Friday, January 29, 2016

Check out this opportunity at CU Denver

The CELL, The Denver Post & The University of Denver 
would like to extend COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS to educators for our next event:
 Can We Defeat ISIS?
featuring
Graeme Wood, Contributing Editor at The Atlantic
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (Ret.), Fmr. Dir. of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
Samuel J. Rascoff, Faculty Director at NYU's Center on Law and Security
hosted by
U.S. Senator Cory Gardner
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 I 7PM Program 
The Newman Center, University of Denver, 2344 East Iliff Ave., Denver, CO
The $25/person cost of admission has been generously underwritten by our sponsors.
For questions call 303-844-4000 x 4

Free Book Available for k-12 Science Teachers

The National Academies Press
Final Book Now Available
In the footsteps of NGSS and A Framework for K-12 Science Education comes a new report highlighting the need for better professional development initiatives to teach, reinforce, and support science teachers' learning.
Science Teachers' Learning: Enhancing Opportunities, Creating Supportive Contexts
Science Teachers' Learning: Enhancing Opportunities, Creating Supportive Contexts
Currently, many states are adopting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or are revising their own state standards in ways that reflect the NGSS. For students and schools, the implementation of any science standards rests with teachers. For those teachers, an evolving understanding about how best to teach science represents a significant transition in the way science is currently taught in most classrooms and it will require most science teachers to change how they teach. ...
[read more] 


Buy This Book
 
Download Free PDF

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 2016 Energy Institute for Teachers

Middle and High School Educators:

NREL is excited to announce the 2016 Energy Institute for Teachers. Below you will find information about the institute and application.

Join the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in an exciting teacher opportunity. The Energy Institute blends renewable energy and energy efficiency components into existing courses that the teachers are already instructing in subjects ranging from chemistry and physics to biology and environmental science classes.

During the week long workshop, teachers participate in a variety of activities tied to NREL research including:
·       Building and testing wind turbine blades utilizing multi-meters and water pumps.
·       Testing solar panels, creating current voltage curves using rheostats and multi-meters.
·       Determining the optimum form of lighting based on the bulb's brightness, its cost and its power
requirements.
·       Chemically producing biodiesel fuel, performing quality control and viscosity tests.
·       Meeting staff scientists and touring the world class National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Who: Middle and High School STEM Teachers
When: July 18-22 from 8:00 am-4:30pm
Where: NREL Education Center, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401


Program Information:

·       Teachers who participate will have the following options:  teachers who live over 50 miles from NREL will be offered up to 5 nights of lodging at the Denver West Marriott; local teachers will receive a $250 stipend in lieu of the lodging. Please contact Madison Martinez if you plan to use the lodging at Denver West Marriott.
        ·       $250 after implementation of lesson.
        ·       $300 follow-up funds for implementation available.
        ·       Resources: books and materials.
        ·       Credit: Graduate credit available through Colorado School of Mines.


Program Requirements:
·       Participate in the full one-week summer program.
·       Complete pre- and post- examinations to measure content knowledge gains from the institute.
·       Participate in group activities and projects during the institute.
·       Share best practice teaching ideas with other institute participants.
·       Provide documented evidence illustrating the impact of the institute on teaching and learning that may include:
o   Lesson or unit plans to incorporate energy into the courses that you teach.
o   Submit lesson and evidence of the material being taught (photos or videos, etc.)

Questions? Please contact me, Linda Lung: linda.lung@nrel.gov<mailto:linda.lung@nrel.gov> or Marcus Giron: Marcus.Giron@nrel.gov<mailto:Marcus.Giron@nrel.gov>.

Please fill out the application for NREL's Energy Institute for Teacher: http://goo.gl/forms/4uvbQ7OwcA.  Applications are due Friday, March 4, 2016.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Native Plant Master Program Announces Expanded 2016 Class Schedule

Native Plant Master Program Announces Expanded 2016 Class Schedule

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The Native Plant Master® Program in the Metro to Mountain area has announced a significantly expanded schedule of 31 offerings for 2016. Make this the year to learn more about Colorado’s beautiful wildflowers. Get inspired through outdoor experiences such as the new Discover! classes where you will learn about natives in their natural habitats. Delve deeper in an indoor class or field seminar on a wide range of plant-related topics such as wildflower identification, invasive weeds, and native plant landscaping. Set yourself up for success in your botanical explorations by taking a Basic Botany class.

See http://npm.eventbrite.com for more information or to register.  Register soon as offerings fill quickly. All those completing three NPM curriculum courses are awarded a Colorado Flora Certificate with no volunteer requirement.  Interested in educating others by becoming a certified Native Plant Master volunteer? Learn more athttp://M2Mnativeplantmaster.org.

For Native Plant Master offerings in other locations across the state, seehttp://www.extension.colostate.edu/jefferson/npm/npm-state.shtmlFor research-based information on more than 1,000 Colorado plants, see the Colorado Plant Database at http://coloradoplants.jeffco.us.

Jefferson County CSU Extension empowers county citizens and enhances their quality of life through education, innovation and excellence in service. Learn more at http://jeffcoextension.org.
Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. 

G-Camp for Teachers 2016

G-Camp for Teachers 2016 is an opportunity for 5th-12th grade science teachers, district science coordinators, and TRC science project directors to experience and learn the principles of geology and Earth and environmental sciences in the field. During the two weeks, participants will explore the landscapes of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, including volcanoes, mountains, sand dunes, faults, glacial features, streams, landslides, K-T Boundary, energy and mineral resource, and other exciting features.

Participants will travel by commercial bus to each field location and stay in motels. There are two participants per room. Unfortunately single rooms cannot be provided. Participants will receive a stipend to cover meals. Participants are responsible for getting themselves to College Station by departure time and getting themselves home after arrival back in College Station; other than that, participant expenses are covered.

Participants must be able to walk a couple of miles during the day, so being in good shape is a requirement. This walking is different than walking on the sidewalk or an athletic track. It is sometimes up and down steep inclines. It is on unpaved trails and many of the sites are at higher elevations than any location in Texas.

G-Camp 2016 will depart from College Station very early on Monday, June 27, and return in the late afternoon or early evening on Sunday, July 10.

The G-Camp application must be submitted by January 30, 2016. Thirty-two participants will be chosen by a selection committee, and applicants will be notified soon after selections are made.

If you have questions, contact Dr. Rick Giardino at rickg@tamu.edu or Dr. Carolyn Schroeder at cschroeder@science.tamu.edu.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood

Share experiences, and talk about them, then read about them, and follow up with a tasty thematic snack or craft that reinforces the same concepts. Make memories while helping your preschooler get ready for kindergarten and beyond with critical, developmentally appropriate experiences in your own yard or local park. This workshop provides simple and fun ideas and activities that use home-made toys and tools that provide practice with talking and listening, counting, sorting, matching, colors, sounds, shapes, and seasons-all with a nature theme.

Our easy-to-use activity guide book and music CD is filled with great ideas on how to engage three to six year-olds in outdoor exploration and play, while building critical vocabulary and conversation skills. Take home a toolkit of ready-to-use materials!

Call 303-278-8822 for more information or to register by check.
For registration help or other information, email: pltcolorado@gmail.com

For more information about Early Childhood Experiences (ECE) click here.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Check out this cool opportunity in Boulder with editors from National Geographic and Outside Magazines

See link below for an incredible workshop opportunity coming up at the end of February for those of you interested in nature photography and travel writing:


February 27, 2016; The photography workshop will be led by photo editors for National Geographic and Outside Magazines.

February 28, 2016: The writing workshop will be led by some of the best in the industry including writers for Backpacker, National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, 5280, and Alaska Magazines.

Both workshops will be held at the Chautauqua Park Grand Assembly in Boulder, Colorado.

Esri Massive Open Online Courses Available for 2016

Here is the Massive Open Online Course schedule from Esri for 2016 as best we know it at this time, that you might consider taking or spreading the word about to colleagues and/or students.

February 3: Do It Yourself GeoApps This course is for anyone who wants to build geo-enabled apps that make communities smarter and organizations more successful.  Coders can learn about Esri’s developer resources like SDKs and APIs, and can join the GeoDev community. Four weeks, self-paced, 12-18 hours total.

March 16: The Location Advantage Anyone who wants to learn how to apply location analytics in retail, finance, insurance, marketing, real estate, and other industries should take this course.  Six weeks, paced, 1-2 hours per week.

May 11: Going Places with Spatial Analysis This course is for those who want to learn about the special capabilities of spatial data analysis. Students get get free access to the full analytical capabilities of ArcGIS Online. Six weeks, paced, 2-3 hours of activity per week.

Stay tuned for information on these upcoming workshops later in the year.

TBA: Earth Imagery at Work

July 20: Do It Yourself GeoApps

September 7: The Location Advantage

November 9:  Going Places with Spatial Analysis

Monday, January 18, 2016

Travel the world, earn professional development credit, and bring global understanding into your classroom!

Travel the world, earn professional development credit, and bring global understanding into your classroom! 

 
Founded in 2007, Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that has sent over 1300 teachers abroad on adventurous travel programs. With GEEO educators can earn professional development credits while seeing the world. GEEO's trips are 7 to 21 days in length and are designed and discounted to be interesting and affordable for teachers. In addition to amazing tour leaders, many of the programs are accompanied by university faculty that are experts on the destination. GEEO also provides teachers educational materials and the structure to help them bring their experiences into the classroom. The trips are open to all nationalities of K-12 and university educators, administrators, retired educators, as well as educators' guests.

GEEO is offering the following travel programs for 2016: Bali/Lombok, Bangkok to Hanoi, China, Costa Rica, Eastern Europe, The Galapagos Islands, Greece, Iceland, India/Nepal, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Peruvian Amazon, Peruvian Andes, Portugal/Spain, Heart of the Silk Road, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Vietnam/Cambodia, Western Balkans, Peru (Winter Break), Southern India (Winter Break), Israel (Spring Break), Moorish Spain (Spring Break), and Morocco (Spring Break). From now untilOctober 1st nearly all of the programs are 5% off the regular already discounted price as part of GEEO's early booking sale. T

he registration deadline is June 1st, but space is limited and many programs will be full well before the deadline. 

Detailed information about each trip, including itineraries, costs, travel dates, and more can be found at  www.geeo.org. GEEO can be reached 7 days a week, toll-free at 1-877-600-0105 between 9 AM-9 PM EST.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Opportunity for Teachers to Share What They Like About Geography

Do you have something you'd like to share about geography or geography education with the more than 3,000 readers of the Geographic Connection?

The CGA pays $250 to authors of feature articles.  Those interested should send a brief description of their article idea and a proposed submission date to  cga@geography.sdsu.edu.  

Help us share geography related products with our readers by writing a book/website/product review! CGA can offer $50 for any product review that we use. Email a brief description of the items you would like to review along with a proposed submission date tocga@geography.sdsu.edu

Need help deciding where to start with your review? CGA Director, Tom Herman has several books, such as the one pictured here, available for review. Contact him at the email address above to sign up to do a review on one of the books in his collection.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Energize Your Teaching with Project Learning Tree Energy Focused Environmental Education



Teri.LeFebre@d51schools.org or Shawna  Crocker at scrocker@colostate.edu or 303-278-8822 for more details.  

More information may be found at www.coloradoplt.org

Teachers for Global Classrooms

Teachers for Global Classrooms

If you are a full-time K-12 teacher with 5 years or more of experience (and that means 5 years at the END of this school year!), who is a U.S. citizen/resident, and who wants to spend 2-3 weeks abroad, check out this program!!! You do an online course and then you get to travel to a developing country of your choice during the spring or summer (2017). It's a great program, run by the U.S. State Department, and you become a State Department alumnus afterwards! For more information, go to this site.

Application deadline: March 17 

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development

The 2016 Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) will provide up to 10 U.S. K-12 teachers and administrators with the opportunity to travel to a conference in San Francisco and to Japan to learn about ESD efforts and strengthen ESD curricula in both countries. The program, administered by Fulbright Japan and funded by the Japanese and U.S. governments, is fully-funded with the exception of some meals. ESD is “a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources,” according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Up to 10 educators from Japan will travel to the U.S. in late April, and up to 10 educators from the U.S. will travel to Japan in June. At the end of the program in each country, all 20 educators will gather for a few days of joint collaboration.

Please visit the program website at http://www.iie.org/Programs/ESD for more information or to start an application. The application deadline is January 20, 2016. Contact esdteacher@iie.org with any questions.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Mikkelson Mathematics and Science Teachers Scholarship Application Available

The Mikkelson Mathematics and Science Teachers Scholarship

The Mikkelson program aims to encourage and reward excellence in the teaching of mathematics and science by providing scholarships for teachers to attend short courses, seminars, and workshops that will improve their depth of knowledge of the subject(s) they teach and/or enhance their teaching skills and effectiveness. Money is available for attendance fees, materials, accommodations, and/or travel expenses. Many organizations offer programs of this type in the summer but requests from teachers who would like to attend programs at other times of the year are also considered. The deadline for 2015-16 applications is March 23, 2016. 

Questions can be directed to Jack Czarniecki at The Denver Foundation,jczarniecki@denverfoundation.org or 303.996.7328.