Kearny CTA, Crawford IDEA Students Compete in Canstruction Event

Kearny CTA students create their "Hunger is No Game" sculpture.

Sculptures created with food cans by students from Kearny High Construction Tech Academy (CTA) and Crawford’s School of Invention & Design Education Academy (IDEA) won awards for “Best Meal” and “Best Use of Labels” as part of the eighth annual Canstruction competition held recently at Horton Plaza.

CTA’s structure, “Hunger Is No Game,” was a 7-foot, 3-inch book representing the Hunger Games book/movie series and CTA’s advocacy in preventing hunger. CTA won the award for Best Meal and is in the running for a national award.

“Literacy is the biggest way to avoid poverty,” said Law Thao, president of the 18-member team.

IDEA’s sculpture “Ameri-Can” received the “Best Use of Labels” award. Built by only five students, the structure was made from canned tuna and tomato soup cans.

The event combines the elements of artistic expression, engineering, and charity by using food cans as the only construction material. No interior structural support is allowed. This year, the students competed against five other architecture and engineering firms in San Diego.

All sculptures remained standing for several days after the event, then the canned food is boxed up and donated to local food banks. For additional information about this year’s event, please see a recent story in the UT San Diego. For details about Canstruction in San Diego, visit http://www.canstructionsd.org/.

County Art Education Awards Go to Three Educators

The San Diego County Art Education Association in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education presented the 2012 Awards of Excellence in Visual Art Education at the Annual Artissimo dinner and celebration held at Marina Village May 23, 2012. The following are San Diego Unified School District educators who were recognized for their commitment to visual art instruction for their students:

• Don Masse, art teacher at Zamorano Elementary, received the Artissimo Rookie of the Year Award
• Dr. Pat Crowder, principal at Patrick Henry High School, received the Administrator of the Year Award for Secondary Schools
• VC Groves, art teacher at LEADS San Diego High School, received the Artissimo Choice Award
  

For more information on the program, contact Karen Chidress Evans, Visual and Performing Arts Program Director, at (858) 539-5349.

Broadband Effort Kicked Off at Mann Middle School

 

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In The News

Carlos Slim, FCC chief tout pilot project to erase digital divide -- San Diego Union-Tribune» FCC Chair, Connect2Compete partner on national campaign  -- RBR.com/TVBR.com Why Mexico's Carlos Slim Is Donating Millions To Help Latinos In The U.S. -- Forbes.com World's Richest Man Joins Governing Board of Initiative to Extend Broadband to Low-Income Children -- Multichannel News

 From the Federal Communications Commission

FCC Chairman Genachowski and Connect2compete Partners Announce Adoption Pilot Program

The Carlos Slim Foundation Joins Connect2compete; Focuses On Digital Literacy

C2c Program To Expand Across The U.S. In Fall, Will Include All 50 States In 2013

First Multilingual, Multimedia, National Ad Council Campaign On Digital Literacy To Launch In January 2013

Chairman Genachowski was joined by Connect2Compete (C2C) members, including Cox Communications, Redemtech-GoodPC, The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Carlos Slim at Horace Mann Middle School in San Diego, CA, to announce progress on a national effort to close the broadband adoption gap. C2C is piloting their program with 39,000 eligible students in San Diego, and includes $9.95 monthly broadband service and discounted computer offerings for eligible school lunch children & their families.
I. Connect2Compete San Diego Broadband Adoption Pilot Program

• The C2C San Diego pilot program is designed to test key elements of the national broadband adoption initiative set to launch across the country in fall 2012. The pilot program runs through June 30, 2012, across six San Diego County school districts, comprising 56 schools, and nearly 39,000 students.
• Broadband Offering: Pilot offerings include $9.95 + tax monthly broadband service from Cox Communications. The service is available with no installation, activation, or modem fees.
• PC Offering: GoodPC is offering either a $150 + tax laptop or desktop with LCD monitor. Both are equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium and MS Office 2007 ($250 software value) and include free shipping, 90 days phone PC tech support, one year software tech support, and 90 day extended warranty.
• Eligibility: Eligible families must (1) have at least one student enrolled in the Free School Lunch Program, and for the broadband offering, also (2) not be a current Cox broadband subscriber (or have subscribed in the last 90 days), and (3) not have an overdue bill or unreturned equipment with Cox.
• Partners: Additional pilot partners include: The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Connected Living, Solix, and Altman Vilandire & Company.

II. Carlos Slim Foundation (Fundación Carlos Slim) announces support for Connect2Compete

• Will support C2C’s efforts to extend broadband to unconnected Latino households across the country.
• Includes support for a nationwide bilingual Ad Council campaign on digital literacy and broadband adoption, support for digital literacy training materials, and operational support for partnerships with schools, cities, countries, non-profit organizations, and technology companies.
• Will share best practices learned from its years of international broadband adoption and digital education advocacy.
• Carlos Slim Foundation joins C2C governing board as a founding member.

III. Connect2Compete Phase One Launch and Leadership

• Beginning in Fall 2012, C2C will launch phase one of its low-cost broadband connectivity initiative across the country; the C2C program will expand to all 50 states in January 2013.
• Participating Internet service providers include: Bend Cable, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast (via their Internet Essentials program), Cox Communications, Eagle Communications, GCI, Insight, Mediacom, Midcontinent, Sjoberg’s Cable, Suddenlink, and Time Warner Cable.
• Digital literacy includes in-person training, through coordination with Best Buy’s Geek Squad and thousands of other partner training locations, including America’s schools and libraries. C2C will also launch an online basic and advanced digital literacy training curriculum.
• C2C is incorporated as an independent, national non-profit and named Ben Hecht, currently President and CEO of Living Cities, as Chairman of the Board.

IV. Connect2Compete and Ad Council will launch first national campaign on digital literacy

• Ad Council campaign will begin in January 2013, will run for three years, and will focus on promoting digital literacy training and broadband adoption for all Americans in English and Spanish.
• The campaign will also promote the existence of free digital literacy training classes in thousands of communities nationwide.

V. The Broadband Adoption Challenge

• One-third of all Americans – 100 million people – haven’t adopted broadband at home. Broadband adoption is key to America’s competitiveness – to jobs, e-government, education, and energy. Compare that to South Korea and Singapore where adoption rates top 90 percent. (FCC research study, 2010)
• There is a growing divide between the digital-haves and have-nots.
• Less than one-third of the poorest Americans have adopted broadband, while more than 90% of the richest have adopted. (Connected Nation Survey, 2011 Digital Nation, NTIA).
• Less than 50% of African Americans, Latinos, elderly and rural populations have adopted broadband. (Connected Nation Survey, 2011 Digital Nation, NTIA).
• About 46% of low-income families have adopted broadband at home compared with over 90% of higher-income families. (Connected Nation Survey, 2011 Digital Nation, NTIA)
• A Federal Reserve study found that students with a PC and broadband at home have six to eight percentage point higher graduation rates than similar students who don’t have home access to the Internet. (Federal Reserve Bank, 2008)
• Studies have shown that broadband adoption efforts have resulted in increased test scores and that students actively and regularly used their computers and the Internet for learning. (CFY)
• 50% of today’s jobs require technology skills, and this percentage is expected to grow to 77% in the next decade. (IDC Research)
• Closing the broadband adoption gap will create $32 billion in annual economic value, or about $100 for every American, every year. (Microsoft)
• Consumers with broadband at home can save more than $7,000 a year. (Internet Innovation Alliance)

VI. Barriers to Broadband Adoption

• Digital Literacy: 22% of non-adopters say they feel uncomfortable or fearful using technology.
• Cost: 26% of non-adopters say they can’t afford broadband or a computer.
• Relevancy: 19% of non-adopters fail to recognize the potential benefits broadband would bring to their lives.
• Marketing: Most non-adopters are not receptive to traditional channels of marketing.

VII. Horace Mann Middle School and the San Diego Unified School District are FCC Learning On-the-Go Recipients

• The FCC launched the Learning On-the-Go program to explore how E-rate can help schools and libraries offer off-premises wireless Internet access for digital learning and digital textbooks.
• The San Diego Unified School District was one of 20 recipients of funding under the pilot program.
• The district established a Mobile Learning Program to seamlessly integrate ubiquitous, one-to-one computing and other 21st century technology into all teaching and learning throughout the curriculum.
• Program serves 6th graders in eight middle schools and all grades in two middle schools.

Encanto Elementary Students Take Math Skills to Next Level

Students from Encanto Elementary used their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills in the school’s recent 24 Game Challenge tournament. The two top winners represented their school at the San Diego County 24 Challenge held May 31. The math game challenges students’ computational skills, with the goal to raise mathematics achievement among students.


The Encanto 24 Game Challenge included third, fourth and fifth graders. Students must combine four given numbers to reach a total of 24. They can add, subtract, multiply and divide, and they must use all four numbers. Teachers have praised the programs impact on students’ computational skills and reinforcement of math facts.

Winners were (left to right): Makayla Saenz, second place; Hermanisha Tauiliili, first place; and Kayla Green, third place. Hermanisha and Makayla represented Encanto at the County 24 Challenge, which was hosted by the San Diego Office of Education and the Greater San Diego Mathematics Council in partnership with Suntex International.

2012 Middle School Promotion Exercises Announced

Traditional-schedule middle schools in the San Diego Unified School District will hold commencement exercises for grade 8 students on  June 11-12; year-round sites July 19-20. Read more»

Pt. Loma High Student Video Eyes SD Mayor's Race

A documentary produced by Pt. Loma High students on the upcoming vote for mayor of San Diego is now online and will begin airing at 6 p.m. tonight, with additional telecasts this weekend.

The video, "Race to the Top," was produced by students as part of their internship with the San Diego County Office of Education. The "Democracy in the Media" program gives students lessons on public policy and the media's role; they choose a topic and produce a documentary. Candidates Carl DeMaio, Bonnie Dumanis, Bob Filner and Nathan Fletcher appear, along with retiring Mayor Jerry Sanders, and Vladimir Kogan, co-author of the book Paradise Plundered.

ITV, the office's educational cable channel, is telecasting the program; it is carried on Channel 16 on many cable systems throughout the county. In addition to the Friday telecast, the show is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Saturday, June 2, and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 3.

As part of their high school education, many San Diego Unified high school students take internships through the Office of College and Career Technical Education. They spend time after school at local businesses and other organizations, such as the County Office of Education, gaining real-world experience working with professionals in a wide variety of professions.

For more information, contact Point Loma teacher Anthony Palmiotto at apalmiotto@sandi.net.

Innovation Middle School, District Awarded ‘Classroom of the Future’ Award

From Classroom of the Future Foundation

Congratulations to San Diego Unified School District and the Innovation Middle School for winning the Classroom of the Future Foundation's 2012 Innovate Award.

Innovation Middle School won the award for "flipping" the classroom using the internet. "Flipping" means that students use the internet to watch a video lesson online from home. When they get to school, instead of hearing a lecture, they take a short daily assessment so they can be placed into differentiated learning groups.

Students are able to watch the video lessons from home because the school provides small laptops to access the videos and other class materials.

At a ceremony on May 17, the award was presented to SuperintendentBill Kowba, as well as educators and students from the Innovation MiddleSchool, by Clayton Hoyle, Co-Founder of EDmin, Inc., which sponsored the award.

"It was great to see these enthusiastic educators and students get recognition for their accomplishments," Hoyle said. "We've known for a long time that personalized instruction makes a tremendous difference in helping students be successful. We congratulate these award winners for 'flipping' their way to an innovative way of learning."

EDmin provides an open platform for innovation to support K-12 education. EDmin's flagship product is the INFORM® Learning System, a suite of integrated instructional software that gives educators the ability to assess student progress, use data to guide instruction, access standards-aligned resources and create professional learning communities. The system is built on a robust academic data warehouse. For more information please visit http://www.edmin.com/.

The Classroom of the Future Foundation, at http://www.classroomofthefuture.org/ (not affiliated with EDmin) advances public education in San Diego County by inspiring business and educators to enhance learning technologies that measurably improve academic achievement.