A new PBS primetime special, Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times is coming to THIRTEEN on Saturday, September 12th at 5 p.m. This hour-long special, hosted by Al Roker, Deborah Roberts and Elmo, aims to help families with children, ages two to eight, experiencing difficult economic circumstances by offering strategies and tips that can lead to positive outcomes for their children’s physical and emotional well-being during this tough economic climate. Roker and Roberts, who are married and have children of their own, spoke to Inside THIRTEEN about the program.

Q: Why did you do this special, “Families Stand Together,” with Sesame Street?

Roberts: I have been such a fan of Sesame Street and I have always looked enviously upon any celebrity that gets to interact with the Muppets. I thought the special was infinitely responsible and wise. I thought ‘Wow, this is a combo of great things, a primetime special that’s important at this moment, and a television show like Sesame Street that has such an impact.’ I thought there’s no way to not do this.

Roker: It’s Sesame Street. Who doesn’t love Sesame Street? It’s a chance to hang out with Elmo! It’s a great topic, lots of people are dealing with this, and if Deborah and I can help, we’re happy to do that.

Q. There are a lot of programs that offer strategies for adults who are trying to deal with the recession … what makes this show different?

Roberts: What makes it different is that it offers advice on a couple of levels, to children and parents. Children are dealing with this recession through their families; children are experiencing and worrying about it, and there’s great advice to help children weather the storm. There’s also advice to help parents to be there for their children. It’s not just geared to children, but also to families, to embrace these tough times and what they call for. There’s one family in the program who had to cut back; the father lost his job and his daughter loves to read. She had a great idea with her mother to sell her old books to buy new ones. Families can walk away from this program with a good image and good advice.

Q. What is the best advice you would give a parent who’s lost a job, or struggling with the recession?

Roker: Look for whatever help your community offers. Whether it’s church, financial assistance, therapy … you have to look for something. And you have to include your kids; you can’t do this without making sure the family’s involved. You also have to make sure that what you tell your kids is age-appropriate – don’t show them a budget, for example. But you can help them understand what’s going on. Hiding it is not the way to go.

Roberts: Number one, don’t underestimate what the children might think about it, and number two, to be creative — whether that means financially, or finding way to make the money go further and still have a good time. One military family has come up with movie night at their own home; they have popcorn, and the kids enjoy it. It’s not like they’re missing out on the experience of going to the movies — parents are finding ways to be creative, in a way that comes up positive for their children.

Q. You have children of your own — what did you take away from working on the show?

Roberts: Fortunately, we are not struggling yet in this economy, but there are ways that our children can enjoy what we have, and ways that we can incorporate what these families do on the special into our own family. There are ways that we can do things to be creative with what we have, and it’s fun to work on a project and activity. My husband and I thought that we can do that with our kids. We can have that atmosphere at home, and we’ve employed these ideas from the program in our home. The silver lining is that we get closer as a family, and we pull together.

Watch a preview below, and tune in on Saturday evening for Families Stand Together.

Jon Rubin of WNET.ORG speaks at Brooklyn Borough Hall, accompanied by Digit from Cyberchase,
Karen Boykin-Towns, president of the NAACP Brooklyn Branch, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

As New York City students get in their last licks of summer, the annual NAACP “Back to School/Stay in School” (BTS/SIS) event yesterday at Brooklyn Borough Hall hopefully made the end of vacation a little sweeter as 2,000 free backpacks filled with essential school supplies were distributed to disadvantaged students.

This year the NAACP Brooklyn Branch forged a partnership with WNET.ORG as a media sponsor and with Friends of Thirteen to help fill the backpacks with supplies from THIRTEEN’s children’s programs. But the idea for this partnership was not born in a board room, nor at a fundraiser, nor even as a conversation between professionals.

It was Memorial Day weekend when Karen Boykin-Towns, president of the NAACP Brooklyn Branch, began preparing this year’s “BTS/SIS” event. She had been thinking of companies to ask for donations. It was her daughter who had the idea: “Mom, why don’t you ask Thirteen? They have a lot of kids’ shows.”

Karen’s first call was to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who then connected Dorothy Pacella, Executive Director of Friends of Thirteen, with Karen.

From there it was a team effort. THIRTEEN’s education department donated Cyberchase pencils and other back-to-school goodies from Martha Speaks and Sid the Science Kid. Digit, one of the stars from Cyberchase, and Jon Rubin, director, state and local education services for WNET.ORG, were at the event to help celebrate the new school year and encourage kids to stay in school.

Finally, happy 100th anniversary to the NAACP. THIRTEEN looks forward to future collaborations that will advance the committment of both organizations to improving access to educational opportunities for children and adults of all backgrounds.

Watch Jon Rubin’s comments at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

For the past 3 years, Nature has produced a full-color comic book as a corollary to the on-air episodes, as an entertaining & educational tool…but we’d like to share them with all of you, at least in digital form. The paper copies of the comic were distributed to museums, schools, and nature centers. The series was edited by David Reisman, and we have all three issues as pdfs at the bottom of this post for you to download and read or print. The above image is from #2, a section of a really great set of panels by R. Kikuo Johnson, who creatively uses the honeycomb as the layout structure–and does some really nice color work. Read More …

Everybody’s favorite talking dog is coming to New York Public Libraries! Thirteen will be holding screenings, read-along sessions, and opportunities to read to live therapy dogs, all based on Martha Speaks, the PBS show about a vocabulary-loving talking dog, which airs every weekday on Thirteen at 3:30pm. Bring your children to come read with Martha! Click here to find out more.

MARTHA LIBRARY EVENT SCHEDULE

April 9, 2009 @ 4pm
Martha Speaks @ The Library Screening #1
New York Public Library, Webster Branch @ 1465 York Avenue, Manhattan

April 15, 2009 @ 4pm
Martha Speaks @ The Library Screening #2
New York Public Library, Mulberry Branch @ 10 Jersey Street, Manhattan

April 22, 2009 @ 4pm
Martha Speaks @ The Library Screening #3
New York Public Library, Tottenville Branch, 7430 Amboy Road, Staten Island

June 8, 2009 @ 4pm
Martha Speaks @ The Library Screening #4
New York Public Library, 67th Street Branch @ 328 East 67th Street, Manhattan

Thanks, Mrs. Berman.

That name came back to me this weekend at our annual Celebration of Teaching and Learning. For the fourth year in a row, the Celebration provided a place for teachers from across the country to come together and shape the future of education. We had great guests like Governor Paterson, Google CEO Eric Schmidt (see recent Charlie Rose interview), celebrity math advocate Danica McKellar, and “Hawkeye” himself, Alan Alda of our upcoming show The Human Spark. Teachers were able to hear from these guests and many others in sessions that should have them returning to the classroom bursting with new ideas.

Alan Alda and Neal Shapiro at the 2009 Celebration
of Teaching and Learning (photo: Joe Sinnott)

The weekend reminded me of the educators who have touched my life. Mrs. Berman was my fourth grade teacher, and every day when I walked into school I would tell her what happened on the Today Show that morning. One day, when I wasn’t paying attention to the TV in the kitchen, I had nothing to tell Mrs Berman. Something felt wrong to me… but I didn’t quite know what it was. “I think you like telling people what happened,” she told me. “You know, some people do that as a career. Maybe that would be good for you?”

And I remember Mr. Yoachim, who led the middle school orchestra in which I played the violin. I knew I would never be a professional violinist, but whenever I hear a symphony, I am grateful for the knowledge about just how hard it is to make great music.

And I remember Helen Adler, who taught literature in my high school and opened my eyes to great authors and great works, not just on the page but on the screen as well.

So here I am, lucky enough to be at WNET.ORG, where our people and companies we work with produce the best in news, music and arts and culture.

And… I’m still learning.

Inside Thirteen Blogger: Dan Allen, Friends of Thirteen Intern

Attendees watch on as a converter box is
connected to a television using “rabbit ears”

On September 17th, I traveled uptown with Dorothy Pacella, Executive Director, Friends of Thirteen, to represent Channel Thirteen at “Harlem Connects,” an educational conference to prepare Harlem’s seniors for the digital television transition in 2009. Studies show that seniors are most likely to be left behind on February 17th, 2009, when all analog TV signals cease. The Harlem Consumer Education Council, under the leadership of dedicated community activists Dennis Lane and Florence Rice, hosted the event at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. building on 125th Street.

As the day progressed, my eyes were opened to an array of issues surrounding the “big switch.” Barriers of age, language and cost are frequently overlooked obstacles when it comes to the digital transition. Even with a $40 coupon, a digital converter box is a still a serious financial concern for someone living on a fixed income.

Below: sample coupon; for real coupon, go to
https://www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx

Even if your household subscribes to cable, I urge you to spread the word and educate your parents, relatives, friends, co-workers or neighbors; someone you know who is not ready for February 17th. With 148 days to go, it’s important to be as proactive as Harlem’s seniors who have already held two forums about the digital transition. It’s a daunting task, but Friends of Thirteen is doing our best to make sure that no one misses out. Learn more about the digital transition here: https://www.dtv2009.gov/

Inside Thirteen blogger: Josh Kail, Associate Publicist at Thirteen

Graduating students who participated in the GED Connection and GED en Español programs produced by Thirteen/WNET

This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to see the unique impact Thirteen/WNET has on the community beyond the glow of the television set. Over 100 men and women, surrounded by their friends and family, were awarded their General Educational Development (GED) diploma in our main studio. These graduates came from all around the city, where for the past year, with the help of their dedicated teachers, they studied, learned and ultimately passed the GED exam.

The atmosphere in the halls at Thirteen was noticeably different, the busy hustle of business replaced by the excitement and pride of the day. Each of these students had their own stories and reasons as to what brought them to this point in their lives, but this one event was the culmination of their unified goal. The pride in that collective success could be felt by everyone.

I am proud that Thirteen had an active part in the success of some of these students. By broadcasting GED Connection and GED en Español, adult students whose busy schedules do not allow for them to participate in traditional classes are able to record these programs to help them prepare for the exam. This, coupled with the availability of tutors and teachers, gave a helping hand in their success.

Although the graduation has passed and the graduates have moved on to their next goal, Thirteen’s commitment to education continues. This year was just one in nearly twenty of GED programming and graduations, and thankfully, it is not the last. A new year of educational programming for students of all ages is close to starting, and the same opportunities provided for the 2008 graduating class are open to the future 2009 graduating class. Go here for more information about Thirteen’s adult education projects, or see the Adult Education section at EdOnline.

More graduating students — all photos: Joe Sinnott

Inside Thirteen blogger: David Reisman, Educational Publishing

Robert Miller, who is my boss, co-worker and friend here at Thirteen/WNET, is retiring in June. Robert has been the Director of the Educational Publishing Department since 1983, and I’ve worked with him since 1986. When I first met Robert, I was 28 years old and in my first semester in a graduate program in education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He had been working at Thirteen/WNET for three years. His first project was a set of ambitious print materials for HERITAGE: CIVILIZATION AND THE JEWS.

I became a full-fledged staff member in the early 1990s. Over the years our department has developed publications for public TV programs of all types, in all subject areas — long-running series like NATURE (we’ve produced its teachers guides for 20 years); Bill Moyers’ programs on poetry, addiction, alternative medicine, and dying; the international documentary series WIDE ANGLE; and even local programs like A WALK AROUND BROOKLYN.

One of the great things about working with Robert is that he brings a truly collaborative spirit to his projects, and he’s very generous with offering opportunities for creative input. Before working at Thirteen/WNET, I’d had some pretty negative experiences in the workplace, and Robert’s encouragement was tremendously important for me. From my first experience with educational publishing (research for the Faces of Japan viewer’s guide) to the recent comic books I’ve developed for NATURE, I’ve always been impressed by how much Robert enjoys the brainstorming process at the beginning of a big project, how seriously he takes the messages of each program we’re working on, and how dedicated he is to making sure that our materials have the greatest possible educational impact.

Robert Miller, Thirteen Education

In addition to his work in educational publishing, Robert is also a very creative person: He is a talented writer of strange, funny pieces of surreal fiction and has a surprisingly excellent singing voice (as my coworkers and I learned when he nervously called us into a conference room to rehearse for a recent guitar recital). He’s also been genuinely supportive of my work as an artist, and one of the nice things about working on 33rd St. and 10th Ave. is that we occasionally go see art exhibits in Chelsea during lunch.

Colleagues come and go, new technologies cause seismic shifts in the workplace - and through all the uncertainty, Robert’s been stalwart and reliable. He’s managed to find a way of being a constant, like the “c” in E=mc2 (the speed of light). He’s been both a mentor and a good friend, and I feel truly lucky to have worked with him over the years.

Thirteen blogger: Neal Shapiro, President

It may be cloudy outside but in the hallway of Thirteen, I just ran into a ray of sunshine.

How’s that for a transition to Janice Huff, meteorologist for WNBC and NBC Weekend Today?

I’ve known her for years and off camera she’s as nice as you’d imagine she is. We caught up in audioroom B, where she was recording her lines for Stormy Gale, a character in Cyberchase. Stormy is a weatherborg from cybersite Gollywood… she’s got flashy lightning bolt earrings and, instead of having legs, she floats around on a cloud.

Stormy appears in two special weather-themed shows that will hit the air a year from now, in April 2009. In one of her first programs, Stormy helps the CyberSquad (and viewers like you) use math to figure out when fog forms. (If you’re wondering “Where’s the math in fog?” I’ll tell you. It’s in the measurement you do to keep track of air temperature and humidity, and it’s in the reasoning you do to predict when fog will form.)

Like many of the other well-known personalities who do voiceover work for this program, Janice loves how much Cyberchase empowers young people–especially girls–to be more confident in math. (Christopher Lloyd [Hacker] and Gilbert Gottfried [Digit] star in the series, and other guest voices have included Tony Hawk, Jane Curtin, Al Roker, Philip Bosco, Jasmine Guy, Bebe Neuwirth and Danica McKellar.)

When Janice was younger, before she knew a cold front from a cumulonimbus cloud, she loved the theater. I listened as she recorded her lines, and it’s clear she channels her early theatrical passion.

What’s the difference between a forecast and her work on Cyber-
chase? “When you do the weather, you just get one shot at it,” she said. “When I do Cyberchase, I can do it until I get it perfectly.”

Oh…and one more difference. Weather forecasts come and go, but Cyberchase will live on…on the air, online and in children’s imaginations.

Thirteen blogger: Maura B. Thompson

This week Cyberchase has a very special appearance from John Maine of the New York Mets on Friday, April 11. The honor? Because Maine can help connect math and baseball for Cyberchase viewers–he’s one of many we’ve worked with to draw real-world parallels and experiences into the process of learning math.

As I wrote in last month’s blog entry, Dan Flockhart is one of the presenters I wish I had seen at Thirteen’s Teaching and Learning Celebration. Dan is the man behind Fantasy Sports and Math, a really cool math curriculum that engages children using baseball, soccer, football, and basketball math.

Math & Sports is but one of the new Outreach tools on our belt. For each of Cyberchase’s thematic initiatives we create an activity kit that contains a DVD with episodes specific to that theme, and a CD-Rom with activities that extend the educational message. This year we had two thematic initiatives, Builders’ Math and Math & Sports. For both initiatives we asked educators to pre-register so we could send the kits out as soon as they arrived at Thirteen. Both kits have presented us with quite a good problem…we “sold out” of our free kits in a matter of days! So what is an educator that uses Cyberchase resources to do? Have no fear; Cyberchase Math & Sports (and Builder’s Math) activities and games are online! What we can give away physically, we have made available virtually.

Trainees playing Cyberchase’s ‘Slugball’

The Cyberchase Outreach team trains our partners at conferences and events nationwide. The American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance AAHPERD … try saying that five times and fast … is our newest partner; they joined us specifically for the Math & Sports initiative. We have been to both a state conference in Connecticut and a regional conference in Rhode Island.

This month, however, we joined the big leagues at the national conference in Texas. As I type, two Cyberchase Outreach staff members are training AAHPERD conference attendees. Our trainings include an introduction to Cyberchase, a preview of Math & Sports episodes and how to facilitate our Math & Sports activities. Our team truly enjoys these opportunities to interact with educators that use Cyberchase to teach math.

Tune in (online!) and train to become a “mathlete”!