School Innovation Videos on iTunes, K-12

Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/ recently announced free downloadable video content through the iTunes U Beyond Campus portal, a dedicated area of the iTunes Store featuring free, 24/7-access to material showcasing public school K-12 innovations. A selection of more than seventy-five videos from their archives is available now, with more to come soon.

According to Edutopia, the content is intended for integration into classroom presentations and professional and community development programs, providing practical examples of high-level, abstract concepts. Some of the issues addressed include:

* An exploration of poverty, as seen through life in developing countries
* A documentary on one school's curriculum-based gardening program
* An interview that looks at the inclusion of video games in the learning process

The videos are organized into six “Core Concept” Albums:
1. Integrated Studies
2. Technology Integration
3. Social and emotional learning
4. Project learning
5. Teacher development
6. Assessment

Users can access the video downloads in two ways:
1. Visit Edutopia on iTunes U at http://www.edutopia.org/itunes
2. Find links directly to specific videos by clicking the Download link on any Edutopia video page. Here's an example: http://www.edutopia.org/night-global-village

Edutopia also offers embedded code on their video pages for use in blogs (look for the "Embed Video" links), and Web pages. Many of their videos are available on DVD compilations for presentations for which the highest-quality resolution is desired. Several of these DVDs are on order and will be available for checkout at Heartland.

Edutopia is published by The George Lucas Educational Foundation, founded in 1991 by filmmaker George Lucas as a nonprofit operating foundation that publishes media to document and disseminate the most innovative practices in K-12 education, including how technology offers many new opportunities for teaching and learning.