Three New York Schools Win ISTE Media Specialist Technology Innovation Award

By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 7/1/2009

A fifth grade assignment focused on the 2008 presidential election, a middle school project that highlights the use of digital storytelling, and a high school program on people who changed the world have earned their schools top prizes in the second annual ISTE Media Specialist Technology Innovation Award, which recognizes collaborative technology innovation projects created by elementary, middle and high school teachers and library media specialists.

Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY.

Carl Harvey, one of the award’s six judges and media specialist at North Elementary School in Noblesville, IN, says he and his colleagues were impressed with the quality of the entries.

“There were many great projects this year,” he says “This gives library media specialists and teachers a chance to collaborate and allow their technology projects to shine. Not only are they being singled out for recognition, but their efforts can inspire other programs across the country to also show what they can do.”

Three New York schools were named winners yesterday during a presentation at the 2009 National Education Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D.C.

The first-place winners were:

· Elementary School: Karen Kliegman and Noel Forte of Searingtown Elementary School in Albertson, NY, for “Meet the Candidates,” a fifth-grade project focused on the 2008 presidential election.

· Middle School: Lindsay Cesari and Patrick Donahue of Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, for “Element Commercials,” which highlights the use of digital storytelling to produce commercials, and then using the commercials to pitch products in an environment similar to the reality TV show, “The Apprentice.”

· High School: Belinda O’Brien, Susan Casement and Cindy Rubenstein of Minerva DeLand School in Fairport, NY, for “People Who Changed the World,” a program in which students read biographies and autobiographies of people who changed the world. The goal is to have students analyze where they could apply similar qualities and ideas to their own lives.

Minerva DeLand School in Fairport, NY.

The award is sponsored by Follett Software Company, Linworth Publishing Inc./Library Media Connection magazine and the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) SIG for Media Specialists.

Each of the three winning teams received a $1,000 cash award for its school media center; a $500 travel stipend for the winning teams to attend NECC and conference registration for each team member; a one-year standard ISTE membership; a commemorative plaque; $1,000 in professional library resources from Linworth Publishing; and a one-year subscription to Library Media Connection magazine.

The honorable mention winners were:

· Elementary School: Mary Carole Strother and Lisa Paine of Fanny Finch Elementary in McKinney, TX, for its “Caldecott” project.

· Middle School: Karen Gartner and Nathan Keith of Westland Middle School, in Indianapolis, IN, for its “Algebra Podcast” project.

· High School: Elizabeth Hoffman and Carol Johns of Marine Academy of Science and Technology in Highlands, NJ, for its “Graphic Novel” project.

Representatives from the award’s sponsors said the awards highlighted the best collaborative efforts between librarians and teachers.

“This year’s depth of entries offers further proof how educators across the country are meeting the demands of today’s learning environment and digitally native students,” says Michelle Begora, program director for library products at Follett Software Company. “The 21st century school library is a 24/7 resource with unlimited potential and these entries prove that.”

Marlene Woo-Lun, president and publisher of Linworth Publishing and Library Media Connection magazine, says “Today’s library is all about providing resources for all learners, including meeting the needs of students who use technology in everything they do. Educators who recognize this and consistently progress toward a new learning environment should be rewarded.”

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