To view the full proposal a free account on CrowdSpring must be created. Please share this with anyone you know who is a designer or wants to design our next logo! The proposal is open until May 22, 2010. View it on:

http://www.crowdspring.com/project/2284772_storychasers-logo

It’s going to be exciting to see the proposals which come in for our logo in the next ten days. CrowdSpring and the opportunity to tap the creative imaginations of a connected community of thousands worldwide is a very “flat world” thing to do. This has great potential to be an instructive experience for us all!

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storychasers, design, logo

A Global Initiative and Competition for the next generation of leaders and social entrepreneurs – Seeking global thinkers 14 to 24… For 2010, we are looking for 3-minute videos with Issue & Solution format. Express your issue and propose an innovative solution-project. Winners presented to Obama administration, on Best Buy screens across the planet, and at VIP reception and Awards Ceremony hosted by Sony Pictures in Los Angeles

This sixty second YouTube spot summarizes the project and contest. If you have any of the “digital natives” Marc Prensky talks about on the “digital_nation” website in your classroom or household, you might give them a heads-up on this contest.

Cross-posted to the Infinite Thinking Machine.

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contest, digital, nation, video

PROJECT OVERVIEW

No matter where you live in our great state, your community is unique. What can others learn from your area, your citizens, your resources, your culture, or your history? This purpose of this project is to provide students a unique forum to “stand and deliver” their acquired educational skill sets in an authentic environment. Their research, writing, speaking, history and technology skills will be leveraged to engage other students via live synchronous videoconferencing.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

1. Student Teams will research a topic in their community.
2. Students will develop a 30 – 45 minute informational program geared toward a specific audience educating them on the topic.
3. Each project team will be required to use the Program Posting Format as they develop their content program.
4. Each team will present their live videoconference to another school between November 1, 2009 – December 24, 2009.
5. Programs will be delivered using H.323 compatible videoconferencing equipment.
6. The project will be aligned to Oklahoma state P.A.S.S. objectives for learners.

TEAM REQUIREMENTS

1. Teams will consist of middle or high school students grades 6 – 12 and one teacher sponsor.
2. Teams will include a minimum of three (3) and maximum of six (6) presenting students.
3. Teachers wishing to include an entire class in the research and development portion of the project are required to maintain a team of no more than 6 students to make the final presentation.
4. Schools may have more than one team.

If you do NOT currently have H.323 compatible videoconferencing equipment at your Oklahoma school and are interested in participating in OKC3, please contact me directly. I have access to Tandberg videoconferencing equipment and would be delighted to make it available to you and your students, as well as assist in the development and delivery of your OKC3 project submission, in November and December.

This OKC3 project is precisely the type of collaborative initiative involving technology, creativity, and 21st century learning skills in which we need more of our students and teachers in Oklahoma and elsewhere to get involved. Please take me up on this offer if you are a teacher or administrator in an Oklahoma school and want to get involved in this digital learning opportunity.

OKC3 is based on the very successful KC3 (Kids Creating Community Content) project sponsored by the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) and Tandberg the past two years. Students in Howe Public Schools won the KC3 project in 2008.

Last night, I facilitated a presentation for the 2009 Oklahoma Academy “Town Hall” on education and workforce development in Oklahoma, involving students from Howe Public Schools who participated in the KC3 project last year. It would be FANTASTIC to involve more of our Oklahoma students and teachers in projects like this, and OKC3 is a great opportunity to do so.

FULL DISCLOSURE: The organizer of the OKC3 project, Lance Ford, is a friend of mine and fellow Apple Distinguished Educator. Lance now works for Tandberg as an Education Advocate. I have an agreement with Tandberg to provide several free professional development workshops over video during 2009-2010 as part of their “Tandberg Connections Professional Development Program,” and in exchange for those workshops Tandberg provides me with access to one of their videoconferencing units. I have paid to be listed as a “content provider” and have several of my professional development workshops I offer over video listed on the CILC’s website. I do not stand to directly gain anything if educators and students in Oklahoma or elsewhere participate in OKC3 or get more involved in videoconferencing with Tandberg or other vendors. I am extremely passionate about the need to help our educators and student “Create, Communicate, and Collaborate” more effectively with digital tools inside and outside the classroom, however, and see the OKC3 project as a perfect opportunity to “walk this walk.” If I can help Oklahoma educators and students participate and have positive experiences in the OKC3 project, I want to do it.

For more about Lance Ford and some of the reasons he’s a phenomenal educator as well as change agent for our schools in Oklahoma and beyond, see my April 2008 post, “The Mac Jedi’s Homebrew Mobile Commander” and podcast, “Pimp My Ride (digitally) Southeast Oklahoma Style (An Interview with Lance Ford: Mac Jedi.)”

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21st, century, collaborate, community, history, learning, oklahoma, skills, tandberg, videoconference, videoconferencing, create, communicate, 21c