Lessons on Local Government, a Resource for Teachers

Free Training on Use of Lessons on Local Government

Currently, two teacher trainings are scheduled for this summer. Each workshop trains K-12 teachers on lessons written by teachers for teachers and are designed to meet state standards. Participants also receive a lunch with local leaders, and a $25 gift card. One-half CDE and graduate credit available. Space is limited! Contact Lessons on Local Government Trainer Kent Willmann to register.

• June 11, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: Silver Creek High School, Longmont
• August 3, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: Colorado Municipal League offices, Denver(free parking onsite)

Want a training to take place in your district, class, or school? Contact Kent Willmann to schedule one.

Primary Source Lesson Writing Team

We are looking for a few elementary, middle, and high school teachers to spend a day this summer reviewing current Lessons on Local Government materials and writing new lessons incorporating primary sources.

We will meet August 4 at the Colorado Municipal League offices in Denver (free parking onsite.) 

Contact Kent Willmann if you would like to be a part of the team. We will be able to offer a small honoraria and lunch.

Colorado Cities & Towns Week

Now in its second year, Colorado Cities & Towns Week, sponsored by the Colorado Municipal League, is an opportunity for municipal leaders to appreciate municipal employees and volunteers and to connect with residents - including youth!

During this special week, September 14-20, municipal leaders are encouraged to visit with students in schools in their communities. If you are interested in having a guest visit with your students, contact your city or town hall (municipal websites can be found on the CML website) and see if someone is available!

Classroom resources are available in our Local Leaders in the Classroom Kit.

For more information about the Colorado Cities & Towns public education campaign and the Colorado Cities & Towns Week, visit the Colorado Cities & Towns website or Facebook page.

Please share!

As parents tell their children, and as you tell your students, it is only polite to share!

If you have colleagues who might be interested in this information, please share this by forwarding to them.

Geocache Workshop for High School and College Faculty

Attention Grades 9-12 Teachers and College Faculty!

Are you interested in helping students:

·      Build 21st century workforce skills?

·      Understand and analyze spatial data?

·      Engage in authentic projects that provide marketable job skills?

Now seeking participants for Advanced Geospatial Connections Promoting Advancement to Careers and Higher Education (GEOCACHE), Cohort 2.

 

APPLY TODAY!  Application Deadline: May 15, 2015

 

WHAT: A paid professional development opportunity to learn to integrate geospatial technologies and project based instruction into existing courses.

 

WHEN:  Monday, June 8, 2015 through Friday, June 12, 2015 (8am-4pm) at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Mountain Campus

 

BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS:

·      High quality, professional learning experiences

·      $800 travel assistance

·      Up to $1,400 stipend for full participation in all project components

·      Instructional and technical support as you implement

·      Opportunities to work alongside other high school teachers and college faculty

 

For an application or more information, please visit http://bit.ly/geocacheproject or email GEOCACHE.ate@gmail.com

The Power of Water Teacher Workshop

Click to Register for the July 28th.      Click to Register for August 10th.

The Great Flood of 2013: Ecosystem Impacts and Stream Recovery Workshop is on July 28 and will take place at the Rocky Mountain National Park. The River Dynamics and Vegetation in the Arid West Workshop is on August 10 in the Boulder area.  A small stipend is provided to educators and both courses can be taken for 0.5 CTE credit each. 

2015 Climate Change Institute at the Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument

Save the Date!

2015 Climate Change Institute

June 22, 23, 24

Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument

Florissant, CO

The goal of this Institute is to give participants a working knowledge and an understanding of Climate Change. Various partners at the Institute will share their policies, issues and the ways their agencies are meeting the challenges of Climate Change.

The registration fee for the 3 day Institute is $150.00. For members of the Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, the 3 day fee will be $125.00. A daily registration fee will also be available for those who only wish to attend one day.  Various presentations will also be open to the public for a small fee. Housing is available for an extra charge. Graduate credit will be available through Adams State University and/or CE credit through Pikes Peak BOCES.

Learn more about the park here.

For details, contact the Florissant Fossil Beds NM at 719-748-3253, ext.109 Registration will begin on April 24, 2015. Space is limited.

2015 Storytelling with Maps Contest

You’re invited to participate!

The 2015 Storytelling with Maps Contest is open! Staff and faculty, you and your students are encouraged to participate and submit an entry. You may submit up to three story map entries until June 8, 2015.

Click here for more information and here to enter!

Continue to check the COGA website for more opportunities like this one!

2015 Geospatial Technology Fair

2015 Geospatial Technology Fair

When: Monday April 27th

Where: PPCC Rampart Range Campus Atrium

Time: 10 am till 2 pm

FREE FOR ALL

Educators: this is something you can encourage your students to attend as an activity where they will gain a better perspective about geospatial technologies and learn about professional career opportunities in GIS.

Job Posting for Education Coordinator

JOB DESCRIPTION:  EDUCATION COORDINATOR  

Open Date: 4/13/15          Closing Date: 5/15/15     

Title:    Education Coordinator- Specializing in School Programs Responsible to: Education Director
Hours:    Full-time, occasional evening and weekend work required Salary:   $30,000-$32,500
Benefits:  Includes health insurance (up to $250 premium), generous paid time off package and a flexible work schedule

SUMMARY 

In accordance with Board directives and Environmental Learning for Kids’ (ELK) mission, the ELK Education Coordinator maximizes the effectiveness and smooth functioning of the organization by planning, managing, developing, and implementing School Programs, School Recruitment, Recruitment and Retention of Students and Community Outreach Events. This position is directly related to ELK’s general business operations and is critical to running all aspects of the organization. Some evening and weekend work is required in meeting position responsibilities.

To learn more about the job description, duties, qualifications, and other application details click here.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, two professional references, and a writing sample addressing the following two items:
     1)  Your interest in working for ELK and your personal commitment to ELK’s articulated values and mission, including our commitment to inclusiveness and promoting educational rights through our work.
     2) How your specific skills and experience would enable you to be successful in advancing ELK’s education programs.

CBI/FBI Background check required.  Applicants will send a cover letter, resume, references, and writing sample via email to Kim Weiss, ELK Education Director at: kweiss@elkkids.org

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Workshop with CO Dept of Agriculture and CO Forest Service

Join the Colorado Dept of Agriculture, and Colorado State Forest Service for this workshop for secondary educators. 

Date: May 28, 2015 

Time: 8:30-5:30  

One half credit from Colorado School of Mines available

Grand Junction, Colorado

Participants receive Project Learning Tree’s Exploring Environmental Issues: Focus on Forests Activity Guidebook.

While the tiny, pretty Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is not yet as well-known a threat here as it has been in 18 other states to the east of us,  it has the potential to devastate our urban shade canopies in the next dozen years, and is a good example of the threat posed by invasive species of all kinds to critical biodiversity.  Learn about the impact of invasive species such as EAB, Asian Longhorn Beetle, Zebra Mussel, Gypsy Moth and many others  and the ways that we attempt to monitor and  control them once they arrive.  This workshop included a tour of the USDA Insectary where parasitic wasps and other insects are raised to be releases ad biocontrol agents when and where appropriate.  Last fall, three species of wasps, each preying up on a different phase in the lifecycle of EAB were released in Boulder.

Envisioning a Colorado Haven for Readers, Nestled Amid Mountains of Books

The Rocky Mountain Land Library, a sprawling research institution situated on a ranch at 10,000 feet above sea level, is the work of two booksellers.




To read more, click here for the New York Times article.

REMINDER: TEA-NCTA 2015 Korea Summer Institute applications due by April 30

The Program for Teaching East Asia, the NCTA National Coordinating Site at the University of Colorado, is accepting applications on rolling-admission basis for its 2015 summer institute on Korea.

 

When : July 13-17, 2015

Application Deadline : April 30, 2015

In this four-day residential summer institute on the University of Colorado Campus, secondary teachers will consider modern and contemporary South Korea’s distinct history, geography, intra-peninsular and international relations, and transnational cultural transmissions (e.g., K-pop, film, and design). 

Participants will work with specialists to learn about the Korean peninsula beyond the media coverage, drawing on Korean narratives and texts to enrich their teaching about contemporary South Korea in the classroom. 

Participants will receive travel allowance, room and board, materials, and stipend. 

APPLY TODAY!

Professional Development Opportunity for Teachers!

Free professional development for 2 female TEACHERS

This summer Keystone Science School will be hosting Key Issues Institute, a professional development workshop for teachers around the world. Thanks to our sponsor, Avout, Keystone Science School is looking for two Colorado based female teachers to attend the 5-day workshop free of charge.

If you are interested or know someone who is committed to advancing Girls in STEM in their school and community, please contact Olivia Grover at 970-513-5833. The deadline to apply is April 30^th. Check out this video for a quick overview of what to expect from Key Issues Institute.

Outdoor Understanding Workshop for Teachers this June!

​​​​Denver Outdoor Understanding for Teachers

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is hosting an Outdoor Understanding for Teachers workshop this upcoming summer!

Explore the Outdoors from Plains to Peaks during this Professional Development Institute for Teachers in the Denver Metro Area!  Visit sites around the Denver Metro Area to enhance your understanding of Colorado ecosystems!

Explore Barr Lake State Park, Lake Lehow, the Colorado Judicial Center, and more!

Registration is $50 and the deadline is June 8th!

For more information, click here!

Workshop Opportunity with the South Carolina Geographic Alliance this June!

Workshop Opportunity with the South Caroline Geographic Alliance this June!

This is a great opportunity for educators to increase their knowledge of geography and to improve their teaching skills!

Applications are due May 1st!

The workshop is June 21-27, 2015.

Register Here!

The Great Nature Project

During May 15-25, 2015, we need your help to put biodiversity on the map! 

Contribute a global snapshot of biodiversity for National Geographic's Great Nature Project by sharing photos of plants, animals, and fungi.  Let's show the world how beautiful Colorado is and really get out into the wilderness during these two weeks and snap away!

To learn more and help spread the word, click here to learn how to use the resources and make the most of your picture taking! 

Email greatnatureproject@ngs.org with questions.

Cafe Scientifique at Clyde's at UCCS Next Week!

Dear Cafe Goers,

The next Café Scientifique (Tuesday April 14) will feature David Havlick, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, UCCS.

From Death Strip to Green Belt: Landscapes

of Change along the Iron Curtain

For much of the Cold War, the Iron Curtain stood as a physical and ideological divide separating Europe. Today, these same borderlands are celebrated as the “Green Belt of Europe,” marked by 39 national parks and more than 3,200 protected areas. In place of the former Death Strip, the European Union has designated a 4200-mile Iron Curtain Trail in order to foster sustainable (bicycle) tourism, commemorate history, and encourage a more unified Europe. This talk highlights the changing character of the Iron Curtain borderlands, and considers the relationship between militarization, conservation, and heritage as explored from the seat of a bicycle during a two-week research ride along a portion of the Iron Curtain Trail.

Where:    Clyde's

When:    Tuesday, April 14 -- 6:30 to 8:00 pm

 

Also, the following Café will be on September 8 with David Klaus -- Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder

 

Gravity’s Influence on the Spectrum of Life – from Humans to Bacteria

 

Parking -- COMPLIMENTARY PARKING PROVIDED BY UCCS PARKING SERVICES for the April 14 event from 5:30-9:00 p.m. in any regular parking space in parking lots 222 and 224 located south of Centennial Hall and the University Center. Please note that all other parking restrictions (handicapped parking, loading zones, fire lanes) apply.

Funding for Café Scientifique at UCCS is provided by the UCCS Administration and Finance Team

Workshop Opportunity

Dear Colorado Educators,

 

Have you always wanted to obtain  PLT’s award winning curriculum and access our GreenWorks and GreenSchools grants?

Would you like to apply for Free Trees for Teachers, from our Colorado State Forest Service Nursery?

Are you too far away or time-constrained to attend our typical workshops?

 

You’re in luck!  Now you have options!

 

Contact me (scrocker@colostate.edu) to learn how to register for the new national online PreK-8^th grade PLT workshop, to obtain the activity guide after 4-5 hours of engaging and interactive participation when it best fits your schedule. The fee for this is $40.

 

To complete the full course, we offer opportunities for participants to join face-to-face or virtual experiences with other educators, facilitators, and/or natural resource professionals in your own backyard or local open space!. This will include additional PLT activities, resources and materials, field trips, service projects, webinars, and/or conference calls!  Continuing education credits are available.

 

More information coming soon to www.coloradoplt.org. Join us for a fun new PLT experience!  We’re always branching out!

-- 

Colorado Project Learning Tree: Empowering Educators, Inspiring Youth

303-278-8822

www.coloradoplt.org

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Geospatial Career Fair

Here is a great opportunity to learn more about Geographic Information Systems and the job market potential!

There will be activities, speakers, and educational seminars!

Where: Pikes Peak Community College Rampart Range Campus 

When: April 27th 10am-2pm 

Lecture on Digital Humanities at the CU Boulder Campus

Exploring Digital Humanities: A Lecture Series on Research and Pedagogy

Next event in the series: 

April 9, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Norlin Library, British and Irish Studies Room

Anne Knowles

Department of Geography

Middlebury College

Spatial Narrative: The Challenge of Mapping Experience

Learn more about the program and other upcoming events here.

Louisville Student to Represent Colorado in National Geographic Bee

Louisville Middle School's Jake Hofgard to represent Colorado in national geography bee

Jake Hofgard, a seventh-grader at Louisville Middle School, won the Colorado Geographic Bee late last week and will now represent the state at the national bee May 11-13 in Washington. D.C. 

Learn more about Jake and his success here.

GeoFest at the Estes Park Learning Place: Saturday, April 25th

On Saturday, April 25, 2015, the Estes Park Learning Place will host GeoFest, a community-wide celebration of our planet.  Housed in the Estes Park Event Center & Pavillon at 1125 Rooftop Way in Estes Park from 10am to 6pm, GeoFest offers visitors a whole new way to wonder about the world.  Did you know that Earth has patterns–patterns in weather, in landforms, in cultures?  Or that geographers have “eyes in the sky” to map our changing planet?

General admission: $5 per person, with ages 5 and under free. Excursions into the GeoSphere are an additional $3 per person (held or worn infants under 1 free).

For more information about the activities available at GeoFest for your family, click here.

For information on partnering with us as a sponsor, exhibitor or vendor click here.