Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Revisions of Colorado Academic Standards

All Coloradans are invited to provide feedback on drafts of the proposed revisions within all content areas of the Colorado Academic Standards.

Geography content is both in science as well as in social studies standards.

Please share your perspectives with the review committees: https://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/casreview

Monday, September 18, 2017

Document Based Questions in Geography: Reading and Writing with Evidence

There are still a few spots open!

Come join the DBQ Project for an engaging, collaborative day. Learn ways to encourage students to ask more questions about geography, analyze maps, charts and text sources. Acquire skills to help students with speaking and writing clearly; moreover, discover electronic solutions for these challenges. You will leave with a free lesson from the DBQ Project's new Mini-Qs in geography, resources from National Geographic and information about teaching with geospatial technology.

Date & Time: Saturday, September 30th, 9 am to 3 pm
Location: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Check out this flyer for more information or click here to register.

Friday, September 8, 2017

World of 7 Billion Video Contest

Back by popular demand, the World of 7 Billion student video contest helps you bring technology and creativity into your middle and high school classes. The contest challenges your students to create a short video connecting world population growth and one of three global challenges: Advancing Women and Girls, Feeding 10 Billion, or Preventing Pollution.

Students can win up to $1,000 and participating teachers will receive free curriculum resources.

The contest deadline is February 22, 2018 – use this lesson plan to get started now!

Full contest guidelines, resources for research, past winners, and more can be found at https://www.worldof7billion.org/student-video-contest/.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

National Geographic Giant Traveling Maps

National Geographic releases information about prices for purchasing Giant Traveling Maps!

Although you cannot yet order the Giant Map of Colorado, you can start to plan to purchase one for your district or region. Visit the National Geographic website for details.

National Geographic State maps were created using the expertise of National Geographic’s cartographic division and research on elementary spatial thinking. Each state map comes with a downloadable pdf and a handbook with lessons which can be used on any state map. Shipping and handling is $25 for the 48 contiguous United States, and $80 for Alaska and Hawaii. The Giant Map of Colorado will cost $675.

Information about materials and lessons specific to Colorado will be available on the Colorado Geographic Alliance website.

Monday, September 4, 2017

Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend eleven months working in a Federal agency or U.S. Congressional office, bringing their extensive classroom knowledge and experience to STEM education program and/or education policy efforts. At the end of the Fellowship, educators are prepared to return home equipped with access to a national network of education leaders and programs, a better understanding of the challenges and possibilities in STEM education, and a renewed passion for teaching ready to make significant contributions to their schools and school districts.

Applications for the 2018-2019 program are due November 16, 2017, 8:00pm EST, and must be submitted through an online application system (http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/).

To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens, be a current employed full-time in a U.S. public or private elementary or secondary school or school district, and must have taught full-time in a public or private elementary or secondary school for at least five of the last seven years in a STEM discipline.

Current sponsoring agencies include, but may not be limited to, the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The DOE also sponsors up to five placements in U.S. Congressional offices.

The AEF Program is managed by the DOE Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, in collaboration with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

Information about the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, including eligibility requirements, program benefits, application requirements, and access to the online application system can be found at http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Geography Community Gathering

NCSS - Geography Community Gathering in San Francisco

Thursday, November 16, 2017
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Soma Restaurant and Bar
85 5th St., San Francisco
http://www.somarestaurant.com/

The California and Tennessee Geographic Alliances are teaming up to host the NCSS Geography Community Gathering this year at the NCSS conference in San Francisco. Join them for an evening of comradery, the awarding of the 2017 Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy, and a little Geography Community business.

Cost is $35.00 per person that must be paid in advance before Friday, November 10th. This includes a prix fixe dinner.

Visit their website for more information and click here to download the registration form.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Windsor Charter Academy Teaching Position

Job Opportunity at Windsor Charter Academy teaching an Early College Course in Geography -

Part-time geography teacher for basic college-level geography. Course is taught on campus in Windsor Mondays, Wednesdays and alternating Fridays (they have a block schedule so each class would be about 90 minutes long).

Pay is roughly $50 per contact hour.

Since the course offers direct college credit (not an AP class), instructors must hold a master's degree or higher in geography.

It is a PERA position.

Contact Rebecca Teeples at rebecca.teeples@windsorcharteracademy.org for information.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Integrating the Social Studies Across World History

Enhance your skill in teaching the core concepts and tools from history, geography, economics and civics that are emphasized in Colorado's seventh grade Social Studies Standards. The Program for Teaching East Asia at the University of Colorado, Colorado Geographic Alliance, and the Colorado Council for Economic Education collaborate to bring this day-long workshop to middle school teachers. A subject-area expert will help you understand how each discipline might approach the teaching of World History, using the Silk Road as a common topic. Presentations will blend content and pedagogy and you will leave with sample lessons, resources and ideas for activities, including trade, primary sources, GeoHistoGrams and a look at Silk Road communities in modern times. High school teachers of World History are welcome!

Date & Time: Saturday, September 9th, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Location: Denver

Register at the Colorado Council for Economic Education website.

Document Based Questions in Geography: Reading and Writing with Evidence

Come join the DBQ Project for an engaging, collaborative day. Learn ways to encourage students to ask more questions about geography, analyze maps, charts and text sources. Acquire skills to help students with speaking and writing clearly; moreover, discover electronic solutions for these challenges. You will leave with a free lesson from the DBQ Project's new Mini-Qs in geography, resources from National Geographic and information about teaching with geospatial technology.

Date & Time: Saturday, September 30th, 9 am to 3 pm

Location: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Check out this flyer for more information. Click here to register.

Integrating the Social Studies Across Colorado History

This day-long workshop emphasizes core concepts and tools from history, geography, economics and civics in Colorado's fourth grade Social Studies Standards. An expert in each subject area will help you understand how each discipline views the world and, more specifically, Colorado. Presentations will blend content and pedagogy and will share resources to take back to your classroom.

Date & Time: Saturday, October 7th, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Location: History Colorado Center in Denver

Register at the History Colorado website.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Gunnison River Teacher Institute

Looking to expand your curriculum? Check out the Gunnison River Teacher Institute Field Based Course offered by Western State Colorado University! 

When: June 19th - 23rd, 8:00am-6:00pm 

Learn how to incorporate rivers into your curriculum, creating relevant context and connections for your students. This five-day, field-based course includes water management, river ecology, fisheries, and geography of the Colorado River Basin.

Rivers are the basis of our Colorado livelihoods and are critical to the future of our students and communities. Our natural affinity to water makes rivers and watersheds a useful and familiar context for cross-disciplinary teaching and learning.

Field experiences include: a visit to the Morrow Point and Blue Mesa dams, Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery tour, Gunnison River ecology field day, and a visit to Coldharbour Institute. The second part of the week incorporates participation in the Colorado Water Workshop conference engaging with water resource professionals from across Colorado.

Participants must register for the Colorado Water Workshop to earn 3 ENVS credits. All meals are included beginning Wednesday at noon; 3 credit course fee of $375; additional $40 course fee plus additional fee of $150 (50% discount) for Colorado Water Workshop. Total cost is $565.

For more information or to register visit: http://www.western.edu/gunnison-river-teacher-institute

Friday, May 26, 2017

Colorado School of Mines Teacher Enhancement Program

Do You Know Your 3 R's? Radiation, Radioactivity, and Radon
  • Use Geiger counters and cloud chambers to 'see' ionizing radiation in our environment. 
  • Explore basic concepts of radioactivity (nuclear emissions, half-life, decay series). 
  • Take home the curriculum of 15 activities (plus resources appropriate for Grades 5-12 and beyond) 
  • Borrow Teacher Resources kits to use (Geiger counter, cloud chamber, radioactive sources, plus more) 
Course Number: CT-9898-17D
Credit: 1.00 semester credit hours
Location: CSM campus & Denver Federal Center
Date: June 27-29
Time: June 27-28 (8:00am-5:00pm), June 29 (9:00am-12:00pm)

Fees Tuition Fee: $55.00

Check out the class schedule -

Tuesday, June 27th

8:00am Welcome; Introduction of 3R’s/A Brief look at the Curriculum

UNIT 1: WHAT IS RADIATION?
  • 8:15am 1-1, Have You Ever Been Exposed to Radiation? 
  • 8:30 1-2, Electromagnetic Radiation Spectrum 
  • 8:50 1-3, What Are the Sources of Ionizing Radiation? 
  • 10:00 A Little History of Ionizing Radiation 
  • 10:30 Break 
  • 10:45 Info:α, β, & γ 
  • 11:00 1-4, I Can See Clearly Now! 
  • 11:45 Lunch 
  • 12:45pm 1-5, Keep Your Distance! 
  • 2:00 1-6, Shields Up! 
  • 2:45 Break 
UNIT 2: WHAT IS RADIOACTIVITY?
  • 3:00 ‘A is for Atom’ 
  • 3:15 2-1, Do You Know Where Your Children Are? 
  • 4:15 Follow-up: Decay Series 
Wednesday, June 28th
  • 8:00am Decay Series Review 
  • 8:15 2-2, Time After Time 
  • 8:45 Info: Uranium chemistry 
  • 9:00 2-3, Radioactivity in Earth 
  • 9:15 2-4, Radioactivity in Water 
  • 9:30 2-5, What is Your Personal Ionizing Radiation Dose? 
  • 10:00 Follow-up: Units; Safety & Ionizing Radiation (Tom Lehrer, too) 
  • 10:30 Break 
UNIT 3: WHAT IS RADON?
  • 10:45 3-1, Life Goes On! 
  • 11:00 Info: Radon and RDP; Equilibrium and Working Level 
  • 11:30 Radon: The Invisible Killer 
  • 11:45 Lunch 
  • 12:45pm 3-2, Radon in Your Lungs 
  • 1:30 Follow-up: Epidemiology 
  • 2:00 Hexaflexagons 
  • 2:30 Break 
  • 2:45 Info: Radon Entry, Watras.... 
  • 3:00 3-3, Radon: An “Uninvited” Guest 
  • 3:30 Radon: The Invisible Killer 
  • 3:45 3-4, Trivia Challenge 
  • 4:00 Brainstorming use of curriculum and kits 
  • 4:15 Course evaluations, Graduation 
Thursday, June 29th - 9:00am-12:00pm Field Trip - Denver Federal Center Nuclear Reactor

Register early since the class is limited to the first 15 participants. Contact Chris Nichols for course information or questions: cnichols@ecentral.com or 303-674-6477.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Teacher Development Workshop

Interested in learning how to teach creatively about climate change?

CIRES Education Outreach group in collaboration with Inside the Greenhouse and the Colorado Film School, is hosting a 7.5-hour or 15-hour teacher professional development workshop on June 9th at the University of Colorado Boulder. The one-day, 7.5-credit, hands-on workshop will cover how to teach climate science creatively using technology and provide resources for classroom implementation. These strategies link the sciences and the arts through societally important topics, as attendees learn technical skills and topic context. The additional 7.5 credit hours can be earned by producing a short video or other media product about a climate or environmental science topic after the workshop.

This workshop combines tested classroom practices from the NSF-funded Lens on Climate Change project, which has engaged Colorado middle and high school students in climate through filmmaking and the CU Boulder based Inside the Greenhouse course series.

This workshop is intended for middle and high school science, art, and technology teachers. The curricula are aligned to specific Colorado standards in the Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Visual Arts. They welcome interested and passionate teachers who want to bridge their expertise with their colleagues’ to create wide-ranging educational experiences.

They are providing many resources that will support implementation in the classroom.

To apply for this workshop, please visit: https://cires.colorado.edu/outreach/LOCC/training

Teacher Professional development credit is coordinated through University of Colorado Boulder’s Science Discovery Program. If you are interested in earning graduate level credit please indicate this on the application form.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Colorado Alliance on Environmental Education

Webinar - Collecting, Analyzing, and Mapping your Citizen Science Data

Wednesday April 26, 3PM - 4PM (Mountain Time)

Joseph Kerski is teaching a webinar THIS WEEK through the Colorado Alliance on Environmental Education on citizen science – specifically, collecting, analyzing, and mapping your citizen science data.

The advent of web mapping and data collection technologies opens up new ways that educators and students can contribute data to the citizen science community. Join Geographer Joseph Kerski as he covers some of the easiest-to-use and most powerful of these methods, including Snap2Map, Story Maps, iNaturalist, and Survey123, which enable field data on invasive plant species, weather, water quality, birds, urban infrastructure conditions, and other data to be displayed and able to be analyzed spatially on interactive, multimedia web maps.

You will be empowered and confident that you can use these tools in an educational environment!

For more information or to register visit: https://www.caee.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=244

Contact: 303-273-9527 or Email: info@caee.org

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Population Education

Earn professional development hours or university credit with Population Education this July!

Population Education is excited to announce that registration is open for our accelerated Summer 2017 online professional development course for science and social studies educators (grades 6-12). The course has been condensed from eight weeks to four and runs from July 3rd-July 28th, 2017. This fast-paced format results in a heavy work-load, but is perfect for educators who'd like to earn graduate credit or PD hours while school is not in session. Discover student-centered learning strategies that use contemporary issues and real-world data to examine the social and environmental impacts of human population growth. The course is asynchronous, which means students can work at their own leisure and pace. There are online discussion boards, weekly journals, and a final project, all built to provide participants with meaningful feedback and materials to use within their own classrooms.

Participants can choose to earn one credit hour of graduate education credit from UMKC or 45 professional development clock hours (4.5 CEUs) for successfully completing the full four weeks.

The cost is $80.00 to earn 45 professional development clock hours OR $155.00 (for credit) + $80.00 (for professional development clock hours) to earn credit through UMKC.

The first seven students to register for graduate credit with UMKC will receive a 50% discount on their professional development clock hours fee (paying $40 instead of $80).

Class size is capped at 30 participants, so don't wait to sign up. For more information and to register, visit https://courses.populationeducation.org.

Friday, April 14, 2017

Global Exploration for Educators Organization


GEEO
Travel the world affordably, 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 1600 teachers abroad on adventurous travel programs. With GEEO educators can earn professional development credits and optional graduate credit 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. The deposit is $250 for each program and then the final payment is due 60 days before departure.

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 2017: Bali/Lombok, Bangkok to Hanoi, Costa Rica, Eastern Europe, The Galapagos Islands, Greece, Iceland, India/Nepal, Bhutan, Ireland, Armenia/Georgia, Multi-Stan, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), Peruvian Amazon, Peruvian Andes, Southern Africa, Vietnam/Cambodia, and the Balkans. The 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 9AM-9PM EST.

Friday, February 10, 2017

CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship

2017 CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship

The competitive fellowship is for teachers and educational leaders interested in bringing public health into current middle and high school classrooms. 

Dates: July 10-14
Location: CDC headquarters in Atalanta, GA

The 5 day summer course includes a 1 year distance based professional development opportunity. 

Applications are due February 15, 2017.

For more information, please click here.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

International Curriculum Development Workshop

The Geographic Alliance of Iowa is offering an international curriculum development workshop; it is a National Geographic Expeditions trip that includes the Amazon Rain Forest and Machu Picchu.

Dates: June 24 - July 3

This workshop includes 3 hours of graduate credit in Geography from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). UNI offers this graduate credit for a subsidized rate of $75 per credit hour and includes out-of-state residents.  

All in-service and pre-service educators are eligible for this reduced rate.

For more details, click here.

E-mail Alex Oberle before Friday, February 17 if you would like to sign up or would like more information; moreover, a commitment and down payment of $250 will be needed.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

NCGE Conference Proposals and Award Nomination Submissions Extension

The deadline for conference proposals has been extended until February 17!

Make a contribution to the greater geography education community at the National Conference on Geography Education and participate by submitting a proposal. All presenters must be registered for the conference by April 30 to be included in the final program and conference app. Every person listed as a presenter on your abstract must be registered to attend the conference, as well.

The deadline for NCGE award nomination submissions has been extended until February 24! 

NCGE is dedicated to recognizing educators and advocates who have made outstanding contributions to geography education. Awards are given for teaching, research, and service, and all award recipients will be honored at the National Conference on Geography Education in Albuquerque, NM.

NCGE has negotiated special discounted room rates with the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town for all conference attendees. Register to attend the conference and make your hotel reservations today!

Learn more about the National Conference on Geography Education here!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

National Geographic Student Expeditions

Nominate a Deserving Teen Today!

Recognize a teen in your life who is making a difference in their community or even beyond. Whether it's tutoring kids at a local elementary school or raising awareness about wildlife conservation in Africa, we want to honor the contributions of student changemakers.

Tell us about a student you know - age 13 or older, enrolled in grades 7 through 12, and residing in the United States - who has made an exceptional, positive impact through a service-related pursuit. One deserving teen will win a community service trip with National Geographic Student Expeditions!

The submission deadline for the Nat Geo Teen Service Awards is Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

Visit the site to learn more and nominate a student.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

GEOCAMP ICELAND 2017: EXPLORE ICELAND FOR TEN MAGICAL DAYS WITH NCGE!



NCGE's GeoCamp Iceland Institute is a graduate level equivalent short course in geographic inquiry and field methods for in-service teachers. Iceland's extraordinary and unique landscapes serve as the classroom and laboratory from July 8-17, 2017. Guided by Icelandic field leaders, participants will learn directly from Iceland's renewable energy experts, sail on a fishing vessel, visit active volcanoes, and walk upon receding glaciers and in rift valleys. Working alongside local teachers, participants have the opportunity to explore historic sites and enjoy Icelandic foods, and much more!

GeoCamp Iceland 2017 Applications should be returned by January 15, 2017.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Course Starts Tomorrow: Last Chance to Enroll


Telling Your Story with Esri Story Maps COURSE 

Description: 
This course will enable participants to understand why stories can be effectively told with today’s interactive, web-based story maps, learn how to teach and assess student work with story maps, and learn how to create story maps that incorporate sounds, video, photographs, narrative, and other multimedia. Through readings, videos, quizzes, discussion with your colleagues, and hands-on activities, you will learn how and why to create story maps using the ArcGIS Online platform and be confident that you can use these tools in your instruction.

Course Background: 

For thousands of years, maps have been used to tell stories. These maps told which lands were “known” and which lands were “terra incognita”, coastlines and new political boundaries, and routes of famous explorers. As in the past, maps are used today to tell stories about the regions, places, and physical and cultural characteristics of our world.

Today’s maps are detailed, allowing exploration of the median age and income of a community’s neighborhoods and the chemical conditions of water in specific wells or soil in a specific field. Maps give information about data that is occurring in real time—such as current wildfire extents, weather, earthquakes, or the location of all of a city’s buses. Maps describe historical events from famous battles to land use changes over time in a rainforest. Maps can be in two dimensions, and three dimensions, and can be accessed on any device—smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer. They can be embedded in web pages and other multimedia and other tools, and can be updated instantly by citizen scientists using their smartphones. Maps cover thousands of relevant themes and phenomena and scales–from local to global scale.

Another key difference between modern maps versus those of the past is that modern maps are much more than reference documents. True, maps still show us where things are. But they are valued because they help us understand the “whys” of “where” – by allowing us to use spatial analytical tools to detect patterns, relationships, and trends. Thus, maps have become critical analytical tools that can help us solve the problems in our world that are growing more complex and increasingly affect our everyday lives. These include epidemics, biodiversity loss, natural hazards, agricultural viability, political instability, climate change, food security, energy, water quality and quantity, and many more.

Globally, you could make maps of any of the above themes. In your own community, you could tell stories about sports, community gardens, housing type, schools and libraries and other community resources, tree cover, litter and graffiti, zoning changes, historical settlement, how your community compares to others across your region or to those halfway around the world, and other aspects of your community through these live story maps. Students can use story maps to report on the results of their investigations. As a researcher, you or your students could use these maps to investigate pertinent issues in human health, sociology, political geography, public safety, or a host of other disciplines. As an instructor, you could use maps to tell stories to enhance your lessons in courses ranging from geography to biology to history to language arts to earth science to mathematics, and other disciplines. You can use story maps to assess student work and a method whereby students can communicate their investigations to you and to their peers.

Begins Winter 2017 Term: 4 January 2017 – 8 February 2017
Price: $95.00
For More Information Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-iyoDcFnuQ
To register for this course, click here.
Carolyn Gardner: carolyngardner@enetlearning.org or Joseph Kerski (below).


Facilitator and Contact Information: 

Instructor: Joseph J. Kerski, Ph.D., GISP.
Email: jkerski@esri.com
Website: http://www.josephkerski.com
Video Channel: http://www.youtube.com/geographyuberalles
Twitter: http://twitter.com/josephkerski
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephkerski
Text and Voice: 303-625-3925