The Healthy Tip Corner

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Tips For Entering The Follett Challenge...From Me, A Follett Challenge Judge!

I know you are in full gear as you get ready to enter the 2020 Follett Challenge
After all, as I write this there are only a little over 6 weeks until the Follett Challenge entry deadline.  You can keep up with this countdown here too. 
This year Follett is very excited about several additions in the Follett Challenge, including the exciting news that best-selling author, James Patterson, will be joining as the special celebrity judge, 
along four other judges. 

And as one of the 2020 Follett Challenge Judges, I am here today to share a few tips for entering the Follett Challenge.

Eligibility
Submissions are open to all educators in K-12 schools (public/private) in the United States, Canada and Australia. This includes classroom teachers, special teachers (e.g., art teachers, music teachers), technology specialists, administrators, PTAs and librarians/media specialists.

Entries 
In order to participate, you must complete the online questionnaire, which includes five written components and a video.  Submissions open on October 21, 2019  at 8:00am CST and close on December 12, 2019 at 12:00pm CSTYour submission must demonstrate how your program is preparing students for the demands of the 21st century. 


In addition, your video must be 3 to 5-minutes showcasing how your program has a positive impact on your school. 
For inspiration, please watch the video the 2019 Follett Challenge winners created.  You will find it here.  

Last year when I watched their amazing video, I love how it captured the story of what they were doing within their district with themed inquiry based Tinker Tubs as it tied around the ISTE Standards for Students and their curriculum in Saskatchewan.  It was so much fun watching the videos with lots of videos, pictures and stories of how these Tinker Tubs were changing education within their schools.  I was inspired and couldn't wait for others to be inspired by their story and work too. 
Our team of judges will examine all submissions according to the judges' rubric and determine which programs stand above the rest. 
  • Click here for a Collection of resources to start your entry, developed by Follett Challenge judge, Shannon Miller. 

Selection Process
Our team of judges examines all submissions and determines which stand above the rest. But that's only part of the final score - the rest is based on the number of votes your video receives.
Nineteen prizes will be awarded and are broken down into:
  • Ten People's Choice Winners: By getting the word out about your incredible program, we will reward the 10 videos that receive the most votes with $5,000 in Follett products and services.
  • Nine Semi-Finalists: In addition, nine Semi-Finalists will be chosen - three in the elementary, three in middle and three in the high school category - will be chosen and receive $15,000 in Follett products and services. Those scores are determined by the judges' rubric (80% of overall score) and the number of votes received (20% of overall score). Semi-Finalists are not eligible for the People's Choice award, even if they have the highest number of votes.
  • One Grand-Prize Winner: Out of the nine Semi-Finalists, a Grand-Prize winner will be selected from the judges' rubric score alone to receive an additional $15,000, for a total of $30,000 in Follett Products and services. 
You will find more archives of the winning videos in the Follett Challenge Archives. 
Also, read through what Regina Catholic School Division, the 2019 Grand-Prize Follett Challenge, submitted.  You will find their Follett Case Study here.

You want to make sure you carefully go through the entire rubric to check off if you have included everything and to see what it will take to make your entry stand out above the rest. 
It is extremely important to pay attention to the key dates.  

The first one is coming up on December 12, 2019 when you must have your entry turned in by 12:00pm CST.

And the next BIG date to write down is January 20, 2020 at 8:00am CST when voting starts.  

The team of judges examines all submissions and determines which stand above the rest. But that's only part of the final score — the rest is based on the number of votes your video receives. 

Ask your school community to vote!
There are lots of resources to help you promote your Follett Challenge Entry that you will find here.
As a Follett Challenge judge, I also want you to have all of the information and resources that you will need in one spot to give you the best support throughout the project.  

You can find this on the Follett Challenge website also under Contest Information.  
The Collection is filled with video, image, and sound tools and resources to make your video for the Follett Challenge shine!
You will also find digital tools to spice up your video submission through animations, graphics, special effects,
and so much more.  
I also included the AASL Best Apps and Websites Collections which are full of awesome ideas and resources as well. 
 One of the resources that will be most helpful is the Follett Challenge Symbaloo I pulled together.

At the bottom, you will find 8 tiles filled with resources to help you create your video.
 These include Image Editing Tools, 
 Infographic Tools, 
Video Tools, 

Digital Storytelling Tools, 
 Green Screen Tools, 
 Music Free to Search and Use, 
Slides Tools, 
 and Images Free to Search and Use. 

There is definitely something for everyone as you create your Follett Challenge and tell your story in the most unique and special way.
If you have questions along the way, please visit the Contact page here.
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I can't wait to watch and read your Follett Challenge entry!  

Be creative, be different, be unique and most of all, make this a meaningful, fun and special experience for your school and community.  

That will shine through in your entry too.  

Good luck everyone!  

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