These videos are archived from past BESTNet features. Click on QT to open Quicktime Player and Win to view movies in Windows Media Player.
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SEVA Award Night: A Red Carpet Welcome for Talented Students and Teachers (June 2008)
Filling Folsom High School’s theater with nearly 700 students, teachers, parents and guests, SECC’s 19th annual SEVA Award Night on May 14 was bursting with talent — and as much fun.
SEVA students and their teachers were welcomed on a red carpet that provided an opportunity for camera crews and student “paparazzi” to get the latest scoop from the stars.
Kelly Calhoun, SECC Chairperson Elect of representing Folsom Cordova USD, said that the “event is a celebration of the talents of our local students as television and media producers,” and offered congratulations to all the participants who have an impressive understanding of the power of this medium. “You are all winners because you have taken the time to share your vision and videos with us,” she concluded.
During the teacher recognition portion of the event, more than 50 teachers came on stage and the accompanying video showed student testimonials about how much they appreicate all the help and guidance.
 Link to the teacher recognition video
The 2008 Student Educational Video Awards competition had more than 250 entries, 100 more than last year, which meant that the competition was tough for the students from elementary, middle, high schools and colleges. The SEVAs are unique because they encourage students to focus on creating an educational message. From teamwork, idea organization, deciding what’s important and how to express that in both words and images and be understood — the contest is a great learning tool for both students and their teachers.
Learn more about the event and the contest
Enter the Red Carpet photo gallery |
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In Sacramento, CA
Phoebe Hearst Elementary School's Principal Charlie Watters is interviewed by a student for their award-winning documentary on native plants. |
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Digital Journalists Delve into Our Local Environment and Win a Disney Award in the Process (May 2008)
A fifth-grade Digital Journalist Starter Kit class put their ideas and video camera to good use to win the grand prize in the Disney Environmentality Challenge (DEC) contest which provides an opportunity for students to “think green” and use their creativity to do something good for the environment. The prize includes a trip to Disneyland to celebrate.
Sylvia Rodriguez’s class at Phoebe Hearst Elementary in Sacramento created a native plant garden as a social service project then used the equipment from the SECC/News10 program to produce a PSA and a documentary to educate others about why their work is important to the community.
“Before we started any projects, the children came up with a huge list of ideas they wanted to accomplish by the end of the year,” Rodriguez says. “All of these projects had a focus on the local environment. One of their goals was to complete a documentary of the work with the intention of teaching other people, particularly other children, why they should care for the local watershed and what actions they could take. Without the Starter Kit and support of Doug and Eric (from SECC’s production department), we would not have been able to accomplish this goal.”
Read entire article |
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First graders in
Elk Grove, CA,
and in Canada
connected during
Read Around
the Planet,
an interactive
videoconferencing
program |
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The Itsy Bitsy Spider Travels Worldwide (May 2008)
First grade students in Julia Fischer’s classroom at Franklin Elementary School in California connected with first graders in Alberta, Canada, in February during Read Around the Planet, a unique annual reading program that utilizes interactive videoconferencing to connect classrooms and enable students to interact with students in other parts of the world.
The Franklin students opened the event with a virtual sharing of their highly multicultural backgrounds, a little information about the location of their school site and town, and then moved on to group presentations of verses from the Itsy Bitsy Spider, a selection from their Open Court Reading Anthology. The Meyokumin Elementary School students reciprocated by sharing what it's like to go to school surrounded by snow — a weather condition many of the Franklin students have not yet experienced in “real time” and how to dress for their extreme weather.
The two classrooms plan to continue their connection throughout the school year. "I am very excited to be able to bring videoconferencing into my classroom," said Fischer. "My students live in a small, semi-rural, somewhat isolated town; so the opportunity to take learning beyond the walls of the classroom could truly make a difference in their lives."
RAP is sponsored in cooperation with the National Education Association. Videoconferencing connectivity at the school site is made possible by Elk Grove Unified School District Technology Services’ partnerships with BESTNet and the California K12 High Speed Network. |
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Megaconference Jr. 2008: Arthur C. Butler students
take their voices to the World (April 2008)
For 12 hours on February 21, thousands of K-12 students from at least four continents and 22 U.S. states joined together in a virtual classroom using advanced videoconferencing technology to deliver presentations and activities focusing on a wide array of projects. This year’s Mega-conference Jr. participants included Jim Faires’s 6th grade classroom at Arthur
C. Butler Elementary School.
Read entire article
 WATCH THE VIDEO QT | Win
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To Copy or to Create: An Old Issue
Made
New Again by Today’s Digital Students (March 2008)
Copying information from the Internet is so easy and most people do it so regularly that it doesn’t really seem like stealing or even borrowing. While the copyright issue is something we’ve all heard of, how does it apply educators and students?
Learn how Media Teacher Brian Weitzel at Carnegie Middle School in Orangevale, CA, deals with this problem daily.
Read entire article
WATCH THE VIDEO QT | Win |
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From vision to online reality: the Time of Remembrance site offers lessons taught through the voices of internees
(November 2007)
A unique collection of oral histories, lessons and resources is now available to a worldwide audience through the Elk Grove Unified School District’s (EGUSD) Time of Remembrance website, a collection for learning about the mass relocation of thousands of citizens of Japanese ancestry from the west coast during World War II — a policy that called into question the very foundation of a democratic society.
Read entire article
 VISIT ONLINE
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Ballard expedition explored the sea floor around the Greek island of Thera
Remotely operated vehicles provided high definition video for scientists, viewers
A team of scientists from the Institute for Exploration (IFE) and the University of Rhode Island (URI) headed by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Robert Ballard led an expedition in June 2006 to explore the archaeology and geology of the Aegean and Black seas using advanced deep-sea technology. The 2006 expedition was divided into three segments, each with unique research goals.
Read entire article, view video clips and download activity lessons
to use in the classroom. |
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JASON Teacher Leads Students into the Field (Sept. 2006)
Folsom Hills Elementary School teacher Kathy Decker loves getting her hands dirty when it comes to science. She has been a loyal JASON teacher for several years, and her hands-on approach to science helps engage students in the learning process. Taking students out of the classroom and into the field allows them to gain experiences that they otherwise may not encounter. Learn about the trip Decker and her 6th grade class took to the Lexington Creek Wetlands to explore the habitat and find out more about the variety of animal and plant life that inhabit the wetlands.
WATCH THE VIDEO QT | Win |
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Public service project brings California history to life
Students throughout California’s K-12 public school system now have access to a remarkable learning tool to learn more about California’s rich cultural and multifaceted history with a new site called Calisphere — a collection of digitized primary resources created through the efforts of the University of California.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell, presented Calisphere to 4th grade students at a Rio Linda Elementary School event. Resources on this free site are aligned with California State Content Standards for the K-12 public education system, enabling teachers to find materials to provide students with quality historical content.
WATCH THE VIDEO QT | Win |
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Annual conference takes California students' learning and sharing into digital spaces (July 2006)
Students from five culturally, linguistically and geographically diverse California high schools shared their broadband project with the world during May’s annual Megaconference Jr., a global event designed to give students everywhere the opportunity to communicate, collaborate and contribute to each other’s learning in real-time.
Students from Galileo and Balboa in San Francisco, Florin in Elk Grove, Grant in Sacramento and Maple in Lompoc used the conference’s advanced multipoint videoconferencing technology to present Connect with Youth Voices Coast to Coast, a year-long project that provided opportunities to think and write about current complex issues. Over the year, the students formed one virtual, networking community of writers from the four geographically, ethnically and linguistically diverse high school communities.
WATCH THE VIDEO QT | Win |
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Imagine This... Stories are Transformed into Animations
(May 2006)
Students grades 3-8 learn how agriculture impacts their lives in the creative California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and SECC Imagine This… Story Writing Contest and production. This annual contest creates a positive learning experience in reading, writing and the arts by studying and researching agricultural topics. Six winning stories, one from each grade level, are selected for transformation to an animated video.
WATCH THE ANIMATIONS (The gallery page includes Imagine This story animations from 1997-2006.)
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Rio Linda Union Media Centers: A Whole New World
(April 2006)
In the Rio Linda Union School District (RLUSD), 19 elementary school library media centers were reinvented, thanks to a $15.4 million bond Rio Linda Union passed in 2002. The new media centers combine books and technology in an exciting and innovative way that makes class projects, reading and achieving information literacy skills more exciting and accessible for all students and teachers.
Read entire article
WATCH THE VIDEO QT | Win |
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ROP Classes Prepare Students for the Job Market
(March 2006)
High school students 16 years or older receive training equivalent to a private school, gain real-world job experience and a competitive edge in the job market — all tuition free — thanks to the Elk Grove Unified School District’s Regional Occupational Program.
Learn more about the district’s program through this ROP Overview video hosted by a Franklin High School student. For more information, call the ROP office at (916) 422-2531 or go online.
Read entire article
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I Remember the Internment Years:
An Oral History by Mary Tsukamoto (February 2006)
Working with the Elk Grove School District, SECC digitized footage of an earlier interview with Mary Tsukamoto called I Remember the Internment Years, an oral history that describes her experiences. Tsukamoto (1915 – 1998) was a nationally known educator and activist who played a crucial role in the grassroots effort that led to the enactment of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Read entire article and Mary Tsukamoto's history.
Clip 1: Segregation (1:25)
Mary speaks about coming from a segregated elementary school to Elk Grove High School. She felt humiliated and demeaned by the fact that they were not good enough to go to school with the other children.
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Clip 2: Being American (1:12)
It was important to the school-age children to proclaim they were American. By doing so, the children were shutting out Japanese culture and language.
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Clip 3: Liberty Taken (3:13)
Mary described the process of selling of their belongings and going to Elk Grove to get on the train to the Temporary Re-Location Center in Fresno. "When the gate clanged shut, we finally realized that our liberty was taken away."
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Clip 4: For Military Necessity (1:38)
Citizenship didn't mean anything.
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Interview Part 1 (17 min.)
What was the Florin Community like before the spring of 1942?
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Interview Part 2 (21 min.)
What are your personal recollections of the internment years?
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Interview Part 3 (18 min.)
What was it like to return to Florin in 1945?
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Educators and administrators discuss the successes of the EETT Grant (February 2006)
After Elk Grove and Folsom Cordova Unified School Districts identified weaknesses in reading and writing skills among their middle school student populations, they decided to take the opportunity presented by the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant program to create new opportunities to strengthen both reading and writing skills of 6-8 grade students with the highest percentage of below proficient scores.
Read more about the Elk Grove and Folsom Cordova grant implementation and its results.
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Enhancing Education Through Technology grant
(September 2005)
Educators from Elk Grove and Folsom reflect on the past two years of implementing the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant program that helps create new opportunities to strengthen reading and writing skills of middle school students.
Part 1: Increasing Student Achievement Using Technology
Part 2: Professional Development for Teachers
Part 3: Increasing Student Access to Technology
Part 4: Increasing Communication with the Community
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Read program descriptions |
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Students Explore series
Chabot Space & Science (December 2005)
Tour the Chabot Space & Science Center (CSSC), an innovative teaching and learning center in Oakland, CA, that focuses on astronomy and space sciences. Watch the video QT | Win
McClellan Aviation Museum (January 2006)
Students tour the McClellan Aviation Museum at McClellan Air Force Base in North Highlands, CA, and learn about the history of military aircraft and engines.
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Ropes Course (November 2005)
Join Grant Joint Union School District's Connections program on a fieldtrip to Woodland’s Douglass Middle School Ropes Course.
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Read program descriptions. |
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Ano Nuevo State Park Reserve (April 2005)
Harriet Eddy Middle School students in Elk Grove Unified School District connected with the Ano Nuevo State Park Reserve to learn about the park's history, geography and elephant seal population.
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When Justice Failed videoconference (May/August 2005)
Elk Grove students travelled the digital highway to share and compare how their school sites and populations are unique yet have much in common for a year-long research project When Justice Failed...and History Happened Here.
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Read program description |
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Anti-Debris Act of 1882 (April 2005)
Research: Toby Johnson Middle School students in the Elk Grove Unified School District researched the Anti-Debris Act of 1882 to prepare for the videoconference.
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Visiting 1882: Students asked questions to interpreters posing as 1882 lawmakers and framers to learn more about the people affected by the issue.
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Lawmaking: California Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi and interpreters taught students about local and state government lawmaking procedures.
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Crystal Cove State Park (April 2005)
Life science students at Harriet Eddy Middle School in the Elk Grove Unified School District videoconferenced with Crystal Cove State Park rangers to learn more about state parks and sea life. The rangers discussed underwater life, tidepools and the animals adapted to seashore life. Crystal Cove State Park is located in southern California between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.
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