The PBS Teachers Innovation Awards Frequently Asked Questions

Innovators — thank you for your interest in submitting an entry for the PBS Teachers Innovation Awards!

The PBS Teachers Innovation Awards acknowledges creative and inspiring educators for the work you do in the classroom everyday. To enter is easy — you simply join PBS Teachers (it's free to join!), upload a video of your innovation in action and tell us why you are an innovator. Refer the to the PBS Teachers Innovation Award rules for details on who is eligible to enter and how the entries will be judged.

We are searching for teachers who are utilizing innovative teaching practices to engage students. It does not matter which subject you teach — all that matters is that you are helping kids learn using creative techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

What is the definition of innovation for this contest?

Innovation is anything you do in the classroom to increase the engagement and effectiveness of a lesson or a concept that you are teaching.

What are some examples of innovation in the classroom?

• Visit the Wired Science website and read about Mike Lampert who is a high school physics teacher experimenting with cool techniques for teaching kids physics concepts. You’ll find a couple of video and images as examples.
• View entries by the The 2010 PBS Teachers Innovation Award winners.

Wow! Some of the examples look professionally done. Does my video need to be a certain quality?

Don't worry about having a video or image professionally created. Simply grab a video camera or your phone and capture your innovation. We invite all entries — we are not selecting winners based on the quality of the production; we are selecting based on your creative and innovative teaching.

Does the video have to be a certain length or size?

Videos are limited to no more than 4 minutes in length. You will receive an error message if your video exceeds 4 minutes. Also, your video cannot be more than 100MB is size, and we recommend much less.

What are the acceptable formats for my video?

Acceptable video file format extensions are:

• .flv (preferred)
• .mov
• .mp4 (preferred)
• .avi (preferred)
• .wmv

Within these file formats, the following codecs (implementations) can be used for your video entry. In most instances, using the preferred file formats noted above will work. The codec list can be used to trouble shoot if you experience problems with your video upload.

• Windows Media Player: Microsoft RLE, Microsoft Video 1, Cinepak, Indeo 2, 3 and 5. Motion JPEG , Microsoft MPEG-4 v1, v2, v3, wmv1, wmv2, wmv3.
• Quicktime: Cinepak, Motions JPEG, Sorenson 3 Codec.
• There are many acceptable codecs for all the other acceptable formats. Some of the more common codecs are listed below, although other codecs may work.
  • QuickTime 8BPS video
  • MPEG-4 Audio Lossless Coding (ALS)
  • AVS (Audio Video Standard) video
  • H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10
  • MPEG-4 part 2 Microsoft variant version 3
  • QuickTime Animation (RLE) video
  • QuickTime video (RPZA)
  • Sorenson Vector Quantizer 1 / Sorenson Video 1 / SVQ1
  • Sorenson Vector Quantizer 3 / Sorenson Video 3 / SVQ3
  • Windows Media Video 7
  • Windows Media Video 8
  • Windows Media Video 9

Also to note: Please do not attempt to upload a presentation that has been created with an interactive whiteboard. Due to the proprietary nature of interactive whiteboards, the files will not translate into any other format.

Does the video or image need to show me teaching or can it show student work?

Our interest is in seeing innovation — whether it's a demonstration of a unique teaching technique or the outcome of your influence in a student work — either is fine. The one requirement is that the innovation must be the result of your teaching. You can not submit a video of another teacher's innovation or student work.

Can a team of teachers submit a single entry?

No. Given the structure of our prize, the contest is limited to one (1) person per entry. Entries from teams of people will be disqualified.

Do I have to be a classroom teacher?

We invite all educators to participate — classroom teachers, library media specialists, technology specialists, homeschoolers, Head Start and licensed daycare teachers at Prek level or above, etc... The requirement is that education must be your primary profession, you have to teach at the PreK-12th grade level, and you have to teach a student or group of students. We can not accept entries from tutors or individuals who teach on an informal basis.

What information do I have to provide about my innovation?

On the entry form, in addition to submitting video and basic information, you will also need to provide the following information:

• The name of the PBS resource you used as part of your innovative teaching, and, if applicable, the URL for that PBS resource.
• A description of the lesson or project showcased in your video submission: How was the lesson or project innovative in its approach, modification, or implementation? How did you use or modify a PBS resource to enhance the lesson or project? The description should be 300 words or less.
• A description of how the lesson or project engaged students: Did students show gains in learning? Did students take the presented material and show practical application or transfer the knowledge/skill to a new situation? The description should be 300 words or less.

Is it a requirement to use a PBS resource?

Yes. For the 2011 Awards, we want to know how you innovate and how you use PBS resources to support innovation. All entries should show a demonstration of innovation with students (inside or outside of a classroom) or an innovative project that was the result of an instructional activity you conducted and should clearly demonstrate how a PBS resource was used or modified to enhance the lesson or project. The PBS resource can be from a PBS local or national website, a PBS TeacherLine professional development course, a PBS on-air television show, a PBS video (streamed, downloaded, or from DVD), or a resource from your local PBS station.

On what criteria will the entries be judged?

The entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• innovation/ originality/creativity
• application or reinforcement of 21st century learning skills
• effective integration or application of a PBS resource
• student engagement
• student learning

Each entry will be scored by two judges. The two scores will be added together to determine the final score.

How many winners will be selected and what are the prizes?

A total of 48 educators will be selected as winners, based on the judging criteria outlined in the rules. Of the 48 winners:

• First Prize. The top score within each of the twelve (12) subject/grade groupings will receive the first prize for a total of twelve (12) first prize winners: a week long "Innovation Immersion Experience" at The Henry Ford ( http://www.thehenryford.org/) in Dearborn, Michigan from July 31 – August 5, 2011. The trip includes roundtrip airfare, lodging at The Dearborn Inn, select meals, and special events. Some meals and incidental expenses must be covered by the entrant. Approximate retail value of the First Prize is $2,000.00. Actual retail values may vary, depending on factors such as airfares. Any difference between the actual retail value and approximate retail value of the prize will not be awarded. In addition, the twelve First Prize winners will receive a SMART Slate™ wireless slate and a FREE PBS TeacherLine professional development course (http://www.pbs.org/teacherline).
• Second Prize. The (three) 3 next highest scoring entries within each of the subject/grade groupings after the first prize score – thirty-six (36) entries total - will receive the Second Prize: a PBS gift bag containing various premium items. Approximate retail value of the Second Prize is $50. The winning Second Prize entrants will be contacted to confirm mailing address and the prize will be shipped directly to the entrant at his or her requested address after completion and return to PBS of a signed affidavit of eligibility and a liability release form without modification. Entrants should allow a minimum of four to six weeks for delivery of the PBS gift bag.
• All Winners. All winners will be identified as "PBS Teachers Innovators" and will be invited to work with PBS and local stations on encouraging the utilization of public digital media and innovation best practices in classrooms across the country. In addition, all PBS Teachers Innovators may be asked to participate in PBS Education activities (e.g., conference presentations, market research, and PBS Education projects).

What is expected of the winners after the contest is over?

PBS in interested in enlisting the winning teachers to work in partnership with us and local stations on developing ideas for engaging more teachers in innovative practices, working with local schools and encouraging the integration of public digital media into daily classroom practice. Winners will be invited on an as needed basis to participate in local and national initiatives.

For more detailed information, please visit the Innovation Awards Rules page