Winners of eSchool News' 2008 "Empowered Education Awards" Tour Washington, DC, Impress Lawmakers with Video Savvy
23 October 2008

Bethesda, MD - October 23 - For months, scores of young students at all educational levels around the nation worked tirelessly to produce three- to five-minute original videos based on the theme, “How Technology Helps Me to Learn." They were preparing for tough competition ahead in eSchool News’ "Empowered Education Awards" program, a national student video contest sponsored by the Pearson Foundation. In the end, the winners, one each from an elementary, middle and high school, were hosted at a three-day event held in their honor in Washington, DC.

Created by the eSchool News Network and produced with support from the Pearson Foundation, the “Empowered Education Awards” program is designed to discover and celebrate the accomplishments of some of America’s brightest young creative minds, while also spotlighting the key role technology plays in 21st-century education. An esteemed panel of independent judges, all experts in education technology and/or video production, chose the winning entries based on creativity, knowledge of technology, journalistic style and overall quality in conveying how their schools employ technology to advance learning.

“Through these awards, we wanted to give talented young people a rich learning experience that would expand their horizons with technology while deepening their understanding of how America works,” says Gregg W. Downey, eSN President and Publisher. He added, “We think it is important to invite the teachers who supported the winning teams to participate in all the celebration events. We also asked parents, siblings and other family members to join us for the prestigious awards ceremony and dinner.”

Here are the 2008 winners of eSN's “Empowered Education Awards”:

  • Ernest Hemingway Elementary School
    • 111 8Th St. West Ketchum, ID 83340
    • Scott Slonim (Technology Teacher)
    • Students – Tara Burchmore, Grace Gorham, Helene Hawes
    • Winning video takes viewers on a tour of their school to demonstrate how technology is used in every corner.
    • http://www.eschoolnews.com/eea/elementary

  • Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School
    • 500 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT 05403
    • Jay Hoffman (Teacher)
    • Students – Lea Thali, Neel Desai, Riya Patel, and Elizabeth Lee
    • Winning video features SBNN reporters who time travel back to 1983 to show how technology has improved life for students in 2008.
    • http://www.eschoolnews.com/eea/middle

  • Wyandanch High School
    • 4 South 32nd Street, Wyandanch, NY 11798
    • Bruce Penn (Digital Technology Teacher)
    • Student – Lena Cooley
    • Winning video features digital audio, digital photography, web design software, digital presentation tools and digital journalism as some of the highlighted technologies.
    • http://www.eschoolnews.com/eea/secondary

Winners of the awards were flown to D.C. for three days in the nation's capital. Students were impressed by the D.C. Duck Tour — and the informative tales from Captain Franklin — along the Potomac River and around various museums and monuments aboard a fully restored World War II DUKW amphibious truck. They enjoyed honing their skills in a workshop conducted by the Pearson Foundation’s Digital Arts Alliance at the headquarters of the National Education Association, where they learned advanced digital video editing techniques and created Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on the importance of educational technology. Highlights of their trip included talking with their senators and congressmen about how technology helps them learn, sharing their PSAs, and discussing their winning videos. Rep. Michael Simpson summed up the impact of the students on legislators, “It’s so wonderful to meet with you here, because you are our future and what you guys can do with technology these days is incredible. What I do every day, I do for you.”

The grand finale was the awards ceremony held in the Cabinet Room at the famous Mayflower Hotel. Winners came to the podium to accept their awards and receive accolades for their outstanding videos. As they departed the next morning after a packed, three-day agenda, the students and teachers were enthused about taking home the lessons learned from their experience and vowed to share them with teachers, classmates, family, friends, and local politicians.

Bruce Penn, technology advisor for Wyandanch summed up the competition and awards program: “Experiences like these are an essential component for any student and educator to foster and inspire a broader view of technology in education.”

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About the eSchool News Network

The eSchool News Network covers education technology in all its aspects — from legislation and litigation, to case studies, to purchasing practices and new products.

First published in March of 1998, eSchool News is a monthly print newspaper providing the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision makers successfully use technology and the internet to transform North America's schools and colleges and achieve educational goals.

The print newspaper is read by more than 311,000 school leaders, and a companion web site — eSchool News Online (www.eschoolnews.com) — is visited by more than 400,000 unique daily visitors per month, including some 210,000 registered members. The eSchool News Network also includes several eMail newsletters, and www.eSchoolNews.TV

School News
7920 Norfolk Ave., Ste. 900
Bethesda MD 20814

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Contact:
Gregg W. Downey, publisher
Voice: 301-913-0115 x 107
Fax: 301-913-0119
gdowney@eschoolnews.com