Ever consider a 21st century alternative to research papers? SIRS Researcher is proud to announce a Student Video Podcast Contest!

Students are asked to create a Podcast using materials researched in SIRS Researcher to either persuade or inform on a SIRS Leading Issue of their choice. Here's some advice for incorporating the contest into your classroom curriculum!

Standards Alignment (Source)

21st Century Standards

• Focuses on 21st century skills, content knowledge and expertise
  
  
• Builds understanding across and among core subjects as well as 21st century interdisciplinary themes
  
  
• Emphasizes deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge
  
  
• Engages students with the real world data, tools, and experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life--students learn best when actively engaged in solving meaningful problems
  
  
• Allows for multiple measures of mastery

21st Century Assessment

• Supports a balance of assessments, including high-quality standardized testing along with effective classroom formative and summative assessments
  
  
• Emphasizes useful feedback on student performance that is embedded into everyday learning
  
  
• Requires a balance of technology-enhanced, formative and summative assessments that measure student mastery of 21st century skills
  
  
• Enables development of portfolios of student work that demonstrate mastery of 21st century skills to educators and prospective employers
  
  
• Enables a balanced portfolio of measures to assess the educational system's effectiveness at reaching high levels of student competency in 21st century skills

Step 1: Choose a Topic

1. Complementary Topics: A topic can be selected to incorporate with current topics of study to help students gain a better understanding. For example, if your study focus is Culture the issue of Racism will complement classroom lessons.
   
   (NCSS Standard I.A Culture - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity, so that the learner can: analyze and explain the ways groups, societies, and cultures address human needs and concerns.)
   
   
2. Extension Topics: Select a topic to extend the study focus in your classroom. Studies in Time, Continuity and Change could be extended and applied to the issues related to Pop Culture.
   
   (NCSS Standard 2.C Time, Continuity, and Change - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time, so that the learner can identify and describe significant historical periods and patterns of change within and across cultures, such as the development of ancient cultures and civilizations, the rise of nation-states, and social, economic, and political revolutions)
   
   
3. Outside Topics: Provide your students the opportunity to apply critical thinking skills in an issue important to them outside the classroom. Doping in Sports, School Violence, and Alternative Energy are examples of popular issues researched by students today. (Access our full list of Leading Issues.) Essential critical thinking skills can be applied to these intriguing issues.
   
   Still can't decide? Visit SIRS Researcher's That's Debatable Poll Archive for questions that trigger critical analysis of important issues. Choose a topic from this archive that most interests you. Links to related articles are already editorially selected in this feature.

Step 2: Choose a Purpose

1. Inform: Present a balanced report of both sides of a leading issue. Be sure to fairly represent all sides of the issue and use facts and data to convey meaning.
   
   
2. Persuade: Make a convincing argument for OR against a leading issue. Be sure to include information on the alternative points of view to help build trustworthiness. See if others agree with your newly informed opinion!

Step 3: Research

1. Our Engaging Issues PowerPoint serves as the perfect graphic organizer for the information collected.
   
   
2. SIRS Researcher's Viewpoints feature is also a good way to check to make sure you have researched all sides of the issue. Using at least six different sources of information is a good rule.

Step 4: Create a Video Podcast Script

1. Write a detailed script using the researched information.
   
   
2. This T-chart format for audio and video specifications is good to follow.
   
   
3. Audio elements include music, dialog, sound effects, narration, etc.*
   
   
4. Video elements include everything the audience will see. *
   
   
5. Remember podcasts will be judged for originality, content, effectiveness and production quality so be creative and have fun!

* Podcasts submitted with copyrighted materials will be disqualified.

Step 5: Create Video Podcast

We recommend these links to technical information for video podcasting on Windows and Macintosh PCs:

PodcastingNews.com
UnderstandMedia.com
Apple GarageBand
Apple QuickTime Podcasts
MacWorld: Podcasting

Step 6: Evaluate Podcast

Video podcasts can be evaluated using the same criteria as research papers, as they are also a final synthesis of student learning. Use this rubric to help score your student created video podcast.

Step 7: Share

Video Podcasting is a great way to showcase cross curricular skills in 21st century learning environments. So, why not share the video podcasts with your students and colleagues? Allow students to evaluate each other's podcasts and give feedback.

March 9-15 is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week. It's important to recognize that most people can gamble without negative consequences, and the tax revenue that these establishments bring in help many state and local economies across the United States.

A small percentage of people, however, suffer enormous social, economic, and psychological implications as a result of gambling. Individuals, families, and communities all suffer from problem gambling.

Here's a summary of statistics about gambling in our nation:

• 85% of U.S. adults have gambled at least once in their lives; 80% of those in past 12 months
  
  
• Since 1975, the proportion of adults who "never gambled" dropped from 1 in 3 to 1 in 7.
  
  
• 48 states boast some form of legalized gambling (Hawaii and Utah do not)
  
  
• Legal gaming revenue was $68.7 billion in 2002
  
  
• The National Gambling Impact Study Commission (1999) estimated the annual cost to society of problem gambling was $5 billion
  
  
• During 2002, U.S. lottery sales totaled $42.4 billion; per capita sales were $168 (NASPL 2003)
  
  
• It's estimated that in 1997 Americans collectively wagered more than $500 billion
  
  
• 40-60% of cash wagered in casinos is withdrawn from ATMs, either from personal accounts or as cash advances from credit cards

Assign students to create a report of about 200 words that cites at least three of the resources listed from the pathfinder search below.

Essential questions are necessary for students to integrate critical thinking, original thought, and reasoned conclusions in their reports and presentations.

Without essential questions for critical thinking, most students will report facts from single articles or sources, and many reports on a topic will be very similar or identical (plagiarism).

Student reports should address at least four of these examples of essential questions (teachers may want to substitute or add their own):

1. Who are most likely to gamble, and why?
   
   
2. Why do some people develop addictive gambling habits?
   
   
3. What are three examples of societal problems caused by gambling, and why?
   
   
4. What are three examples of personal problems caused by gambling, and why?
   
   
5. Does the Internet affect the availability of gambling?
   
   
6. Should states be in the business of sponsoring legal gambling to raise much-needed revenue?
   
   
7. Should certain types of gambling be illegal? Which, and why?
   
   
8. Why is student gambling more prevalent today than in the past?

Type "Compulsive Gambling" in the Subject Headings search box > Click Search > Select Compulsive Gambling

1. Click the More Issues link in the Pro vs. Con section.
   
   
2. Click the Leading Issue Gambling.
   
   
3. Click the tab My Analysis.
   
   
4. Follow the 5-step process for your report.
   
   
5. Click the appropriate report/presentation model link in step 5.