Davis, California, High School Students Win New Tech Network Video Challenge at Nationwide Education Conference
Davis, CA (PRWEB) July 24, 2013 -- Utilizing a literal interpretation in response to a philosophical query garnered the top award for students from Davis, California, in a video contest sponsored by the New Tech Network (NTN). The organization recognized the video challenge winners at the recent New Tech Network Annual Conference (NTAC) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The winners this year are from Da Vinci Charter Academy in Davis, CA. Da Vinci Charter Academy (DVHS) students Reese Woodard, Aamia Malik, Elsa Young and Nick Meddin created the award winning video: “Building Bridges to the Real World.” The short film focused on building bridges through education, community and the real world skills students will need to be successful in college and career.
“Our main goal for the video was to show how our New Tech school prepares us for the real world by supplying us with the skills necessary to benefit the community that we are all a part of, essentially, building a bridge. We wanted to do this while maintaining a really strong sense of what we consider to be ‘Da Vinci.’ That’s why we chose to build the plank bridge through the forest and used music that was an original composition by a Da Vinci student,” noted group member Malik.
The students’ achievement was applauded by more than 1,400 principals, teachers, staff, superintendents, alumni and students who represented more than 130 NTN schools nationwide. The event brought educators together to share strategies, learn new techniques and deepen the understanding of how best to support students in New Tech schools. It featured professional development to support principals, teachers and district leaders to prepare students to be college and career ready.
The video contest— which took place earlier in the year— provided an opportunity for communities to better understand what’s happening in New Tech schools. Student groups from across the Network submitted two-minute films that answered the question, “How do you build bridges with your community, your school and your fellow students?”
“The students received a standing ovation this year and deservedly so,” said Lydia Dobyns, New Tech Network President. “Their video showed a depth of understanding for the subject matter and was expertly directed and produced. The judging panel was impressed,” continued Dobyns.
Other NTN schools have been recognized recently for their focus on college and career readiness. President Obama visited a New Tech school for the launch of his “Middle Class Jobs and Opportunities tour.” The President visited Manor New Technology High School located outside Austin, Texas, to highlight the school’s transformative approach to education and its focus on the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
New Tech Network, in partnership with public school districts and charter organizations, will support 30 new elementary, middle and high schools joining the Network in 2013, expanding to more than 130 schools in the U.S. and Australia. The most recent data from New Tech high schools shows that New Tech students graduate at a rate 6 percent greater than the national average, enroll in college at a rate 9 percent greater than the national average, persist in 4-year colleges at a rate 17 percent greater than the national average and stay at 2-year colleges at a rate 46 percent greater than the national average. (Additional NTN outcomes for 2011-12 can be found here.)
First introduced in Napa, California, in 1996, the New Tech model has proven successful across diverse student populations in urban, rural and suburban locales .
For a full list of New Tech schools, visit the website at:http://www.newtechnetwork.org/newtech_schools
To see New Tech’s highly successful results in action, please visit: http://www.newtechnetwork.org/sites/default/files/news/2013_annual_data_v14-01.pdf
About the New Tech Network
The New Tech design is a blueprint, accompanied by a set of core beliefs, tools and strategies to help each school fulfill its purpose. New Tech design principles provide for an instructional approach centered on project-based learning, a culture that empowers students and teachers, and integrated use of technology in and outside the classroom. Through extensive professional development, personalized coaching and access to Echo — a learning management system, NTN empowers principals, teachers, and students to develop compelling, relevant and meaningful learning communities.
NTN is a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, which seeks to transform U.S. public education from a world of schooling to a world of learning.
Media Contacts:
Krista Clark
kclark(at)newtechnetwork(dot)org
707-307-3345
Twitter: @NewTechNetwork
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NewTechNetwork
Krista Clark, New Tech Network, http://www.newtechnetwork.org, 707-307-3345, [email protected]
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