Havena Marks & Amanda Nobles

Adobe Bluffs Elementary School
San Diego, CA

Keep California Coasts Clean
Creating awareness about the importance of clean beaches in California became the backdrop for lessons on the environment and the affects of water pollution.  By using cable resources such as Discovery Channel and Animal Planet as well as Internet technology, 2nd and 3rd grade students created an ocean and tide pool environment, researched water conservation and ocean life, and created PSAs for the community.  They created PowerPoints, stories and art projects, participated in beach cleanups and used distance learning to talk with a California State Ranger.  

Jennifer Hoof

Farrington High School
Honolulu, HI

The Kalihi Ahupua’a Project
From the study of biology and the help of Internet technology, 10th grade students learned the importance of Hawaii’s watershed management system and how the health of the environment connects to their lives, culture and personal health. Through field trips, data collection and community service efforts to remove invasive plants from area streams, the students developed an understanding of their dependence and relationship with the natural environment. A class blog was created to reinforce the lessons learned and create dialogue with fellow students and area scientists. 

Meagan Corkern

Dawes Middle School
Lincoln, NE

It’s an Animal Planet
Using Internet technology and cable resources, students from 6th to 8th grade were able to complete Reading, English, Language Arts/Communication Arts and Mathematics objectives by researching how to appropriately care and provide for animals. These students also demonstrated Lincoln Public School Character Education goals of developing strength of character by acquiring the skills and the knowledge necessary to produce responsible citizens. Students created and/or completed Internet scavenger hunts, workbooks, journals, brochures, PSA magazine advertisements, PowerPoint presentations, interviews, graphs, logos and posters. As part of their final project, the students delivered donated items to the Capital Humane Society. 

Karen Phlipot

Springcreek Primary School
Piqua, OH

The Playground Project
“More playground equipment” was the answer when 3rd grade students were asked to identify a school problem and come up with a solution. The students used the Internet to research the importance of playground equipment and presented their findings to the local Wal-Mart store, the Piqua City Board of Education and the community through Time Warner Cable’s public access channel. After receiving a $1,000 donation from Wal-Mart, the students encouraged the entire student body to vote on their favorite equipment and then, using math skills, graphed the results and presented their findings to the school.  

Sandra Keppel

Akron Middle School
Akron, NY

Beep!  Beep!  Road Runner Research and Enrichment
In this project, 6th grade students used the Buffalo Zoo as a backdrop to research an assigned animal and then create podcasting scripts, PowerPoint presentations, blogs and web page designs to showcase their findings to the class. With the help of Road Runner, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel, the students were able to access zoos around the world and make their projects come to life. 
 During their studies, the students were introduced to two baby tigers born to the Buffalo Zoo named Thyme and Warner. 

Carrie Davis & Heather Frank

Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities
Milwaukee, WI

Chassé Your Way Through Storytelling
Using A&E Networks, Disney Channel, History and PBS as a guide, 1st grade students explored reading and writing in language arts through the integration of visual arts, dance, music and theater. The students studied great artists and viewed their work by touring the Milwaukee Art Museum. In addition, they attended the Milwaukee Ballet performance of The Nutcracker and then created their own original stories that incorporated music to set the mood. They also created sculptures, drawings and paintings that represented their experiences.

Adrianne Waters, Barbara Schulze, Aubri Waters & Shelly Graham

Fairview/Miss Jewell Elementary School
Copperas Cove, TX

Deep in the Heart of Learning
Cable programming and Internet research helped Kindergarten through 1st grade students discover the importance of healthy choices such as fitness, nutrition and the function of organs. Members of the community, including a doctor, nurse, dentist and fellow teachers helped students and their parents participate in a fitness contract with goals for smart choices.   Representing the school, students and their families also participated in the community Relay for Life cancer walk. Networks/technology used: Discovery Health Kids, PBS-Nova Online, Nickelodeon as well as several Internet sites.

Linda Wamboldt

West Milwaukee Middle School
West Milwaukee, WI 

Veterans: Past, Present and Future - The Unsung Heroes
Acknowledging the profound contributions soldiers throughout history have had on our nation was the meaning behind this middle school tribute to veterans. Using History, C-SPAN and the Library of Congress website as their guide, the students created oral histories, poems, PowerPoint presentations and a flag comprised of veteran photos. They invited local veterans to speak at a school assembly, and the students wrote thank you letters and launched a community drive to send necessary items to the troops overseas. 

Christopher Dodds

McClain High School
Greenfield, OH

The Chicken Tractor: Reduce- Reuse- Recycle
The goal of this program was for students to learn the importance of reuse and recycling with organic materials as well as to develop construction skills. The centerpiece of the project was the dismantling of an old camper and its rebirth as a mobile chicken coop at the request of a local farmer. History’s Modern Marvels “Fertilizer” episode enhanced students’ understanding of its importance and also its use in the project being designed. Discovery’s How It’s Made was also viewed to learn about the chicken egg production process. During this project, students contributed to their community and cared for the environment - all while learning valuable skills.

Terry Armstrong

Lordstown High School
Warren, OH

The Iowa Caucus Experience
While studying the Primary and Caucus systems through C-SPAN’s website, CNN and Road Runner technology, 12th grade students wanted to witness their civics lesson firsthand. After raising funds to cover transportation costs and motel rooms, the students researched the Iowa Caucus and hosted straw polls and candidates’ nights for both political parties. Students also served as correspondents for the local press and many of them volunteered to serve as poll workers upon their return.  

Michelle Hohenfeldt Spethman

Scott Middle School
Lincoln, NE

A Christmas Carol:  A Mosaic of Lessons
Cable programming and Internet research brought Charles Dickens’ book A Christmas Carol to life for 7th grade students and reinforced the theme of past, present and future. They conducted in-depth research on the Victorian time period, created Internet scavenger hunts and wrote stave summary songs.  They also created a paper chain of good deeds for others and donated canned goods to further the ideas of philanthropy and benevolence.  The lesson culminated with a Victorian New Year’s Gala that celebrated the learnings of the students and unveiled a mosaic comprised of 125 tiles representing numerous themes surrounding the 165-year old book.  Networks used: A&E Biography on Charles Dickens, TNT, NBC Nightly News, HGTV's Design on a Dime, Food Network, PBS's 1900 House, Discovery Channel and History. 

Karen Rumpf

Laurel Mountain Elementary School
Austin, TX

The Legacy of Lady Bird Johnson
The lifetime and legacy of Lady Bird Johnson became the focus for 2nd grade students during Women’s History month. The students watched "A&E Biography: Lady Bird Johnson" in segments. They practiced their map skills by locating Lady Bird's hometown of Karnack, TX and other important cities in her life.  They also learned how to navigate Google Earth and visited the Presidential Library of Lyndon Johnson. The lesson culminated in a school beautification project with the planting of wildflower seeds.  Networks Used: A&E Networks, History and Internet sites.

Donald Fought

Southeast Middle School
Kernersville, NC

Sister School Cultural Exchange Program
Bringing two cultures together was the goal as the Southeast Middle School established a learning exchange with Nichole Titulescu Middle School in Caracal, Romania. The project involved 6th grade students who created PowerPoint presentations that highlighted their culture and then shared their work with the students in Caracal.  Both groups of students created and posted video tours of their school and community on the Internet in order to share with their new pen pals. The Southeast students also hosted live webcast sessions with the students and faculty at Nichole Titulescu.

Byron Bey, Bodil Theilade, Cynthia Graves, Kathy Dudley, Gary Cavender, John Walls, Stacy Belter, Martie Cabral & Rick Thomas

South Brunswick High School
Southport, NC

21st Century Classroom Technology and Biotechnology
Aquaculture students from 7th to 12th grades created a video library to help train present and future students in aquaculture, chemistry and bio-technology. The lesson plans, PowerPoints and video library also were made available to students in a Denmark high school class through the use of teleconferencing. Cross-curricular activities included using the broadcast class for editing the training films, and the chemistry class did a lesson plan on water quality. Networks used: Road Runner, The Outdoor Channel, The Florida Sportsman and PBS.