Rethink/Refrom/Rebuild Education

Well, we started off the school year answering the question, "What do you want your ideal school to be like?"

Now, the Kent School District Strategic Planning Committee is asking the question, "Think about the ideal school system. What would be important for our school system to do to meet the needs of students and all other school system customers and stakeholders?"

This post is to prove that this question is being asked beyond Kent. Check out this link to a new website sponsored by Bing from Microsoft.

http://www.letsredu.com/

In a nutshell, REDU stands for rethinking, reforming and rebuilding education in the United States. The goal of their site is to create a destination where educators, parents, and students can engage in ongoing conversations about improving education, be inspired by reform stories, and make a difference by creating change.

Open House Humanities Presentation

Each year, we do our best to give parents a glimpse of what is happening in the classroom everyday. Here is the 2010-2011 Open House presentation for the Kent Technology Academy Humanities program.



If you are looking for the Computer Programing Open House presentation, it can be found by clicking here.

The Challenge

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity, and optimism. The power and intelligence of kids are so often overlooked. As an adult, I still need to be willing to learn from children and young adults. Together, we can make the world a better place.

To my students of the 2010-2011 school year, I ask you, what can WE do to create change? How can YOU make this school year the best you have ever had?

Media in Education; Part 2

After posting the entry Media in Education, I began thinking of the this video shown during the opening of the 2010 VisFest Awards Ceremony. Created by students, it does an amazing job of explaining what visual literacy skills bring to the overall classroom experience.

Media in Education

Edit: The embedded video seems to be somewhat inconsistent. If you are having difficulites accessing the video, click here.

Media in education is often misunderstood or not used correctly. On June 9, 2010, Jeff Thungc and I presented to members of the Kent School District Information Technology Leadership Team on this topic. This portion of the presentation focuses on how media is demanding a change in the way teachers reach students, and the results of such changes.

2010 VisFest Film Festival Theme

"Once Upon a Time"
The possiblities are endless with this one. I am excited!

A Celebration of Learning! VisFest 2010

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ken/entertainment/95466429.html

VisFest 2010 was a huge success! View this video created Charles Cortes of the Kent Reporter to learn more about VisFest.

You can also relive some of the greatest moments from one of the most exciting nights in VisFest history and check out the many award winning films by visiting the 2010 VisFest recap page:

http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/IT/visfest/main_pages/recap.html

Kent's VisFest Puts Student Filmmakers on Big Screen

Click here to view an article written by Steve Hunter of the Kent Reporter previewing VisFest 2010.

Northwest High School Film Festival 2010

Yesterday, we attended the Northwest High School Film Festival (NWHSFF) with STEP Progam video interns Jessica Nawar, Jon Goodgion, and Cameron Halversen. Held at the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, the festival receives over 200 entries a year and shows the winning videos in each category in the 800-seat theatre. The winners are picked by a panel of twelve judges who have professional experience working in the film industry.

While we are accustomed to the great work of Jessica, Jon, and Cameron, it was nice to see others be exposed to their amazing work as well. They received an Award of Excellence in the commercial category for their “Tech Expo Commercial” and an Honorable Mention in the news feature category for their piece in “Future is Now: Episode 2.”

“Tech Expo Commercial” via YouTube

“Future is Now: Episode 2” via SchoolTube

Students help make NCCE a success!

Last week, 47 TechYES Kent School District middle school students from Mill Creek, Meridian, Meeker, and Cedar Heights were part of the tech crew at NCCE, the Northwest Council of Computer Educators state conference. These students helped with video and audio production, technical support for attendees, geocaching events, and support for speakers.

The Kent School District also had eight students in the STEP program (Student Technology Educational Partnerships) spend time throughout the week filming and editing video footage for the conference. NCCE asked for a video to be produced that would capture the spirit of Seattle and the energy of the conference to be shown during the closing keynote.

As always, the video turned out to be amazing!



If you do not have access to YouTube, you can view this video by clicking here.

2010 VisFest Film Festival Theme

2010 VisFest Gaming Expo Promotional Video

VisFest 2010

It is with great excitement that the STS Department and the 2010 VisFest Student Advisory Board announce the unveiling of the NEW VisFest website!

This new version includes:

• A more user friendly format
• Details on the Video Game Expo
• A “new to the filming process” tutorial, complete with video examples
• An updated forms page
• A PDF version of the new poster that will be displayed in schools

There is still time for students to be a part of VisFest 2010. The submission date is not until May 7th!

Great events like this allow students to have the opportunity to show off their visual literacy talents—either through digital video or video game making!

Visit the VisFest website or view these videos about the student Film Festival and Gaming Expo.

2010 'Future is Now' Technology Expo

Unbelievable. There is no other word to describe the atmosphere of the evening of January 27, 2010 at the ShoWare Center in downtown Kent. Over 4000 people were in attendance as over 500 students, 150 teachers, and 30 businesses, organizations, and government agencies displayed how they use technology in the 21st century.

From the moment the event started with Jeff (a fourth grader at Panther Lake Elementary School) and Celica (an eighth grader at Mill Creek Middle School) introducing keynote speaker Brad Goode (King 5 Morning News Anchor) to the amazing presentations at each of the 100 student/teacher run booths on the floor of the ShoWare, I stood in awe and was so proud to be a part of the Kent School District.

The theme of the 2010 Technology Expo was “The Future is Now,” and the tag line was “21st Century Classroom, Students, and Careers.” As I squeezed through the crowd and looked around, I could see the future before me. Businesses showing how state of the art technology has changed the workplace. Students showing how modern technology has increased their level of learning in and out of the classroom. Teachers showing how students are enjoying learning.

Truly, the future is now, and the Technology Expo proved to be a platform for this to be seen by all! Best of all, I could see that the hard work of so many—day in and day out—being showcased for the world to see.

This type of event is great, but let’s not forget that the things showcased at the 2010 Tech Expo are happening everyday in Kent classrooms, businesses, and organizations. Yes, we celebrated great things on January 27th ...but I hope that the celebrating doesn’t just end there.

Students, Teachers, Business Leaders, and Community Members-

The ball is rolling. Keep it going. Nights like the 27th reminded us that the future looks bright in Kent. We are in good hands. Although it is easy to not have confidence in the future because of all the issues our world is facing today, I have confidence because of the great things happening everyday—not just on the 27th—in our local schools and businesses.

To visit the 2010 Technology Expo webpage, click here.

2010 'Future is Now' Technology Expo

On January 27, 2010, the Kent School District Information Technology Department will be hosting the 2010 Technology Expo at the ShoWare Center. This event will be a showcase for the Kent, Covington, and surrounding communities to see the extensive use of technology in our schools and in local area businesses. The overall purpose of the 2010 Tech Expo is to illustrate the direct connection between the use of technology in our classrooms by students and staff, and the role technology plays in local area businesses and traditional and nontraditional 21st century careers.