycle has already begun, so it's time to start thinking about how to use the election season as a way to engage students in learning about our political system. For this episode [MP3, 15MB], Cable in the Classroom executive director, Dr. Helen Soulé, discusses cable’s exciting historic, civic and news resources available to teachers and students with three cable executives:

Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer, BET News Washington Bureau
Dr. Libby O’Connell, Chief Historian & Senior Vice President, Corporate Outreach, A&E Television Networks
Joanne Wheeler, Vice President, Education Relations, C-SPAN

And, for those looking for more information about the web resources mentioned in this episode, please be sure to visit:

The History of U.S. Presidential Elections, a free History Channel resource that explores the origins of the U.S. electoral system and looks at some famous presidential contests over the years
C-SPAN Classroom, which offers free resources for teaching civics and U.S. government
Campaign Network, which offers video, news, and analysis on the 2008 presidential race from C-SPAN and Congressional Quarterly
eLECTIONS: Your Adventure in Politics, a free, nonpartisan election simulation game - suitable for use in the classroom - developed by Cable in the Classroom in partnership with CNN and The History Channel.

Finally, for those interested in the state of civic education in our nation's schools, be sure to peruse the fall 2004 edition of Threshold, produced in partnership with the National Council for the Social Studies.

UPDATE (3/20): Be sure not to miss C-SPAN's new Campaign 2008 Bus!

Comcast Newsmaker: Dr. Scott McLeod of CASTLE

dlevin@ciconline.org (Cable in the Classroom (www.ciconline.org)) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:51:00 -0500

Recently, Dr. Scott McLeod, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota sat down with Colleen Needles, the host of Comcast Newsmakers (Twin Cities Region, MN edition), to discuss his work as Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE).

In this brief but wide ranging interview [MP3, 6MB], which aired on CNN Headline News, Dr. McLeod shares his views on what will be necessary to ensure that school leaders can survive and even thrive in the fast changing, technologically-rich era in which we are all living.

For more on Dr. McLeod's views about the future of school leadership and education, be sure to visit his award-winning blog, Dangerously Irrelevant.