TEL.A.VISION | It's Your Story

TEL.A.VISION Helped Me Create a Doorway to Discuss ALC Student’s Futures

Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION Stories

By Tom Wendt

St. Croix Valley Alternative Learning Center

I recently used TEL.A.VISION with two of my classes at the St.Croix Valley Alternative Learning Center (SCVALC). The students got into it. They took ownership of their videos. They all finished the project. The software was simple to use and there are online lesson plans to follow.

TEL.A.VISION got the students looking ahead; looking to their future. It was a doorway to open for me to have discussions on where they are headed and what they are doing.

I’ve often said that the hardest students to work with are those who have no direction. When a student has dreams and goals you have something to work toward. If you don’t have goals and you get knocked off course there is nothing to help steer you back. TEL.A.VISION gave them a foundation of goals that they can go back and change over time.

I’d highly recommend TEL.A.VISION for Alternative Learning Center students.

My experience with TEL.A.VISION was excellent!

Posted on 01. Feb, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION Stories

By Eric Paquette

Dunwoody Academy students at their computers

I am a high school writing teacher with a large special ed. population in my classroom. I found the visionary aspect, the creative freedom and hands on approach empowered previously unengaged students.  Since the project I have seen that by referring back to the goals set in the video students are connecting daily work to long term goals in a more concrete manner.

From the first day that we started using TEL.A.VISION there seemed to be an instant connection between the students and the program.  The special ed. students in my class seem to be more comfortable writing, and processing information on the computer than with a pencil and paper.  TEL.A.VISION allowed them an opportunity to have success in the classroom in a format that permitted them to focus on what they were saying rather than the format that they were using.

I would recommend TEL.A.VISION to ANY teacher trying to get students to rise to their full potential

Here is a sample video by one of the students.

Digital Story Telling with Homeless Students

Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION Stories

Lanise Block enjoyed using TEL.A.VISION in her classroom and decided to use it in a “Digital Story Telling” project with the homeless. She was surprised by how well the project was accepted by her students.

Use in a High School Classroom

Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts

We caught up with Lanise Block, a teacher at Henry High School in Minneapolis, at the recent TIES Conference. Here is what she had to say about about using TEL.A.VISION in her classroom.

7th Graders realize ” I Can Make A Difference in the World”

Posted on 28. Dec, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision

Mr Amaral, a Global Concepts teacher,  is beginning his third year of bringing TEL.A.VISION to every 7th grader at Oakland Junior High. Here is what he had to say about TEL.A.VISION. “TEL.A.VISION makes my students think about themselves in the world. It helps them think about what they could be. It is an opportunity for them to take control of their lives and realize they can make a difference in the world.”

“I see past students in the hallways almost every day who tell me how cool the vision video assignment was and how they still watch it. One 9th grader told me she watched her video the other day and has decided not to be a lawyer but instead wants to become a teacher.”

Here are what some of Mr. Amaral’s students said in their blog posts:

“I learned I have the capability to do whatever I hope and dream for my life.”

“I was so proud of my telavision!! I encourage others to do this to, it is a great experience.”

“My mom and dad were very proud of me when I did my tel.a.vison project. My Mom’s eyes got a little teary.”

“This was our best homework assignment we did all year.”

“Now that I put it out there for everyone to see my goals and dreams there are more people who are believing me and cheering me on.”

And finally there was the girl who had not completed an assignment all year who completed her TEL.A.VISION. She wrote in her blog,”It’s about time that someone asked us what we think.“

Native American Alaskans Make Transitions With TEL.A.VISION

Posted on 28. Dec, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts

Dustin Madden is a teacher at Bartlett High School in Alaska where he strives to teach Alaska Native students in a culturally responsive way. Dustin is excited to learn new ways to help students. One new way became apparent when he learned how to use TEL.A.VISION, web-based software that is designed to help students clarify their personal goals.

Dustin states, “I decided on this project for myself because I felt that the students in my Transitions class would really benefit by doing a project that encouraged them to reflect on how they want to live their lives.” This Transitions class is designed to help the Alaska Native / American Indian students that are currently going through a “transition” in their lives. From class discussions it seemed that many of these students felt uprooted.

Dustin believed that “by helping them to clarify their goals, it would help to think about the life they personally wanted to live, and to start working towards that ideal.” Using this Tel.A.Vision website, students used media tools included text, music/audio, video, and special effects to create a vision of their future, writing down their goals as if they have already happened.

“The benefit of the Tel-A-Vision software is that it the basics can be learned relatively quickly,” says Madden, “Using excellent built-in tutorials, a large number of stock photos, music, and video effects. This allows students to focus more on the “meat” of the project- their vision for their future. The projects turned out so well that Dustin took his class to the Alaska Native Charter School across the bridge from Bartlett and had them present to elementary students.“

TEL.A.VISION Launches New Curriculum and New Site License Program To Include At-Risk and Special Education Programs

Posted on 15. Dec, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, TEL.A.VISION News

Students Demonstrate Deeper Engagement with School Because of TEL.A.VISION

MINNEAPOLIS (December 15, 2009) – TEL.A.VISION, the proven Web 2.0 online curriculum that inspires youth to create and share visions of hope and possibility through personal “vision videos” announced today the launch of their new curriculum and new site license program.
Realizing that the greatest benefit of TEL.A.VISION is with our most vulnerable students, TEL.A.VISION has relaunched its curriculum with a focus on Special Ed and At Risk students.

The United States dropout rate is 30% per year. Many of these students are not engaged in thinking about their future, they drop out because they feel no hope. With TEL.A.VISION they feel more optimistic about their future, more hopeful, more engaged and have more reason to stay in school.

TEL.A.VISION’s new Site License Program is designed to be purchased for Special Education students. Schools purchase a yearly subscription for each Special Education student and that also includes group accounts for all other classrooms at no additional charge. This New Site License Program was designed to help schools and districts decrease the dropout rate for these vulnerable students while also promoting academic achievement in every classroom. This convenient, low-cost, license purchase covers all student, teacher and administrator use at a school. The site license includes a curriculum guide, lesson plans, and on-line media so each lesson can be taught with a computer and projector or/and an interactive whiteboard.

The extensive curriculum for Special Education and At Risk students was created under the direction of Dr. Christy Chambers, past president of CASE (Council of Administrators of Special Education) and past superintendent of Special Education District of McHenry County, Woodstock, IL. This new curriculum will decrease the number of Special Education and At Risk dropouts by providing that students  tools to create a new way of thinking positively about their futures by giving them more hope and more social and emotional support.

“We are seeing increased use of TEL.A.VISION in several of our schools, elementary and secondary and an interest in using it by other schools in our district,” stated Mike Dronen District Technology Coordinator at Stillwater Area Public Schools. “When one firsts look at TEL.A.VISION, it may not seem particularly significant, but once you see students working with it and showing their TEL.A.VISION videos, the possibilities for impacting students are amazing.”

“TEL.A.VISION wants to ensure that all students, including our most vulnerable students, have the opportunity to feel valued and to stay in school. I believe that we have a vision deficit in the world and that everything starts with vision. Our students need to envision graduating from high school,” stated George Johnson of TEL.A.VISION. “TEL.A.VISION is a cost effective way to keep students engaged in school. Our thoughts matter. And students using TEL.A.VISION are focusing their thoughts on their desired future. We have found that hope breeds success and TEL.A.VISION definitely offers hope to our students.”

About TEL.A.VISION

TEL.A.VISION was created by former Special Education teacher turned entrepreneur, George Johnson. TEL.A.VISION is a Web 2.0 online curriculum that inspires youth to create and share visions of hope and possibility through personal “vision videos”.  The TEL.A.VISION technology platform was designed for all youth, but the focus is the Special Education and At Risk student.
For more information, or to create and share a vision for a better world, visit www.telavision.tv

TEL.A.VISION Forms Partnership with Minnesota TIES

Posted on 01. Dec, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Supporters, TEL.A.VISION News

Alliance Will Benefit TEL.A.VISION, TIES and Their Affiliates

MINNEAPOLIS (December 1, 2009) – TEL.A.VISION, the proven Web 2.0 online curriculum that inspires youth to create and share visions of hope and possibility through personal “vision videos” announced today their partnership with TIES, the Minnesota Education Technology Collaborative that brings together technology and education to create comprehensive, cutting-edge solutions for school administrators, educators and students.

TEL.A.VISION will support TIES’s growth and development by offering preferred services and discounts to TIES members. TIES will promote the benefits and savings of TEL.A.VISION’S curriculum that combines compelling words, images and music to create a vision video of their desired future.

TEL.A.VISION has proven to be successful with all students, but especially those at risk and those receiving special educations services. The program engages students in a meaningful way, allows their voices to be heard, has improved AYP and helps to decrease the dropout rate.

“We have seen what TEL.A.VISION has done for students in Minnesota. We know firsthand that this partnership holds great potential for the districts that we serve,” said Marla Davenport, Co-Director of Learning and Technology. “The TIES and TEL.A.VISION missions speak to increasing the availability of technology and improving learning outcomes for students. Together we can leverage our strengths to further these outcomes.”

“TIES is a leader in providing cutting edge technology and software solutions to schools in Minnesota. Both organizations know that if there ever was a time in history where we quickly need to plant and cultivate seeds of hope, imagination and vision, the time is now,” stated George Johnson of TEL.A.VISION. “We know that TIES is the right partner for us to reach more students that crave the opportunity to build connections to their communities and engage in academics.”

About TIES

TIES was created as Technology Information Education Services in 1967 to provide technology and information resources to school administrators, educators and students. It is now known solely by the acronym TIES. For more information go to:  www.ties.k12.mn.us

4TH GRADE TEACHER- “THE EDUCATIONAL IMPACT OF TEL.A.VISION IS INCREDIBLE”

Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Supporters

Here is what Fourth grade teacher Brent Bovitz had to say about using TEL.A.VISION.

“TEL-A-VISION has been an absolutely amazing tool for us at Cedar Ridge Elementary.  After being introduced to TEL-A-VISION at TIES, it has been a web 2.0 technology that has provided learning, motivation, and excitement for our students and staff.  Each student in a fourth grade class at our school created their own “My Life Ahead of Me” video.  The programmers that created TEL-A-VISION are top notch.  It is easy to use and very professional looking with all the awesome transitions and effects.  The education impact of TEL-A-VISION is incredible.  We are looking forward to using TEL-A-VISION next school year.”

Here is a vision video Brent did for his life and family.

Summer Update From TEL.A.VISION

Posted on 26. Sep, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, How to Help!, Supporters

Dear Friends,

This past three weeks, with the start of school, we had a record number of new accounts and over a 1000 new TEL.A.VISION  videos created. We have had a very busy summer preparing for the new school year. We will shortly be introducing new school pricing that will allow schools to buy TEL.A.VISION for a classroom, school or district without using a credit card.

We have realized one of the best uses for TEL.A.VISION is in Special Education. We are just finishing a new Special Education Curriculum, written by Special Education teachers from McHenry County, Illinois under the direction of Dr. Christy Chambers. The curriculum will show Special Education teachers many ways to use TEL.A. VISION in the classroom including using it as part of a student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). We have been accepted to speak at next years Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) conference.

We are just finishing an agreement with Best Buy for a contest on their @15 web site, www.at15.com. The contest will start in January and build on their research on empowering youth. There will be winners for an individual video and classroom project. The winners will show their work at the ISTE/NECC Conference in Denver in June 2010.

We have been accepted to give a presentation at the TIES Conference and will be working with TIES to offer special pricing to their member schools.

We have received a donation that will allow us to take TEL.A.VISION to the 155 students at the Dunwoody Academy in Minneapolis. We had planned to introduce TEL.A.VISION into all Minneapolis Schools this fall but because of budget cuts are now looking for donations to help make this happen.

We are in the process hiring a telemarketer to call on School Principals and Special Education staff. The position would be working from home and include salary and bonus. If you know of anyone with sales experience that you think might be interested please have them contact me, george@telavision.tv.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.