By Thad Kemlage

While they were all there to receive awards for their exceptional work in video, photography and web design, they all had the chance to wish upon a star in Disneyland.

 

The International Student Media Festival took place last month in Anaheim, California where kids of all ages from all over the nation got the opportunity to showcase their award winning work.

The three-day event also featured many workshops for the teachers and students in which they could hone their skills and make their classroom media projects more outstanding.

The festival began Thursday night with an inspiring keynote from Marco Torres, an Apple Distinguished Educator, who is well-known for his work at San Fernando High School. As a social studies teacher and technology director, he empowers students to explore their world through the creation of media projects.

 

On Friday, throughout the day, workshops were offered for students of all ages and their adult sponsors to teach a variety of media production skills, using state-of-the art equipment and software provided by the festival's sponsors. The 2007 workshops include Chromakey Broadcasting with Adobe Visual Communicator, Digital Storytelling with Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements, a Photo Safari with Olympus Digital Cameras, Apple Computer’s iMovie and Garage Band utilizing M-Audio keyboard technology, and PowerPoint. After dinner the winning projects are shown in a theatre-style setting, complete with popcorn and soda.

 

Saturday morning, winners attended an awards ceremony where students and teachers were recognized for their achievements. The award categories included: live action video, sequential stills, interactive stills, photography, website design and animation. The elementary students received their awards first. The middle/high school awards had a bigger crowd than in past years. ISMF made the day special for the kids with medallions, and trophies for the school. Door prizes such as green-screens, printers, and Adobe Premier/Photoshop software were given out to students and individuals.

The ISMF Festival has been sponsored by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology since 1974.  Next year’s festival takes place in November at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.

Thad Kemlage is a Senior Reporter/ Broadcast Manager for SchoolTube.  He is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.  Thad was a general assignment reporter and co-hosted a talk show at KOMU News in Columbia, Missouri.  He is a frequent contributor to School Video News.  You can reach Thad at his email.

 

 

 

ISMF Coverage
Text Box: Lora L. Batchelor Middle School’s Jeff Rudkin named Milken National Educator Usually at 1:30 p.m., Jeff Rudkin settles his students down after lunch to begin a lesson. Today, though, his day was interrupted with a $25,000 surprise. Rudkin, the seventh- and eighth-grade video production teacher at Bloomington’s Lora L. Batchelor Middle School in the Monroe County Community School Corporation, was awarded the $25,000 National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation in a surprise all-school assembly held today by Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed and Dr. Jane Foley, Senior Vice President with the Milken Family Foundation.  “One can never overlook the impact an effective classroom teacher has in raising student achievement,” said Reed. “Jeff is a great example to educators and students across Indiana. We are proud to recognize Jeff for this outstanding achievement.” Rudkin, a teacher with 15 years of experience, is one of two Hoosier educators to receive the award this year. Prior to receiving the Milken Educator Award, Rudkin also carries other honors including the Indiana University Armstrong Teacher Educator recognition and the T. James Crawford Teaching Excellence Award from the Bloomington North Rotary Club. In a letter nominating Rudkin, Batchelor Middle School Principal Peggy Chambers said, “Jeff creates a culture for learning. He demonstrates genuine caring and respect for individual students and they, in turn, exhibit respect for him as an individual, beyond that for his role. He conducts himself in a manner that clearly demonstrates that the welfare of students is of primary concern.” Called the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine, the Milken National Educator Awards were created by Milken Family Foundation Chairman and Co-Founder Lowell Milken to celebrate, elevate and activate the highest caliber professionals in our nation’s schools.  “Good teachers are the linchpin in our education system playing a critical role in propelling student learning,” said Lowell Milken. “Every child deserves to be in a classroom with a teacher who inspires, illustrates and advances excellence.  It’s imperative that as a nation we recognize the importance of outstanding teachers and encourage young, talented people to choose teaching as a career.” Active in 48 states and the District of Columbia, the Milken Educator Awards have grown to become the nation’s largest teacher recognition program.  Since 1987, over $56 million has been awarded to more than 2,200 educators.     

December,

2007