Tuesday, December 13, 2016

2017 NCGE Awards

National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) is now accepting nominations for the 2017 awards cycle. Awards are given for teaching, research, and service, and all award recipients will be honored at the 2017 National Conference on Geography Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

NCGE is dedicated to recognizing educators and advocates who have made outstanding contributions to geography education. NCGE's highest award is the George J Miller Award, named for NCGE's founder and long-time editor of the Journal of Geography. Award nomination materials can be submitted in the spring to the NCGE Central Office. The materials are then forwarded to the appropriate committees for evaluation. Winners are announced in early summer and recipients are recognized at a special ceremony during NCGE's annual conference.

Learn more about award deadlines and qualifications here.

Monday, December 12, 2016

NCGE's GeoCamp Iceland Institute


Explore Iceland's Changing Landscapes and Diverse Environments for Ten Days. GeoCamp Iceland is the Professional Development Experience of a Lifetime!

WHEN: July 8-17, 2017

COST: $2,500.00 plus airfare*

WHO: The GeoCamp Iceland Institute is a graduate level equivalent short course in geographic inquiry and field methods for up to twenty-five (25) in-service teachers and college/university professors who conduct professional development activities for teachers. Educators who teach any of the Social Studies, Earth or Environmental Sciences, or any subject where the applicant can make an explicit connection to the National Geography Standards within his/her course curriculum.

WHAT: Iceland’s extraordinary and unique landscapes will be the classroom and laboratory. The course will draw content from several important geographic themes including natural hazards and disaster prevention; human settlement and environmental adaptation; changing geopolitical spheres of influence; sense of place; and global environmental change. Icelandic field leaders will be our guides. We will learn directly from Iceland’s renewable energy experts, visit a fishing vessel and fish processing plant, observe active volcanoes and walk upon receding glaciers and in rift valleys. Led by local guides we will explore historic sites and enjoy Icelandic foods. Participants will be housed in apartments at the former U.S. Naval installation at Keflavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, a thirty-minute drive from Reykjavik and 20 minutes from Iceland’s famous geothermal tourist attraction, the Blue Lagoon pool and spa. Fee includes lodging, meals, ground transportation, course materials, and honoraria for expert guides and presentations. Participants will want to budget extra for incidentals and souvenirs.

HOW: Applications should be returned by January 15, 2017. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by January 25, 2017. Cross-disciplinary collaboration will be encouraged and applications from teams of teachers in the same school or school district are welcome. Participants will begin course readings and assignments in March 2017 in preparation for the fieldwork in Iceland. Some material may be presented through 1-2 live webinars. Travel arrangements will be made at this time.

GeoCamp Iceland 2017 Application

Learn more about this unique opportunity here!

Friday, December 9, 2016

2017 Rocky Mountain National Park Teacher In Residence

The Teacher in Residence (TiR) program at Rocky Mountain National Park provides opportunities for in-service teachers of Colorado's Front Range who are within a one-day's field trip distance to spend June and July working in Rocky Mountain National Park connecting with the resources and participating in a variety of duties that suit their interests and the needs of the park's education program. Teachers lead activities and develop lesson plans based on their park experience for use in their classroom and in the park. The program focuses on teachers from schools with ethnically diverse student populations, who have had little or no experience with national parks or limited opportunity to explore them. Teachers from Title I schools are especially encouraged to apply.

Program Background
Teachers spend 8-10 weeks working and living in the park. During this time, the park provides a ranger uniform, shared housing, and a stipend. Once they return to their schools, teachers bring national parks into the classroom throughout the school year. During National Park Week in April, teachers engage their classrooms and other teachers in activities that relate to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Benefits - 

To Teachers:
  • Obtain a wide range of new knowledge and skills by working with park staff and partners
  • Enhance their curriculum in multiple content areas
  • Gain access to a wide array of teaching resources and tools 
  • Fulfill a life-long dream of working in a National Park
To Schoolchildren:
  • Provide an opportunity to connect to their nation's heritage in new and creative ways
  • Learn about volunteering and employment with the National Park Service 
  • Receive new tools and resources for exploring natural and cultural history
To Rocky Mountain National Park:
  • Reach new or under-served audiences
  • Build a network of enthusiastic, knowledgeable educators who are able to teach their students and colleagues about National Parks
  • Enrich the park visitor experience and the education program through the expertise and programming offered by the Teacher in Residence
Potential Park Experiences
Teacher in Residence assignments and projects will depend upon the individual hired and current park projects. Training in natural and cultural history and the National Park Service mission will be provided. Duties may include observing, preparing, and presenting educational or public programs; planning and facilitating summer camp programs; developing educational and interpretive materials and media; providing community outreach; working with other divisions in the Park; and assisting with teacher workshops.

Application Process
Applications are being accepted for summer 2017. The deadline is December 23, 2016. Download an application [PDF 132kb].

More Information
For more information contact Mark De Gregorio, Education Program Manager, via e-mail or by phone (970-586-3777).

Thursday, December 8, 2016

2017 American Historical Association Annual Meeting

The American Historical Association invites history educators to attend their 2017 annual meeting. Registration is only $45 ($50 after December 16). The program of events includes professional development, practical ideas for the classroom, the latest historical scholarship, and opportunities to share best practices. Register early to reserve your spot in Saturday’s K-12 Workshop on using primary sources to teach the complexity of westward expansion. Workshop facilitators Patricia Nelson Limerick, Center of the American West; Brenda Santos, Achievement First and member of AHA Council; and Fritz Fischer, University of Northern Colorado will guide small groups through this interactive half-day session.

Teaching is an essential skill for any historian. That's why AHA17's teaching and learning program caters to all career stages and all levels of history. You will find numerous opportunities to enhance your teaching and discover more about the value of learning history. Learn more about session at their Teaching and Learning at AHA17 Guide.

Explore the AHA’s online resources for history education:

Teaching and Learning video library

Includes videos from past K-12 Educator Workshops, as well as interviews and other sessions

Classroom materials

Materials you can use in designing your own courses: syllabi, reading lists, sample assignments, course modules, etc. These are organized thematically, by resource type, and by the project or initiative that created the resource.

Approaches to Teaching

Information on the initiatives and links to resources that will help you think about new ways of approaching teaching.

The Kristin Alvarez Memorial Scholarship

Dr. Kristin J. Alvarez, past president of the National Council for Geographic Education, was committed to Geographic Education for over 30 years. Selected as a Florida teacher for the National Geographic Society’s Summer Geographic Institute of 1989, Kristin became a National Geographic Teacher Consultant and active contributor to the Florida Geographic Alliance. She completed a doctorate of Geography Education at the University of Southern Mississippi, and became an Assistant and Associate Professor of Geography and Social Studies Education at Keene State University in New Hampshire. While she served as Coordinator of the New Hampshire Geographic Alliance for 5 years, she completed a graduate certificate in GIS from Eastern Michigan University in 2006. Dr. Alvarez immediately began integrating geospatial technologies into her NHGA summer institute to introduce GIS and GPS into K-12 curricula. In 2009, Dr. Alvarez was invited to join the faculty of the University of Redlands in a new initiative to develop teacher education and geospatial technology offerings, and co-designed its innovative Spatial Literacy for Educators Program. She served as NCGE President in 2010. Dr. Alvarez died at home in January, 2012.

To continue the spirit of Dr. Alvarez’s work with hundreds of educators across the United States, the Kristin Alvarez Memorial NCGE President Scholarship has been awarded annually for five years since 2012. The scholarship recognizes and supports an educator who demonstrates effort and interest in furthering Spatial Literacy, Geographic Education, Pre-service Teacher Education, or Geospatial Technologies such as GIS, GPS, or online geospatial teaching and learning.

You are invited to contribute to the Memorial NCGE President Kristin Alvarez Scholarship. 2017 is the 5th and final year of the Memorial Scholarship.

Applications are DUE: December 31, 2016.

If you wish to apply, nominate a colleague, or contribute, please see the
brochure and application forms.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

BSCS Pilot-Test Classroom Materials


BSCS is developing middle and high school health and science literacy curriculum modules and needs your help to pilot-test the modules in your classroom. The modules are part of an NIH-funded project, Developing Skills in Health Literacy.

The pilot test will take place February-March 2017 and will require approximately 6-8 class periods. Upon completion of the pilot test, you will receive a $300 stipend.

If you are interested in pilot-testing the curriculum modules, please fill out the application.

Deadline: Dec. 16, 2016

Please contact awestbrook@bscs.org or (719) 219-4139 if you have any questions.

Thank you in advance for your interest and consideration.

Monday, December 5, 2016

NAAEE: Bringing New Ideas and Innovation to the Field of EE

Isn’t that Spatial? Teaching about the Environment, Examining Field Data, and Telling Your Environmental Story with Web Mapping Technology

December 6th at 3:00pm - 4:00pm ET

Join geographer and educator Dr. Joseph Kerski as he explores why and how to teach Environmental Education with today’s web mapping technologies. These technologies, such as ArcGIS Online, allow your students to collect data in citizen science mode via probes, smartphones, and GPS receivers in the field, allow you and your students to map and analyze the patterns from your field-collected data, and analyze land use change, coastal erosion, and other environmental issues from local community greenways to world ecoregion, and everything in between.

Map data collected in the field in an instant. Integrate video, text, and photograph to communicate the results of your investigations via “story maps.” The maps you create and use reside on the web, so no software is required beyond a web browser, and the maps can be easily changed and shared. The skills gained from these map-driven investigations include critical and spatial thinking, working with real data, inquiry, career and technology education, and are aligned with environmental education content standards.

Register here.

Click here to learn more about NAAEE's Monthly Webinar Series: Bringing New Ideas and Innovation to the Field of EE.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

BSCS - A Science Education Curriculum Study


BSCS is developing an assessment about teaching science in elementary and middle school. They are seeking your ideas and expertise about teaching and learning science through an online survey.

If you currently teach or are training to teach science in grades 3 through 8, please complete the survey. The survey will take approximately 45 minutes to complete, and you will need audio on your computer. Qualifying teachers and preservice teachers will receive a $25 Amazon gift card for completing the survey!

By completing the survey, you’ll assist BSCS in helping to develop a better understanding of the professional knowledge of science teachers.

If you have any questions about the survey or the National Science Foundation project, please contact pcklex@bscs.org.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. They look forward to hearing from you.