BESTNet offers a variety of online resources for students of all ages. Whether produced by the Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium (SECC), provided as a learning tool for student video producers or just something cool on a website, the following information is a great place to start learning something new.
Student DV
The Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium (SECC) produces Student DV, a unique award-winning program that showcases local students and their videos.
VIEW THE SHOWS ONLINE IN SECC's VIDEO GALLERY
CHOOSE THE WAY YOU WANT TO WATCH STUDENT DV
On Cable 15
Tu, Th, F | 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Tu | 6:00 pm - 6:30 p
Th | 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Sa, Su | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Podcasts
In the iTunes "Advanced" menu, select "Subscribe to Podcast" and paste this address into the dialog box: http://feeds.feedburner.com/seccblog
Blog
Watch the latest videos from StudentDV and the SEVAs on SECC's blog or subscribe to our podcasts using iTunes.
http://blog.secctv.org/
VIEW THE SHOWS ONLINE IN SECC's VIDEO GALLERY
ABOUT STUDENT DV
Student DV (Digital Video) is a unique, award-winning program that includes participation from 16 school districts, community colleges, a local ABC affiliate, local cable company and the Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Commission and inspires students to produce educational videos to share their vision and ideas. SECC produces the program to showcase digital video programs created by Sacramento students, and the program is aired weekly on SECC’s educational cable channels that reach more than 300,000 Sacramento households.
Student DV features student work entered in the annual SEVA (Student Educational Video Awards) contest. Open to Sacramento county K-20 students, the SEVAs provide a variety of categories to express an educational message — PSA, school news/events, documentary and instructional.
Since many schools have a multimedia program, Student DV provides teachers with useful instructional materials to help students learn more about video production and also see what their peers are creating. Producing a video program involves much more than just taping an event. The knowledge and expertise needed for a successful production requires numerous cross curriculum skills including teamwork, ability to research topics, knowledge of subject areas, ability to communicate ideas, reading, creative writing and organization.
Student DV Segments
There's always something new to learn when you're a student video producer. The following videos will give you some fresh tips and techniques to improve or fine tune your work.
Animation Techniques: Persistence of Vision
Teacher Shawn Sullivan of Sheldon High School dives into the history of animation to explain the concept of persistence of vision. Viewers learn about early animation techniques that used thaumatropes, zoetropes and praxinoscopes. Learn how to make their own thaumatrope — a card with different pictures on opposite sides, as a horse on one side and a rider on the other, which appear combined when the card is twirled rapidly, illustrating the persistence of visual impressions.
Watch the video QT | Win
The Shape Game
Sheldon High School’s Shawn Sullivan and his students show viewers how to create their own characters from a circle, square and triangle and how each shape is the basis for a different kind of character.
Watch the video QT | Win
Animate a bouncing ball
Shawn Sullivan and his Sheldon High School students teach you the first project animators learn — how to animate a bouncing ball.
Watch the video
Create a flipbook animation
Have you ever wanted to make your own animation? Shawn Sullivan from Sheldon High School and two of his students show how with some basic supplies: a pencil, note cards and a binder clip.
Watch the video
Training Your Eye to Draw
Sheldon High School’s Shawn Sullivan shows you how to draw the same image in multiple frames.
Watch the video
The Glide-Cam
What if a video tripod were attached to your body? Shawn Sullivan and Eric Hann from Sheldon High School show you how to use this tool to create smooth, moving shots.
Watch the video
The Jimmy Jib
If you want to get your camera up and over things, Vernon Bisho from Center High School shows you how to get your shots using a boom camera.
Watch the video
Outdoor Lighting
Center High School teacher Vernon Bisho show viewers some simple techniques
for outdoor lighting.
Watch the video QT | Win
Water Balloon
Shawn Sullivan shows viewers how to animate with follow through.
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SEVA Contest
Open to all Sacramento county students (K-20), the Student Educational Video Awards (SEVA) contest celebrates the talents and visions of student video producers. Winners and all participants are recognized at the annual SEVA Award Night each spring, and winning videos and producer interviews are shown on SECC's cable channels and online.
Entries due March 4
Online entry form
2011 SEVA Award Night
Monday, May 9
WATCH THE 2010 CALL FOR ENTRIES VIDEO
SEVA Contest Information
The SEVA contest is open to students of all ages and entries fit into a variety of categories.
SEVA Grade Levels
Elementary: K-3, Elementary: 4-6; Middle/Junior High: 7-8; High School: 9-12; and College/ University
SEVA Categories
Documentary: An in-depth educational study about classroom curriculum topics, issues or people in current events or history.
Instructional: Provides "how to" advice or teaches a subject or skill related to an educational topic.
Public Service Announcement (PSA): A short promotional piece about an educational topic. Must be thirty seconds (:30) or one minute (:60) in length.
School News: Campus news programs or coverage of an event in your school such as a concert, play, theater production or other activity.
CREATE A SEVA VIDEO
Creating your first SEVA video? Learn the nine simple steps to build a SEVA contest entry. WATCH VIDEO
These programs feature student fieldtrips to different state parks and areas in California.
Lexington Creek Wetlands
Folsom Hills Elementary School teacher Kathy Decker and her 6th grade class walked from Folsom Hills Elementary 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
Students from Rio Tierra Middle School and Alpha Technology School explored the Sierra College Nature Trail and Natural History Museum, designed and constructed by members of the Sierra College Science Club and their faculty advisors in the 1960’s. The tours are led by Sierra College students.
Watch the video QT | Win
McClellan Aviation Museum
Join Foothill Farms Junior High and Martin Luther King Junior Middle School as 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.
Watch the video QT | Win
Chabot Space and Science Center
Viewers take a tour with Flight Director Reed Steele to learn more about the center as well as the Challenger Learning Center, a unique hands-on learning experience that transforms participants into scientists, engineers or researchers on a simulated space mission.
Watch the video QT | Win
Ropes Course
Students from Grant JUSD and Elverta USD met at Woodland’s Douglass Middle School Ropes Course where they were challenged to work as a team — not as individual schools or individual students.
Watch the video QT | Win
Great Web Sites for Kids
These tips and recommended sites for kids from the American Library Association are categorized by topic and are searchable.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
Student resource topics include arts, educational technology, foreign languages, health, language arts, math, physical education, science, social studies and more.
Kennedy Center for the Arts
Explores the performing arts and features various artists who perform at the center.
International Children's
Digital Library
More than 10,000 books in at least 100 languages to help you understand our global society.
NASA for Students
This site will inspire earth-
bound students of all ages.
Project Oceanography
Middle school students learn about a variety of ocean science topics.
PBS Kids
Games, music and info about your favorite PBS shows.
ADULT LEARNERS
Adult Learning Activities
Designed to increase literacy while improving life skills. Online lessons include listening, vocabulary, spelling, comprehension and writing.
English for All
A free, multimedia system for older adolescents and adults seeking to learn English as a Second Language (ESL). EFA includes four hours of streaming video, comprehensive interactive Web pages and a full management system for tracking and reporting learner progress.