San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 22, 2014
Today, Blab, a social video messaging startup, announced the winners of the First-Annual Transformative School Awards (http://transformativeschool.strikingly.com/). The Awards recognize the most innovative high schools that utilize technology and alternative learning to modernize the educational experience. The awards celebrate technology, innovation and creativity in America's high school classrooms.
The Awards, sponsored by Blab (http://www.blab.im) – the fastest and easiest way to send a video message via a smartphone – celebrate the most innovative, creative-thinking high schools in America. The nominees serve as industry leaders by reshaping how high school and entire school districts can implement new methodologies to provide a more relevant and modern education.
The nominees were selected via categories that include creative programming, innovative teaching and technology adoption inside and outside of the classroom. Each serves as an example of reshaping how schools can utilize new methodologies to provide a more relevant and modern educational experience.
Sycamore High School
Cincinnati, OH
Few schools take social media and technology as seriously as Sycamore. The district developed an official “Twitter Team” of principals and teachers to improve transparency and administrative access. Sycamore High’s Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) program enables students to use their personally-owned laptops and tablets throughout the day to facilitate more authentic, collaborative and digital learning. Students seem to be taking note as Sycamore senior Rajat Bhageria even founded a new social-networking site to help students publish creative essays, stories, research and poetry.
The Traveling School
Various locations
If you’re looking for a school that defies all boundaries of ‘traditional’ education, look no further. The Traveling School is a study-abroad program on steroids, and facilitates learning through experience-based education. By focusing on international exploration its students (female teens age 15-18) are instilled with the value of curiosity.
Beaverton High School
Beaverton, OR
The oldest public school in Beaverton is also one of the most technologically and social media savvy. The district utilizes a number of social platforms to increase the frequency and richness of communications between students, teachers and parents, and even created mobile applications to improve collaboration. Beaverton High is a leader in utilizing the most popular social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto, CA
Located in the heart of Silicon, Palo Alto High School is a hotbed for innovation. The school is responsible for The Paly Voice and The Viking, which are two of the nation’s coolest student-led news publications. The school has served as a ‘pilot’ entity to experiment with tablet-based learning and other new education technology. We expect to see ongoing innovation given the school’s proximity to Silicon Valley and top schools like Stanford.
Monroe Township High School and Adrian High School
Monroe Township, NJ and Adrian, MI
Both schools exhibit an incredible focus on technology as a learning mechanism, and have set a bar for connected classrooms. Programs include iPads for students and teachers to extend their education via 24/7 access to information, online course options, an amplified in-class experience through Apple TV, collaboration-based wikis, electronic books and one-on-one electronic communications between parents and staff members.
For more information, including assets to promote the recognition, visit the Transformative School Award website (http://transformativeschool.strikingly.com/), or Blab's website (http://www.blab.im).
About the Transformative School Awards
The Transformative School Awards (http://transformativeschool.strikingly.com) recognize innovative high schools that utilize alternative learning and technology to modernize the educational experience. The Award is sponsored by Blab, a smartphone application that makes video messaging fast, fun and easy.
About Blab
Blab (http://www.blab.im) is the fastest and easiest way to send a video message via a smartphone. Open the app, hold your thumb down over the contact, record the video and release your finger to send. Blab serves as a video walkie-talkie, letting users send video-messages to other users, or message non-users who receive a link to the private video via text message.
Media Contact
sjm (at) MonkeyInferno (dot) com
