G-Camp: 18-day Field Camp for 5th - 12th Grade Science Teachers

G-camp provides an introduction to the principles of geology, as well as the opportunity to develop and share curriculum materials to teach the standards required for grades 5 - 12. During the trip you will explore geologic landscapes, volcanic features, ancient marine deposits, sand dunes, faults, glacial landscapes, streams, landslides, energy resources and mineral resources. G-Camp will travel from College Station through north Texas to New Mexico, Colorado and back through New Mexico and west Texas, from slightly above sea level to locations higher than 13,000 feet.

For details and application information, visit the Texas A & M Department of Geology & Geophysics at this link. The deadline is March 16, 2018.

Learning in Informal Settings

Walking, Reading, and Storying Land: Learning in the Natural World 

Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 3:30pm

Museum of Natural History, Paleontology Hall

Dr. Ananda Marin,assistant professor of education at UCLA, studies socio-cultural dimensions of learning and development in everyday and intergenerational contexts. Her talk will draw from research by Indigenous scholars and interaction analysis traditions, as we discuss walking, reading, and storying land as a methodology for learning about the natural world. Illustrated by parent and child video from one family’s nature walk, Dr. Marin will explore the ways in which shifts in movement — from walking to stopping — and configurations of the landscape provide both the means and content for learning.

The series features innovative informal learning experts from museums to makerspaces to outdoor places, and it is co-sponsored by the CU Boulder School of Education and the Museum of Natural History.  All talks are free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to a meet-and-greet reception following the talks.

Save the Dates for future talks:

• April 3: David George Haskell, Professor at Sewanee, the University of the South and Pulitzer Prize finalist for “The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature”
• May 1: Carrie Tzou, Associate Professor at the University of Washington, Bothell

For more information visit the CU Museum event page or call 303.492.6892.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Energy Institute for Teachers - July 16-20, 2018

The NREL Energy Institute for Teachers is a five-day workshop that offers educators lessons and resources to integrate renewable energy and energy efficiency components into existing courses in subjects ranging from chemistry and physics to biology and environmental science classes.  Here is a link to the application.

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 multimeters
• Determining the optimum form of lighting based on the bulb's brightness, its cost and its power requirements
• Chemically producing biodiesel fuel and performing quality control viscosity tests
• Meeting scientists and touring the world class facilities at NREL

Colorado STEM Ecosystem VISTA Opportunity

AmeriCorps VISTA’s mission specifically focuses on poverty alleviation. VISTA members perform “behind-the-scenes work” for their site – this is a wonderful opportunity for individuals who seek to build skills and experience in developing resources, program evaluation, and partnership building, with a special emphasis on expanding STEM-related opportunities for youth. VISTA members include recent graduates, retirees, AND veterans. A detailed description of this specific position can be found here: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=77567&fromSearch=true.

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar

The Smith Center for the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library announces a 2018 NEH Summer Seminar, Reading Material Maps in the Digital Age.  This seminar is open to K-12 teachers in the United States.  Information is available at the Newberry Library website.  Direct additional inquiries to Kara Johnson.

Master's Program in Geography Education

Texas State University seeks information about an Online Master’s Program in Geography Education. The survey should take no more than 5 to 7 minutes to complete and will provide vital information for institutional planning. Participation is completely voluntary, and all responses will be confidential. All participants will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon e-gift card. Here is the link to the survey: https://txstate.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_afqORJIAgflklTv

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