Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Project Learning Tree Workshops

 Learn about invasive species at the February 28 PLT for Secondary Teachers Workshop!  Learn all about the latest threat to Colorado's urban forest, the emerald ash borer, & how to tie it to standard-based learning in your classroom. The workshop will be held at the Department of Agriculture building in Broomfield. 
View upcoming workshops and register!

Project Learning Tree is a national, award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12. Materials are created by teams of teachers, curriculum specialists, natural resource professionals and industry experts, and are then pilot tested in real classrooms.  As trends and standards in Prek-12th grade change, so do our materials and programs.  21st century skills have been embedded in our activities since the 20th century! Activities have always been student-centered,  inquiry based,  interdisciplinary, cooperative and constructivist!


Monday, February 23, 2015

Upcoming Webinar with NCGE and ESRI

February 25, 2015

Using Esri’s Story Maps in Geography
Presenter: Tom Baker, Esri
Description: By popular demand, join the Esri education for an up close look at the free story maps tools available with ArcGIS online.  We’ll look at examples from professionals and novices and see how easy it is to incorporate the story maps into your classroom.  No matter what subject you teach, there’s a story map waiting for you!  Also learn how to make your own informative and educational story maps.  Join the fun!
Cost: Free Partnership Webinar



Sunday, February 22, 2015

TPS Webinar, 2/23 from 7-8 pm!

You Are Invited!
TPS Teachers Network Webinar
February 23, 2015
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Join us for a guided tour of the TPS Teachers Network, where you will be able to:
  • Ask questions
  • Learn navigation strategies
  • Gain confidence to join conversations
  • Make new Network friends

To participate in this interactive webinar, click on the following link a few minutes before the scheduled start time:

 http://tpscolorado.adobeconnect.com/tpsnetwork


You will be prompted to enter your telephone number so the system can call you. Alternatively, you may call the following number to join the audio portion of the meeting: 1-866-317-5708
Are you new to Adobe Connect? Test your connection prior to the webinar at http://tpscolorado.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Coral Reefs Thriving in Cuba!


Now, we have all heard of the devastation to coral reefs throughout the world's oceans, but 

Why?


"According to David Guggenheim, a marine scientist and president of Ocean Doctor, a Washington-based conservation organization, the answer is pretty straightforward: The absence of typical human behavior."

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Québec Dimensions Summer Institute

A great professional development opportunity for K-12 educators. 

Historical, Geographic and Cultural Explorations

Summer Institute for K-12 Professionals

Begin and end in Montréal with travel to Québec City
June 28-July 3, 2015

_____
  • Begins and ends in Montréal with travel to Québec City
  • Registration fee: $649 includes double-occupancy at 4-star hotels, transportation when in Québec, site visits, some meals.
  • Graduate Credit Option: pay an additional $263 plus complete a project to receive one graduate credit, offered through Plymouth (NH) State University.
Description
Québec Dimensions Summer Institute for K-12 Professionals, is based in the North American birthplace of New France and led by the Northeast National Resource Center on Canada.
“Looking at an atlas, a student might see Québec as one of the 10 provinces of Canada, similar to one of the 50 U.S. states.  However a more in depth study of its history, geography, language and culture through the Québec Dimensions Institute and required readings, helps one appreciate it as a nation within the country of Canada.”  [M.H., past participant]

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Professional Development: Choices Leadership Institute on the Middle East

The Middle East in Transition

Brown University | Providence, RI
July 13-17, 2015
Application Deadline: Monday, March 16, 2015.
Syrian refugees | Iraq | ISIS | Iran’s nuclear policy
Join the Choices Program and scholars from the Watson Institute for International Studies at the 2015 Choices Leadership Institute to examine these complex issues. Scholar presentations will investigate both the recent history of the Middle East and multiple perspectives on current U.S. policy towards the region.
No other region of the world looms larger on the U.S. foreign policy agenda than the Middle East. The 2011 Arab uprisings have shaken up the social and political landscape of the region. What role should the U.S. play in the region? What can be learned from past U.S. involvement to improve relations between the United States and the Middle East in the future?
Participants are responsible for a $195 institute fee (payable upon acceptance), housing, and some meals.
Application Deadline: Monday, March 16, 2015.

Monday, February 9, 2015

COGA's GPS Units are Put to Use in Longmont, CO


Did you know that COGA has GPS units available- FOR FREE- for educators and their classes? Just click here for more info!


GPS units give new meaning to middle school students

With a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, students can determine where they are anywhere on the planet. And they can determine so many other things.
Social Study teachers district wide are using Garmin Etrex handheld GPS units during the months of December and January to introduce students to geospatial technology. The GPS units are supplied by the Colorado Geographic Alliance through a grant from Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Colorado.
“Students are taking part in lessons like egg hunts, mapping their community and scavenger hunts using the GPS units, as well as geospatial mapping on the Internet with ArcGIS.”
-Jenny Pettit, Social Studies and Secondary Literacy Coordinator, St. Vrain Valley Schools
History of the GPS Project
The GPS Project began in 1973 and became fully operational in 1994. The system is run by the United States Department of Defense and consists of a network of 24 active satellites located nearly 20,000 km above the earth’s surface. That’s the same as driving from Melbourne to Perth six times!
Erie Middle School Students Plot the Size of the Roman Empire.
GPS technology draws a connection between the places student are seeing and the historic events that happened there.
Katelynn Ryan, seventh grade Social Studies teacher at Erie Middle School, used the ten handheld GPS units supplied by Colorado Geographic Alliance to plot the actual size of ancient Rome. Her seventh graders were studying the Roman Empire.
“GPS technology helps students tackle real-world problems in an interdisciplinary and engaging way. It’s really the wave of the future in education.”
-Katelynn Ryan, Seventh Grade Social Studies Teacher, Erie Middle School
With the football field representing the world, students used their positions, their body shapes and their GPS units to gain a real-world perspective like no other.
“We were studying important figures in the Roman Empire like Julius Caesar and Augustus. Using our football field and the GPS units, we determined the actual size of that empire in comparison to the rest of the world. It was really cool.”
-Alec Fling, Seventh Grader, Erie Middle School
“When we plotted longitude and latitude, I realized the world is much bigger than I ever thought”
-Ashley Ross, Seventh Grader, Erie Middle School
The ten units were shared by two classes from December 8th – 12th to determine longitude and latitude positioning via geospatial technology.
These GPS exercises support the Colorado Academic Standards asking students to use maps and geographic tools to analyze features on the earth, while solving geographic questions. Using the GPS units in combination with ArcGIS mapping on a PC or iPad, students understand how to use the technology as they practice 21st century skills.
This article was originally published here: http://www.svvsd.org/updates/gps-units-give-new-meaning-middle-school-students

Friday, February 6, 2015

History Teacher of the Year- Nominations Accepted NOW!


The Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year Award recognizes outstanding K–12 American history teachers across the country.  Each state has 1 winner who receives a $1,000 prize and an archive of classroom resources.  The National Winner receives a $10,000 prize presented at an award ceremony in their honor in New York City.  Nominations are currently being accepted for K-6 teachers; the deadline for nominations has been extended to February 15, 2015. Once nominated, teachers have until March 15 to submit their application and supporting materials.   
 
 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Youth of the Earth

 Are you doing something cool for the earth, and want to share it with students in Colorado? Check out the details for "Youth of the Earth", an Earth Day event in Longmont, Colorado! Sign up for a free booth by February 22nd!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is Awarding 65 Funding Awards!

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is awarding sixty-five $500 project funding awards for implementing projects that reduce wildfire risk or post-fire impacts for the 2015 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (Saturday, May 2, 2015). Project funding awards are open to everyone – potential applicants include individuals, neighborhoods, youth groups, homeowner associations, civic organizations, fire departments, park/open space and forestry agencies; it is not a requirement that applicants be part of an active Firewise Community/USA®.

Applying for a project funding award is easy and takes only a few minutes to complete!
Provide a short overview of the project that will be implemented on May 2 describing the activity’s benefits, who the participants will be, the city and state where it will occur and details on how the project funding will be used on Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, Saturday, May 2, 2015. Applications will be accepted thru March 5, 2015 at 11:59pm ETApply here.
Your project description and entry form must be uploaded to SnapApp at www.WildfirePrepDay.org/contest or through the contest tab on NFPA’s Firewise Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Firewise. All entries will be available to the public for viewing and for voting. Encourage friends, family, colleagues and neighbors to vote for your project idea through the app on the campaign landing page or NFPA’sFirewise Facebook page
An NFPA panel will review applications and select 65 project award recipients.  Winners will be announced Monday, March 10, 2015. View the official rules for the project funding awards here.
Example projects from the 2014 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day can be found here.

Monday, February 2, 2015

2015 Barbara Bartz Petchenik Children's World Mapping Competition

Are you looking for a great art, science, or social studies project? Encourage your students to create an entry for the PATCHENIK CHILDREN’S WORLD MAP COMPETITION 2015, for a chance to represent the USA in an international map illustration contest, to be held at the International Cartographic Conference in Rio de Janeiro in August 2015.
Map illustrations must be postmarked by February 7th! 


Rules:
1. Children 16 years old or younger are to produce a map illustration on the theme “My Place in Today’s World.” The maximum size is 17 x 11 inches (smaller entries are fine, too), and can be made using any unbreakable material. Mixed media entries are welcome, but the height of pasted-on components must be no greater than 0.2 inches.
2. The theme “My Place in Today’s World” may be illustrated in any way, using pictures, drawings, words, objects, or other graphical elements, but the illustration must include (somewhere) a map of all or a large portion of the world, with recognizable continents drawn as correctly as can be expected for the child’s age.
3. An entry can be drawn by a maximum of three authors, all of whom should be in the same age group (see #4); the age of the oldest artist will be used to place the entry in the correct group. Multiple entries from a single school are welcome.
4. Participants are entered into the international competition by the child’s age on December 31, 2014: under 6 years, ages 6-8 years, ages 9-12, and ages 12-16.
5. Each map must have the following information on a label attached to the back side of the illustration: the name, age, school (or personal) address, and country of its author, and the title of the illustration in either French or English.
6. All maps from a single school should be sent in one package, and postmarked by February 7, 2015, to the following address:
Dr. Robert Edsall 
National Coordinator, BBPCMC 
Department of History, Idaho State University 
921 S. 8th Ave., Stop 8079 Pocatello, ID 83209-8079 

7. Submitted illustrations must be original and hard-copy; no digital files (images, .pdfs, etc.) will be accepted. Participants are encouraged to scan or photograph the finished work for their records. Entries can be returned only if you include a self-addressed stamped envelope (ensure sufficient size and proper postage) with your entries. Entries selected as national winners cannot be returned, and become the property of the International Cartographic Association and are stored in the library of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
8. All past international competition entries can be viewed at http://children.library.carleton.ca.
The national and international judging of the illustrations will focus on three areas: 1. a recognizable message. a recognizable connection between the form, shape, and use of cartographic elements that creatively address the Competition's theme of “My Place in Today’s World,” 2. cartographic content: appropriate cartographic elements such as symbols, colors, names and labels, etc., which help address the Competition's theme. Note: cartographic accuracy (e.g. of coastlines of continents) is not a primary concern, though the illustration should be recognizable as a map and any abstractions of the map should be artistically presented. 3. overall quality of the execution: aesthetic quality in such matters as balance and harmony among the image elements.