Editor's Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on the use of video in education. Part One of the series, which appeared in April, examined the impact video is having on schools. Part Two, which appeared in May, focused on the use of streaming video and other applications to enhance. Following this month's report, we announce the winners of our first-ever Student Video Discovery Awards.

By Cara Branigan

No word says it better; today's technology is, quite simply, "cool." What it lets average students and teachers do with pictures, video, music, and even the simplest things is truly amazing.

For instance, a second-grade student named Josiah in Georgetown, Ky., recently wrote a story about how he accompanied his grandfather to buy buffalo meat so his grandmother could make her famous hamburgers.

His tale comes to life with the help of technology. As the video story plays-- viewers can watch his creation on the Scott County Schools web site--a series of photographs he has taken and drawings he has made pan and zoom across the screen.

Not only is it engaging to see the visuals, but it is also quite meaningful--and moving--to hear this young student's narration: "One summer, my family and I were visiting my grandparents in Wyoming. My family and I were anxiously awaiting lunch. In my family, my grandmother's cooking is a special occasion. Her hamburgers are a unique kind of beef. Little did we know that this unique kind of beef would lead us on an adventure. ... I became Cowboy Josiah on a mission to find buffalo beef."

The effort, planning, and attention to detail Josiah put into writing the script, storyboarding the images and sound, and narrating his tale quickly become obvious as the story unfolds.

For this reason, more and more teachers nationwide are using video as an instructional tool to excite and engage students. From their experience, video assignments motivate students to go beyond what is expected of them.

Plus, the cost of digital video cameras and editing software keeps dropping, while the technology's capability and ease of use increases. That means equipping an entire classroom with tools for ripping music, capturing digital images or video, and editing these into a powerful presentation is now affordable for nearly every school. And the technology's simplicity means students can focus more on the content and less on how to operate these tools.

"I think if [students] had to worry about the technology, they would never be doing the work they are doing now," said Danielle Mannion, grade 9-12 television production teacher at Millis Public Schools in Massachusetts. "Before, it was a constant struggle with equipment. Editing was tedious. Now, all 80 of my students can edit."