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Teacher Preview Week - Your Voice Counts!

Visit: www.ecb.org/previews to vote on the educational programs
you want to see aired on Wisconsin Public Television.

Your Chance – Your Vote – Your Choice

Interview -- "The War Project"

A collaboration between the Educational Communications Board, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television...

There are many ways that high school students choose to spend their cherished summer vacations. Some head up north to relax at the beach; others may work diligently, saving for the perfect car or future college tuition; and some step eagerly into the past, like detectives seeking the truth.

Summer of 2007 saw four high school students from around the state answer a call to do just that—explore and reveal history by becoming a part of it through the power of radio. Meet Justin Wiemer, Natalia Hokin, Joe Meeker, and Jake Pryde—four high school students with four unique personalities and four different reasons for becoming a part of the ECB’s inaugural War Project. Together, with the help of technical director Joe Hardtke, they created and produced ‘The War Project’, the first of what the ECB hopes will be many multimedia efforts submitted to the Youth Media Project.

The much anticipated series ‘The War’ by Ken Burns, sparked a collaboration between the Educational Communications Board, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television that became The War Project. The first completed project, ‘The War Letters’ aired on Wisconsin Public Radio this past October, after months of research, writing, and editing. Natalia Hokin said, “We were responsible for finding our subjects and scheduling time to come in to the studio to work. It was a very independent project.”

The concept was to interview Wisconsinites who served in World War II, and to share their stories through the medium of radio. While World War II may not seem like a relevant period in our nation’s history to a teenager of the 21st century, these four students had a different take. “Unfortunately,” said Justin Wiemer, “the Greatest Generation is aging, and I feel that it is crucial to record their experiences before they are lost forever.” Soon, the stories wove together. Justin told the story of Jack and his escape from war-torn Poland to Canada; Joe Meeker introduced Howard, who stormed the beaches in Italy as part of the 3rd Division; Natalia interviewed Don, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Jake Preid gave us Larry, who chose not to enlist and ended up in prison for a time. “I learned about the very human side of war,” said Natalia. “What we learn in history class is the major events, political decisions, and the victories and defeats. What I learned from this project is that war is really a human experience and there is a lot of pain and hardship that had nothing to with victory or defeat.” All four of these students are now back at school engaged in another academic year, their summer experience of producing, writing, and editing a radio show behind them.

Not only did the experience introduce them to the practical skills of creating a radio show, but it revealed the value of story-telling. “I call anyone interested in preserving history to interview their neighbors and relatives and record their stories. They might be surprised at what they find out,” said Weimer. Both Weimer and Hokin encourage other students to take part in this project. “Joe showed us the ropes, but we did everything ourselves, from recording the interview, cutting our audio clips, writing the script, putting in additional sound clips, and producing our final piece,” Hokin said. Wiemer added, “Everyone has a story to tell; it’s just a matter of whether or not you are willing to listen.”

For more information on how your students can get involved with the War Project, visit www.ecb.org/warletters, or email Marta Bechtol at mbechtol@ecb.state.wi.us.

To listen to an archived copy of the “Wisconsin War Letters Project”, visit www.ecb.org/warletters/projects.htm.

SOUND~WAVES Wisconsin Youth Radio Festival

Calling all Parents and Teachers!

Earning statewide recognition, exploring creativity and talent, learning about the many varied aspects of mass communication, simply having fun—these are just some of the reasons that students around WI enter the Soundwaves Youth Radio Festival each year.

The entry deadline for this year is January 31, 2008.
And as always, the Educational Communications Board and Wisconsin Public Radio await the many creative entries that students submit. Winning entries will be awarded $100 cash and the opportunity to go to Wisconsin Public Radio's Madison studios to re-create their program with the help of professional staff.

Become a sponsoring adult and help make the Soundwaves Youth Radio Festival a memorable experience for the students in your school!

SoundWaves~Wisconsin Youth Radio Festival gives Wisconsin schoolchildren in grades 3 through 12 a chance to experiment with the universal medium of radio and its elements. For complete information on the upcoming 2007 SoundWaves~Wisconsin Youth Radio Festival, visit http://www.ecb.org/soundwaves/index.htm.

Now is the right time to get your students involved! Enter online!

Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators Contest

Encourage your kids in grades K-3 to write and illustrate their own stories!

Entries will be accepted between
January 1 - March 21, 2008.

Applications will be available on the web at:
www.wpt.org/kids, or by calling:
608/265-5035 beginning in January.

The Wisconsin WWII War Letters Project

Start your Wisconsin War Letters Project today!

Visit http://www.ecb.org/Warletters and learn how your students can get involved with the Wisconsin War Letters Project. Explore letters, documents, film footage, photos and more!

Create digital story using the resources we provide or from the students’ own family histories. Submit finished pieces to our project library, where projects can be shared with other students from around the state. The WI War Letters Project adheres to the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards. To find out which standards apply, visit http://www.ecb.org/Warletters.

4th annual New Wisconsin Promise Conference

We will be presenting at New Wisconsin Promise
(Pre-Conference) on January 14th at the Monona
Terrace Convention Center in Madison, WI.
and we’ve got a booth at WASB on 23-25th.

Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA Convention)

Visit the ECB at the WSRA Convention!

February 7-9, 2008 - at the Midwest Center in Milwaukee.

Find more at www.wsra.org.

WASB - 2008 Wisconsin State Education Convention

Find us at the Wisconsin State Education Convention -- Held by The Wisconsin Association of School Boards.

Stop by our booth January 23-25, 2008 at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, WI. Visit the Web site for schedules, events, forums, workshops and more!

Digital TV Explained

Making the Switch to Digital TV—Will your School be Ready? (PDF Download)

On February 18, 2009, all television broadcast in the United States will become digital.
The benefits of this transition will bring improved sound and picture quality, and ultimately a more efficient use of broadcast ‘space.’

For you and your school district, this means better quality, more choices, and more control over your television. Go to www.dtv.gov and www.dtvtransition.org for more information on this transition.

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