St Vrain Science » Professional Development

NASA OFFERS NEW SCIENCE TEACHING CERTIFICATE PROJECT

jeremyl — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:15:35 +0000

WASHINGTON — NASA has unveiled the Endeavor Science Teaching
Certificate Project, which will award more than 200 fellowships to
educators during a five year period. Educators accepted into the project
will be exposed to current NASA science and engineering and supported in
translating the information for use in classrooms.

The goal of the project is to ensure that teachers across the country
can use the discoveries that NASA makes on a daily basis to inspire the
next generation of explorers, scientists, engineers, and astronauts.

The program will provide workshops, online and on-site graduate courses
and NASA content and materials to teachers and students in
K-12 classrooms. NASA will work in partnership with state departments of
education to ensure program participants can apply credit from project
courses towards state certification requirements.

“Through the program, educators will learn to deliver cutting-edge
science into the classroom, promoting science, technology, engineering
and mathematics education,” said Joyce L. Winterton, assistant
administrator for education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This
will include proven NASA and NASA-sponsored educational resources to
meet specific learning goals.”

Project fellows will earn a certificate of completion in Applied Science
Education from Teachers College Innovations at Teachers College,
Columbia University, N.Y., and graduate credit from other institutional
partners.

Additional project efforts include assisting and training pre-service
science teachers to help improve science instruction in U.S. schools.

The project will be administered by the U.S. Satellite Laboratory Inc.
of Rye, N.Y. Funding for the program is provided through the NASA
Endeavor Teacher Fellowship Trust Fund, in tribute to the dedicated crew
of the space shuttle Challenger.

For additional information about the Endeavor Science Teaching
Certificate Project and other NASA education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

Kepler: A Search for Habitable Planets

jeremyl — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:21:31 +0000

Kepler: A Search for Habitable Planets

Space Science Workshop for Teachers

Celebrate NASA¹s Kepler Mission and the International Year of Astronomy

Saturday, November 15, 2008

8:15 am 5:00 pm @ LASP

Join us for an exciting day of science and hands-on activities for middle school and high school science teachers. Dr. Jeff VanCleve will discuss the science behind NASA¹s Kepler Mission, which launches in March 2009.

Standards-based, classroom ready activities include: Human Orrery, Detecting Extrasolar Planets, Transit Tracks, and building a computer-interfaced transit model. Dr. Bill Possel will lead a tour of the NASA Mission Operations Facility at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).

Location: LASP Conference Room, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO

Each workshop participant will receive a complete transit model, which includes a LEGO orrery, Vernier light sensor, interface and graphing software, and lamp and light bulb, a $150 value. Lunch will be provided.

A letter verifying 8 hours of professional development can be provided.

Learn about NASA¹s Kepler Mission: http://Kepler.NASA.gov

This workshop is free! To register, visit:

http://lasp.colorado.edu/education/Kepler_workshop.html and click on ³Registration Form². You will receive an email confirmation. Note: Online registration will be available next week. Follow instructions on the webpage for early registration.

Questions?? Contact Erin Wood at Erin.Wood@lasp.colorado.edu or call (303)735-0962.

Jointly hosted by NASA¹s Kepler Education and Public Outreach Program at NASA Ames Research Center, SETI Institute, and UC Berkeley¹s Lawrence Hall of Science in collaboration with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation.

kepler_wksp

Exxon/Mobil Teachers’ Academy Mickelson

jeremyl — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:14:42 +0000

Exxon/Mobil Teachers’ Academy Mickelson

http://www.sendmyteacher.com/teachers_and_grown_ups.htm

ExxonMobil: Teachers Academy

The 2009 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy offers a five-day program of camps in New Jersey, Texas, and Louisiana that is intended to provide selected elementary school teachers with information and skills needed to motivate students to pursue careers in science and math. Maximum award: an all-expense-paid five-day program in July 2009. Eligibility: third-through fifth-grade teachers in the United States. Deadline: Oct. 31, 2008.

If you are not able to access the link provided above, please go to:

http://www.sendmyteacher.com/

Teaching Climate Change

jeremyl — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:40:03 +0000

Dear Colleagues,

Please see notice of this upcoming climate change workshop. We seek secondary science teachers and environmental educators.

Teaching Climate Change: Impacts in Colorado

October 17 – 19^th, 2008

Friday evening through Sunday noon

University of Colorado Mountain Research Station

Who should attend:

Secondary science teachers and environmental educators who would like to learn more about the impacts of climate change in Colorado, and who want to know more about best practices in climate change education.

What you’ll learn:

Participants will learn about the impact of climate change in Colorado from researchers in the field, tour research sites at the Mountain Research Station (MRS), learn how to identify common climate change misconceptions, and practice research-based climate change communications strategies. Teachers will learn about exemplary curriculum resources and become aware of how climate science is aligned with Colorado Model Content Standards.

Registration and Logistics:

Participants will receive a $100 stipend upon completion of assignments. Lodging at the Mountain Research Station, food and materials will be provided free of charge. Credit from the University of Colorado, Boulder will be available at cost. Participation is limited to the first twenty registrants on a first come first served basis. To register please call Lornay Hansen at 303-492-5670 or email Lornay.hansen@colorado.edu.

This workshop is supported by National Science Foundation EAR Grant # 0321918. The workshop is offered through the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) Education and Outreach program. For more about CIRES outreach see http://cires.colorado.edu/education/k12/ .

*For course syllabus and registration information call 303 492 5670 or

email Lornay.hansen@colorado.edu .

*Please note that spaces are limited and acceptance will be on a first

come basis.

STEMAPALOOZA – Details

jeremyl — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:18:33 +0000

Hello All,

We are asking school groups to register in order to manage bus arrival and departure, but otherwise the event is free and open to the public.

Here is a brief summary of what we have so far:

· We have over 1200 students registered to attend, almost evenly distributed between the K-3, 5-8, and 9-12 grades with the middle school grades carrying the slightly largest percentage.

· We have sold 91 booths so far, including 15 Informal Science Education providers, multiple booths to 13 institutions of higher education, and 10 to for-profits industries such as Kendall-Hunt and Lockheed Martin. Activities in the booths will include: live animals from the Denver Zoo, Wild Wings, and the Butterfly Pavilion; interactive virtual simulations from Gizmos and PhET; a tornado generator from UNC and a wind tunnel from CCD; Earth Science manipulatives from Earth Treasures; and much more.

- A large video screen will be running STEM-related videos throughout the event. Submissions include Everest 911 from McClain Arts, video biographies of all the scientists working at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and an inquiry showcase video called â€œUpward and Outward: Scientific Inquiry on the Tibetan Plateauâ€ from CU Boulderâ€™s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES).

· We also have space in the back of the exhibit hall reserved for large scale activities including:

o Ten 80 FastTrack Racing â€“ design and race cars

o Red Rocks Community College Process Tech Trailer

o Skylab Planetarium

o WWI Airplane and full-scale sailboat built by students at North High School

o Space Foundation Rocketry â€“ design, build, and launch rockets

o National Renewable Energy Laboratoryâ€™s RnE²EW propane-powered alternative energy vehicle and a STEM-focused scavenger hunt complete with prizeso Denver Museum of Nature & Scienceâ€™s Energy at Play â€œdesign and buildâ€ class

o UCD Chemistry Department hosting student demonstrations

o DSSTâ€™s First Robotics team â€“ a student-centered, competitive robotics engineering program

o One World Learning

· Confirmed luncheon keynote will be Dr. Tom Cech (Nobel Laureate) with an introduction from Governor Bill Ritter

· MESA has confirmed eight schools for the demo area in the main exhibit space and a high school that will do demonstrations for the reception.

· Thursday evening reception at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for all exhibitors and local area leaders such as the State Board of Education, industry decision makers, and State Legislators. Speakers for the reception will include George Sparks and a Lockheed executive.

· Friday morning and afternoon discussion groups centered on the activities of the WIRED grant participants and their survey outcomes.

· An introductory letter, parent letter template, and two posters went out to every middle and high school in Colorado in August; we will be advertising on school buses in Metro Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo; and we are working on a public service announcement by the Governor.

We also still need research posters (from faculty and students) as well as volunteers. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via phone or email.

Thanks for your help,

Sharon

Sharon D. Unkart

Managing Director

Center for Applied Science and Mathematics for Innovation and Competitiveness (CASMIC)

University of Colorado Denver, Downtown Campus

Campus Box 153

PO Box 173364

Denver, CO 80217-3364

303.556.6543 O

303.556.5993 F

http://www.stemapalooza.org/

Back from a long hiatus and an opportunity for educators

jeremyl — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:44:07 +0000

Wow, I have not been here for a while. I guess summer made me relax or perhaps the birth of our second daughter kept me kind of busy. Anyway I”m back and I wanted to share this opportunity with you:

Hello all,

Don’t miss our Fall 2008 Educator’s Night. FREE to all educators and education administrators, this night is full of wonderful resources to support students and teachers. Visit the newest travelling exhibition: Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, view an IMAX or planetarium show, and visit with many other cultural and science education providers from the Denver area.

Call 303-322-7009 or 1-800-925-2250 and book your free reservation now. Due to space limitations at this popular event we request that you come with your education coworkers only. Please no family or guests.

We look forward to seeing you Monday, September 29^th, 5:30-8:30.

Present*Preserve*Excite*Inspire

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Polly M. Andrews

Director/ Youth and Teacher Programs

2001 Colorado Boulevard

Denver, CO 80205

303-370-6320 (p)

303-370-6153 (f)

Polly.Andrews@dmns.org

PhET Class for Chemistry and Physical Science Teachers

jeremyl — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:52:48 +0000

Evergreen HS-Trish Loeblein Tues Aug 5-(8:30-2:30)

(9/9, 10/7, and 11/4) 4:30-7pm Tuesday evenings.

The Physics Education Technology Group, PhET, at CU Boulder has developed a free website to help with science teaching. This award-winning site has over 60 interactive simulations that provide opportunities for student explorations and virtual labs. The simulations are designed to help with physical science and math. I would like to develop a community of area teachers who use an inquiry approach to teaching (or want to learn about and imple-ment an inquiry approach in their class-room) and want to use the simulations. We will discuss recent research in science education and how we can enrich our curriculum with interactive simulations. We will meet four times during the school year. Each teacher will develop lessons to use in their classes and then share their experiences at the meetings. There will be credit available through Colorado School of Mines for $45 if you attend all 16 hours. We will provide meals too! Our first meeting will be on Tuesday, August 5, 8:30-2:30. There will be three other meetings from 4:30-7:00 on 9/9, 10/7 and 11/4. Contact Trish Loeblein for questions or to sign up, ploeblei@jeffco.k12.co.us The PhET site: phet.colorado.edu

Climate Discovery Online Courses for Educators — Summer Session now accepting registrations!

jeremyl — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:48:49 +0000

Are you seeking a K-12 professional development opportunity that will enhance your qualifications, competency, and self-confidence in integrating Earth system science, climate, and global change into your science classroom? This summer NCAR offers a series of seven-week online courses for middle and high school teachers that combine geoscience content, information about current climate research, easy to implement hands-on activities, and group discussion. The courses run concurrently beginning June 20 and run through August 15.

• CD 501 Introduction to Earth’s Climate is designed to guide participants through the basics of climate science, integrating content, classroom activities, and community-building discussions to help middle and high school educators understand the answers to common questions about climate.

• CD 502 Earth System Science: A Climate Change Perspective explores Earth as a system from the perspective of climate and global change, describing the interactions between the various parts of the Earth system, including human activities, and how they all affect our climate.

• CD 503 Understanding Climate Change Today presents some of the current and predicted impacts of global warming on our planet and human societies. This course explores how climate models are developed and used to understand likely scenarios of future climate and how current scientific research is improving the quality of climate predictions.

There is a $200 fee per course.

New Science Teacher Academy to Select Middle and High School Science Teachers for 2008-09 Term

jeremyl — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:21:15 +0000

Applications are still being accepted to become a “Fellow” in the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy for 2008-09. New science teachers throughout the country who are entering their second or third year of teaching with a schedule that includes at least 51% science teaching time to middle or high school students are encouraged to apply.

Cofounded by the Amgen Foundation, the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy is a fellowship program created to help promote quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence, and improve teacher content knowledge. NSTA Fellows chosen for the program which runs from August 2008 through June 2009, will receive a comprehensive NSTA membership package; participation in an e-mentoring program developed by NSTA, the New Teacher Center at UC-Santa Cruz, and Montana State University; and access to a variety of web-based professional development activities including web seminars. Each NSTA Fellow will receive financial support to attend and participate in NSTA’s 2009 National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, scheduled for mid-March.

For more information on how to apply to the New Teacher Science Academy, please visit www.nsta.org/academy. Applications must be submitted no later than May 23, 2008, to be considered. Don’t delay, apply now.

Teacher Ranger Summer Project

jeremyl — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:37:30 +0000

This sounds like a good opportunity for anyone wanting to work at a national park this summer and get a stipend for it. You may need to hurry though.