Videos for the Classroom

During the all-too-quick holiday break, I managed to find a few minutes to check through my DVR to see if there was anything worth watching and discovered a number of things of the last few months that I recorded but never got around to watching. Okay, I did watch Godzilla vs Megagodzilla 2 but deleted it to make room for yet another episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates for my kids.

Among the myriad of the shows that filled the DVR's memory were many about tech, education and diversity. As I didn't find time to watch them I am at least going to share the list with you as there may be more than a few shows that would make for interesting discussion topics for staff and students alike. I have tried to list shows that you can find online or at website that gives you more information about each program. Enjoy and we would love to hear your comments if you watch or use any of them in your classroom.

Dropping Back In

NEARLY 40 MILLION ADULTS IN AMERICA—1 IN 5—LACK A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR GED® CREDENTIAL. Videos of former dropouts sharing inspiring stories of how they overcame the odds, returned to learning and changed their futures in powerful ways. The website also has community engagement resources for you to use.

http://www.droppingbackin.org/

Our Issues Twin Cities

Our Issues Twin Cities is a people-focused, 30-minute program profiling the many positive ways Minnesotan's are improving our state. The goal of Our Issues Twin Cities is to share these achievements that make a difference in our lives.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYPR-MalShk6No4EoT_ldpA

Extraordinary Women: Iconic women of the 20th century are profiled.

http://bbcbentomatics.lunchbox.pbs.org/extraordinary-women/

Redesigning MN: Educating the workforce

Minnesota's higher ed system is facing a multi-headed Hydra. Shrinking numbers of students, ever-rising costs, and employers dissatisfied with the quality of graduates for the 21st century workplace. How to slay this monster? See provocative ideas and innovative solutions on "Redesigning Minnesota".

http://www.redesigningmn.org/programs/episodes/?show=5

Nova: Rise of the Hackers

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/rise-of-the-hackers.html

Do the Media Understand Poverty?

http://www.tpt.org/?a=programs&id=17347

Unsung Hollywood

http://tvone.tv/category/shows/unsung-hollywood/

Independent Lens: East of Salinas, Season 17, Episode 4

EAST OF SALINAS is a documentary about immigration, childhood and the cruelty of circumstance. An undocumented third grader dreams of becoming an engineer. As deportation and gang violence threaten his future, this bighearted, ambitious boy begins to understand what it really means to be "born in Mexico".

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/east-of-salinas/

Women and Tech  

http://video.kpbs.org/video/2365543103/

The Facebook Obsession

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhfg7b_cnbc-originals-facebook-obsession_news

Techcrunch Conference

http://techcrunch.com/video/all/

Indian Women: Strength and resilience http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=17661&select_index=0&popup=yes

First Speakers: A language is lost every fourteen days. One of those endangered tongues is Minnesota’s own Ojibwe language. Now a new generation of Ojibwe scholars and educators are racing against time to save the language. Working with the remaining fluent-speaking Ojibwe elders, they hope to pass the language on to the next generation. But can this language be saved?  Told by Ojibwe elders, scholars, writers, historians and teachers, this tpt original production is filled with hope for the future. http://www.tpt.org/?a=productions&id=3

Immigrant Stories Revealed

http://www.tpt.org/?a=programs&id=18491

The Salinas Project

The Salinas Project profiles several children of migrant farm workers living in Alisal. Without resources, and sometimes undocumented, their future looks uncertain yet they cling to the hope of a better life. The film goes beyond the mainstream media representations to shine a light on the problems in East Salinas and highlight the successes of this often marginalized community. In the face of adversity, the young people of Salinas strive to improve their social and economic realities by educating themselves and changing their lives, one generation at a time.

http://www.tpt.org/?a=programs&id=24796

Black Brilliance: Five black high school seniors share their stories of wisdom and strength, where “success” is self -defined. Part of American Graduate

https://www.minnpost.com/learning-curve/2015/09/tpts-black-brilliance-follows-twin-cities-students-weeks-graduation

Belief Bowl: Growth Mindset

In a quiz bowl format, third- through eighth-grade African American youth compete in language arts and math, demonstrating how an engaged community affirms the growth mindset in order to achieve educational advancement. Produced with the Stairstep Foundation. http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=26935&select_index=0&popup=yes#0

Smokin' Fish

Cory Mann is a businessman hustling to make a dollar in Juneau, Alaska. He gets hungry for smoked salmon — a favorite food from his childhood — and decides to spend a summer preparing the traditional dish of his people, the Tlingit. Smokin' Fish interweaves the unusual story of Mann's life and the untold history of the Tlingit with the process of preparing this traditional food. The documentary also chronicles Mann's struggles to pay his bills and keep his business, which focuses on mass producing and importing Tlingit artwork and wholesaling it to the tourism industry, afloat.

http://www.pbs.org/program/smokin-fish/

Is School Enough?

Thanks to digital media, the Internet and new advances in understanding how students learn, educators are beginning to appreciate the importance of breaking out of the classroom and into the wider world. There’s a growing understanding that learning should not just be preparation for life, but is actually “life itself.” http://www.pbs.org/video/2365073145/

IQ: Smart Parent: Digital Badges

http://www.wqed.org/education/smartparent/resources

Women Serving in War

From the war zone to life back home: Three generations of Minnesota's military women share their stories of service from World War II to Vietnam to Afghanistan. Produced with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.

http://video.tpt.org/video/2365361549/