December 2007 — Special Feature
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THE Journal's 2007 Innovators : 1
Carol Ann McGuire
Imperial Elementary School (CA)
Carol Ann McGuire
Three years ago, Carol Ann McGuire's blind and vision-impaired students at Imperial Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, expressed a desire to create their own digital videos. Despite their vision impairments, the students wrote, shot, and edited several videos. An Apple Distinguished Educator, McGuire decided to attend ADE summer camp to learn more about producing digital videos. On closing day, another camp participant mentioned that the members of this international group of educators ought to do something jointly to bring their students together.
"That was all it took," says McGuire. "Rock Our World was born at that moment." She enlisted Belgian ADE Lucas Van de Paer, and the internationally acclaimed after-school program launched in fall 2004. Now, two afternoons each week from September to December and March to June, McGuire leaves Imperial Elementary and drives to El Rancho Charter School in Anaheim Hills to coordinate the program.
ROW sponsors two themed projects annually, with each lasting approximately three months. McGuire posts a weekly activity—explained in a short video— designed to lead teams through the process of writing, editing, and shooting a digital video related to the designated theme (currently "Surf's Up!" which focuses on oceanography). Each project culminates in an international Family Night, when all 20 teams and their guests participate in a videoconference to share and discuss their completed videos, which they shoot using Apple's iLife suite.
"Apple provides a live feed for these events, which has become the highlight of every project," McGuire says. "Also, thanks to a Moodle site set up by Discovery Education, teachers who are not part of the 20 teams can replicate current and past projects with their students."
Students who participate in ROW learn a great deal about 21st-century global citizenship. "The Family Nights are a celebration of vanishing barriers," says McGuire. "Young people from every continent and of all grade levels who speak various languages and represent a variety of cultures come together to celebrate their commonalities. Ongoing global relationships are formed."
