NDLW Award Nominees: Student Projects

Name of Nominee: Dr. Terrance Sullivan
Nominee’s Organization: School District No. 73 (Kamloops/Thompson)

Description of why this nominee should receive the NDLW Award:
School District No. 73 is a mid-sized, geographically large school district in the interior of British Columbia encompassing an area of almost 18,000 square miles. The larger urban area with the majority of the student population is centered in Kamloops with four rural areas being serviced. The challenge has been to provide equitable and superior quality education to rural secondary students while student populations have declined steadily over the past ten years.

In the spring of 2003, Dr. Terrence Sullivan, the district Superintendent initiated a project that would provide access for the districts rural secondary students to courses that would not readily be available to these students, including Geography 12, Chemistry 12, Physics 12, and so forth. A classroom at a large urban secondary school was outfitted with a full range of video conferencing equipment including cameras, data projectors, microphones and other peripheral equipment to allow for 2-way interactive education with teachers located at the urban school and the students located at the four rural schools. Under his leadership, which included monthly meetings involving staff and students this initiative has been continually refined and enhanced. The project was so successful that in the fall of 2004 the school district received the Minister of Educations award for School Board Innovation (see below)

Since 2004, this program has been greatly expanded and enhanced with ten sites now using Video Conferencing for education, administration and professional development. Dr. Sullivan's outstanding educational leadership in this and other initiatives has seen School District No. 73 receiving one of the highest district reviews in the province of British Columbia for educational leadership, innovation and fiscal responsibility (see below). I would be very happy to elaborate on any of the accomplishments and achievements by Dr. Sullivan.

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/news/photos/meetings/tchristensen/2004/archive.htm.
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/review/2005.htm

Name of Nominee: Thelia Lisle
Nominee’s Organization: Stamford High School

Description of why this nominee should receive the NDLW Award:
Thelia Lisle is a Technology Applications teacher at Stamford High School. Five years ago, well before anyone was even thinking about 'student developed content' delivered through interactive video, Ms. Lisle got a group of students together and challenged them to develop a virtual field trip using the local resource, cotton. The students accepted the challenge and designed, developed, produced, and delivered the virtual field trip called "Cotton: Plant of Many Uses."

The first couple of years the students struggled. Even though they had an excellent program, they soon found out that they were way ahead of their times. Just the simple act of trying to distribute information about their program proved to be trying. One website that maintains a data bank of virtual field trips refused to allow the students at Stamford High School to post their "Cotton" VFT on the website because, "if students are doing the program it must be a collaborative project, not a virtual field trip."

As the years have passed, Stamford High Schools virtual field trip is now being used as a model for other schools to follow. Through graduation, each year Ms. Lisle trains a new group of students. Over the years the students have developed an awesome website that includes pre and post conference activities. http://www2.stamford.esc14.net:1090/ Each year the new students update and add to the website.

Ms. Thelia Lisle is a teacher with a vision. A vision that given a challenge and the technological tools, students can and will exceed educational expectations. A vision well ahead of her time by believing that students will live in an interactive video world and that our schools should prepare their students for that world. Ms Lisle should be recognized for her vision, her willingness to take risks, and her leadership in the field of distance learning.

Name of Nominee: Jay Moody
Nominee’s Organization: Canton Local Schools

Description of why this nominee should receive the NDLW Award:
Jay Moody has been involved in distance learning for 10 years. He has purchased and supports 4 major brands of video conferencing technology. Each year, Jay solicits enough grant money to take students to locations such as Disney World, the Everglades, Williamsburg and Jamestown, and this year, the Mexican Rain Forest to produce video programs that are incorporated into student lead videoconferences.

Description of why this nominee should receive the NDLW Award:
Tommy inspires students to become "the teacher" by creating and presenting information to others around the world using interactive video conferencing. Tommy helped a local high school implement the virtual field trip "Cotton: Plant of Many Uses" in which students from across the United States and Europe were able to learn about cotton from their peers at Stamford High School. Not only did the students prepare the content, conduct the presentation and support the equipment, they also mailed cotton bolls and other manipulative in advance for students to have a hands-on experience.

Tommy believes students can deliver content simply by looking in their backyards. He has sponsored several student-driven events such as "A Walk Along the Brazos River," "Our State - A Brief History and Fun Facts," and a collaborative event about the Civil War in which students presented on their state's impact on the war. With these events, students were encouraged to use multi-media resources to present their content. In "A Walk Along the Brazos River," students took video cameras to the river and embedded recorded video throughout their PowerPoint presentations.

Last year Tommy coordinated 230 field trips in which over 11,000 students in his region participated or viewed the events. While most of those field trips were not student-created, Tommy understands the value video conferencing brings into the classroom in terms of fostering new skills and making learning real. With every student who participates in IVC presentations and becomes accustomed to learning over IVC lies a potential "teacher."

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED
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