Excitement filled the building at PAEC in Chipley on Tuesday, December 16, as word spread that PAEC’s own Florida Education Channel (FEC) had been selected for the prestigious 2008 Aurora Awards Platinum Best of Show in the Educational Documentary category.
This coveted award was received for the science documentary: Teachers Doing Real Science in the Real World, a 2008 Florida Education Channel production that spotlights teachers who participated in the Science Collaboration: Immersion, Inquiry and Innovation (Sc:iii) project this past summer.
Teachers Doing Real Science in the Real World parallels the Sc:iii sponsored research monograph entitled Real Science for the Real World: Doing, Learning, & TEACHING! which was edited by Drs. Penny J. Gilmer and Kate Calvin of FSU. Teachers featured in the documentary voluntarily submitted content for a chapter in the research monograph.
The Sc:iii project gave 120 teachers from school districts in the Panhandle region the opportunity to actively participate in field study research alongside lauded professors and scientists. The documentary captures the enthusiasm of the teachers participating in a collaborative learning environment with other teachers and scientists.
The Aurora Awards is an international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries. It specifically targets products, programs and commercials that would not normally have the opportunity to compete on a national level.
The basic premise of the judging structure for the Aurora Awards is based on the importance of receiving the endorsement of peers to verify that work is outstanding. Programs are judged in areas of creativity, message effectiveness and technical excellence. Receiving this award confirms the outstanding work that is consistently produced by the FEC staff at PAEC.
Congratulations to the entire FEC staff! Rick Everitt, Program Coordinator for Technology Support, and Brenda Crouch, Sc: iii Project Manager, served as Executive Producers for the documentary and the entire FEC staff had a hand in the production itself. Lisa Schofield, FEC Station manager, took the lead as Producer/ Editor. Chris Harding, TV Production Manager, served as videographer and produced the animated graphics. Charles Walker was the lead videographer. Kim Shaw provided graphics support, and Lynn Gothard and Denise Brock served as production assistants.
Congratulations also go to Tony Anderson, Administrator for Instructional Services and Sc:iii Project Administrator, and other PAEC Sc:iii project staff, Belva Free and Sharon Mitchell. Special thanks are extended to Drs. Penny J. Gilmer of Florida State University and Mary Jo Koroly of the University of Florida, the scientists, and the teachers, all of whom participated in the project and graciously agreed to be interviewed during the filming of the documentary. They added such meaningful content.
