Dr. Tyson began the Mabry Film Festival in 2001 as a way to integrate technology into the instructional plan of the school. He has seen firsthand the power of media production in a middle school setting. Producing digital media content is not only well within the financial grasp of most schools, students have the capacity to create compelling and deeply moving content of the same quality you can find at your local video store. While in many ways this medium is the language of their generation, producing student work of exceptional quality does not just happen by "turning students loose" with a video camera and a computer. This session will provide ideas and insight into ways you can leverage the unprecedented excitement of a film festival in your own school community, making learning irresistible while building support for deeper use of technology tools. Few things excite students and parents more than a large audience's critical acclaim of student work. Dr. Tyson will explore ways to make the educational experience of your students more rigorous and demanding by bringing their meaningful contributions to life on the big screen.