District Administration - July 2007 - (Page 8)

Editor’s Letter Conjunction Junction … Technology brings Schoolhouse Rock to new generations. NE OF THE GREATEST PRIVILEGES OF MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER was being on the team that produced the Emmy-award-winning Schoolhouse Rock on ABC-TV. Anyone who came of age between 1973 and 1985 probably learned about math, grammar, social studies and science from those animated three-minute ﬁlms on Saturday morning television that featured engaging art, catchy tunes and memorable lyrics. The Schoolhouse Rock generation can still sing the words to songs such as “Three Is a Magic Number”—the ﬁrst-ever SHR ﬁlm—“I’m Just a Bill,” which teaches how a bill becomes a law, “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here” and “Interplanet Janet.” I love to ask adults if they know the second line of “Conjunction Junction,” which they invariably do, and I usually hear “What’s your function?” sung with enthusiasm. Similarly, Schoolhouse Rock got millions of kids to learn the Preamble to the Constitution eﬀortlessly, which many can also quote if they sing the tune. As the late SHR art director Tom Yohe put it, Schoolhouse Rock learning “was inescapable, the way commercials are inescapable.” I was the last education collaborator hired for the series, and I worked on all the ﬁlms in science and computer education from initial concept to ﬁnal product. For several years I proposed and justiﬁed topics, approved the music and art, and edited the lyrics at each step in the process. The culmination was participating in the annual Emmy Award ceremonies at Lincoln Center in New York in 1979, when “Science Rock” won the Emmy in the category of Best Children’s Instructional Series. New Generations Thanks to information technologies, Schoolhouse Rock is now reaching new generations of learners through videotapes, CDROMs, and the 30th anniversary DVD, Walt Disney presents Schoolhouse Rock! that includes every Schoolhouse Rock ﬁlm ever created. Because of my position with District Administration magazine, our sales representatives John White and George Halo often give copies of the DVD as gifts to colleagues familiar with the show. When our schedules permit, three of us from the original team—including executive producer George Newall (who wrote “Unpack Your Adjectives”) and music director Bob Dorough (who wrote “Conjunction Junction”)—also present conference keynotes and reunion concerts in various states, and it is always gratifying to see grandparents, parents and grandchildren share the same educational experiences. In addition, several traveling troupes are bringing Schoolhouse Rock Live! across the country, and the musical is also being performed by students in local schools that recently included Douglas High School and Carson Valley Middle School in Nevada, Spaulding Middle School in New Hampshire, and the Leland Public Schools in Michigan. There are also several Web sites dedicated to Schoolhouse Rock, such as GeorgeNewall.com, blogs that discuss SHR topics, including “the loophole” from Minnesota Public Radio, and video sites that oﬀer the original clips and related ﬁlms, such as YouTube. Many of our readers were part of this special American phenomenon called Schoolhouse Rock, and we would love to hear about your experiences then or now. Please drop us a note or add your thoughts to the online version of this letter. Schoolhouse Odvard Egil Dyrli Rock is still captivating learners and proving that “Knowledge Is Power!” Editor-in-Chief gdyrli@edmediagroup.com District Administration O “Knowledge Is Power!” 8 July 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - July 2007

Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Facilities/Construction Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Cover Story: Rethinking School Bus Safety
Broadening Collective Bargaining
Searching for Subs
Jersey City’s Broad Appeal
Improving Nutrition in Schools
New Products
Computer Literature
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Research Corner
Problem Solution
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Supervisor’s Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - July 2007