New Release - Locked Out! Roots of the Arab Spring

We've got a new release!

Locked Out! Roots of the Arab Spring tells the story of Tariq Mohamad Bouazizi, who sold fruits and vegetables from a pushcart in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. He couldn’t afford the time (142 days to complete 54 procedural steps ) or the money ($3,233 – more than he made in a year) to register his business legally. He was Locked Out of the system. 

Like the vast majority of people in the Middle East, he ran his business extra-legally and dealt with harassment from corrupt officials. On the fateful day of Dec. 17, 2010, his run-in with officials and resultant death sent shockwaves across the Middle East, plunging the region into strife and conflict as millions demanded change. 

Discover the Roots of the Arab Spring - the story of Tariq Mohamad Bouazizi. 

Recommended for grades 9-12.

http://www.izzit.org/products/detail.php?video=locked_out  

Pups of Liberty Contest!

We're having a Pups of Liberty Contest!

Your class can name a new Pups of Liberty character for our upcoming sequel!

 Visit www.izzit.org and click on CONTESTS in the left menu to learn more.

There's a prize for the winning teacher (a Kindle Fire) as well as a prize for the winning class (Teacher's Choice - a class pizza party or a book for each student.) The contest runs all of February and March, so if you don't already have Pups of Liberty: The Boston Tea-Bone Party, you have time to get a copy and use it in your classroom.

You must be logged in to your izzit.org account in order to enter. (An izzit.org account is free!)

Our animation team is already hard at work on the next Pups film, which will center around the "Doglaration of Independence." It will be another fun way to teach (or review) American History.

New release - Bee the Change!

We have a new release! Bee the Change showcases the story of two small family businesses in Chile: a beekeeper, and a woman who runs a micro-factory to make textiles. It gives Chilean history, and shows how increased economic freedom has made more opportunities for people, especially the poor. If you teach Spanish, this DVD has folks speaking in Spanish. (It's dubbed over with translators speaking English.)








Check out the photo of our film crew in protective bee suits! That must have been quite an interesting shoot!

Holiday Special!

Happy holidays! We're running a holiday special right now on the izzit.org webstore. If there are DVDs you'd love to have, but don't want to wait until your next free DVD pick is available, we're offering 50% off now through Dec. 20! Simply use the promo code Holiday50 when you check out from the webstore.

We've also got a POGO (Pick One, Get One) special going on right now. Chinese New Year is Jan. 31, and we've paired A Taste of Chocolate, the story of Jimmy Lai, who was smuggled from Communist China as a 12-year-old, with The People's Economy, a look at how China is changing. If you pick one of these DVDs this month, we'll send you the other one as a special FREE bonus!

izzit.org at AMLE in Minneapolis!

Last week, izzit.org attended the AMLE (Association of Middle Level Education) Annual conference in Minneapolis.

GA teacher Mike Siekkinen was on-site with us, sharing his enthusiasm for izzit.org with the attendees. We gave away about 360 DVDs, along with pens and magnetic clips. Plus our new members can all get another free DVD by visiting our website.

We had a wonderful time, talking to teachers, meeting so many of you, both new izzit.org friends and old.

Next week we'll be headed to the NCSS conference in St. Louis! If you'll be there, stop by booth #709 and see us! We'll give you a free DVD and some other goodies, too. We'll also enter you in our contest to win a Kindle Fire!

Minneapolis was great! We found it full of friendly, helpful people. We made a quick trip to the Mall of America while we were out there -- I mean, when else will I get the chance to see it? I found all the Lego stuff fascinating. My son loved Legos when he was a kid. (Raise your hand if you've ever stepped on a Lego in your bare feet! Ouch.)

I also loved the Skyways in Minneapolis. What a clever idea for dealing with harsh weather. We should talk to the folks here in Erie, PA about doing something like that.

I hope to see some of you next week at the NCSS in St. Louis.

--- Susan Gable, izzit.org

New release - Monkey Business!



There’s no business like…monkey business? 

 

Our new izzit.org teaching unit follows Katarina Rybarikova and her family in Slovakia as they pursue Katarina’s dream of bringing the Paul Frank brand, with its distinctive monkey logo, to Europe. As a child growing up in communist controlled Czechoslovakia, she experienced very little freedom or economic opportunity.  Even after liberation from the Soviet Union and the split into two separate countries, times were tough. But with the right economic changes, things are looking up for Katarina and her family!

 

The DVD is recommended for grades 7-12, and covers a variety of topics, from Communism and Democracy, to Paternalism and Individual Responsibility. It includes a bonus interview with the authors of the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World Report, explaining how the index works and the correlations they’ve discovered between economic freedom and people’s well-being. It also covers the U.S. decline on the index, and likely reasons for the change.

 

Back-to-School Contest Winners!

Our Back-to-School contest, run on our Facebook page, was a lot of fun! Many teachers shared pictures and stories from their summer vacations.





We had so much fun reading them, we added special categories for additional prizes. (Things like izzit.org travel mugs and magnetic clips.)

Congratulations to our winners:

Most Unusual Summer Activity - David Gardner
Best Proposal/Wedding - Ken Wayman
Most Accomplished - Shelly Liles McAninch
Best Home Improvement Project - Lisa Scott
Most Scenic Picture- Laurie Stricklan Bender
Band-Aid (TM) Award - Micky Pelletier
Cutest Kid Pic - Cora Kiene
Cutest Animal Pic - Sara Kimball Smith


    And our "Grand Prize" winner of the Kindle Fire:

    Jason Rasmussen!

Laurie Bender's Grand canyon photo

 Stay tuned! There will be other contests from izzit.org throughout the year!