DEN Blog Network

If you guessed the Discovery Educator Network website… well, you’re only half right. Both the DEN website and Discovery Education Science were honored with 2008 BESSIE awards!

Discovery Education Science - Elementary won for Best Science Website for upper elementary students.

“Discovery Education is dedicated to improving student achievement in the sciences across the country. Through services like Discovery Education Science for Elementary and programs like the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, we are committed to jumpstarting student interest in science. We are thrilled to be honored with this award and are grateful to the team at ComputED Learning Center for their recognition.” said Kelli Campbell, Senior Vice President of Content and Product Development for Discovery Education.

Meanwhile everybody’s favorite online community won its third major award, this time for Best Professional Development Website in the Teacher Tools category. Ordinarily I would take some time to thank each and everyone of you who are really the key to us winning this award. However, Scott put it so eloquently that I’ll let him do the honors.

“We are very excited the Discovery Educator Network has won this award,” said Scott Kinney, Vice President of Outreach and Professional Development for Discovery Education. “I’d like to share this recognition with the thousands of educators who visit the DEN website each day. Their efforts to share tools, resources and their knowledge of incorporating digital media and educational technologies into their daily activities power the DEN website. Many teachers consider the DEN website their on-line ‘home’ and I’m pleased it has been recognized by the ComputED Learning Center.”

Congrats to the Discovery Education Science team, everyone who works on the DEN website, and of course… each of you!!

The DEN has grown–by five months! Jannita Demian, with an assist from her husband Laurian, is preggers! Five months old, the demi-Demian will be a native Californian. This is a first for the Demian clan. They are looking for a name. The winner will get a DEN hat from Hall Davidson (who is pulling for Hall, a great old name). You can narrow the range of choices–it’s a boy. For the DEN, it means two things: We have another DEN mother and Jannita will not be traveling for the duration. Needless to say, the docs want to shelter the bun in the oven from airplane food. Post a congratulatory comment and name suggestion on the national blog if you have one. This is something the Demians have been working for! This will be an oft-video-ed baby. So let’s start now (check below). Psst: anybody want to loop it and add some music? What song would you use? - Thanks, Uncle Hall

We’d like to fromally welcome Chris Marshall and the South Texas blog to the DEN blog network!  So if you’re in his neck of the woods, stop by and leave him a comment. 

New regional blogs just keep popping up, don’t they?  Today we’d like to welcome Michelle Adams to the blogosphere.  She’s going to be keeping everyone up to date on events in New York.  If you’re in New York and are interested in learning more about the Discovery Educator Network, stop by the blog and leave her a comment or send her an email. 

Coni Rechner
I have been with Discovery Education
since 1993 and have specialized in the K-12 education, prevention and
public health markets during that time. My favorite teacher was Mrs
Fahrenkrug, my 8th grade math teacher. She inspired my love of numbers
by making math exciting and engaging while challenging me to always do
my best. I am thankful for the dedicated teachers in Appleton,
Wisconsin and around the globe who are inspiring our kids to develop
their skills and confidence to grow into responsible and passionate
adults. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to build the Discovery
Educator Network to recognize our dynamic teachers and to give them
access to other educators and resources.

Hall Davidson
I recently joined the Discovery
Educator Network team after serving as the Director of Education
Television Services for KOCE-TV for 15 years, where I oversaw and
produced programming for K-14. Prior to that, I taught in the Los
Angeles Public Schools for six years, and spent six years as an advisor
to Instructional Media Services for KLCS-TV. My favorite teacher was
Mrs. Calmes - she made learning and being smart fun. I believe the
Educator network is not only a chance for teachers to share media
resources but marks the beginning of the next era of media delivery to
schools and homes in which the teachers in the Educator Network will
lead the way.

Scott Kinney
I
recently joined the Discovery Educator Network team and was formerly
the Director of Educational Technologies at the Carbon Lehigh
Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. My favorite teacher was my Mrs.
Bankus because she challenged me. She inspired me to work hard and saw
potential in me that I hadn’t yet discovered in myself. To me, the
Discovery Educator Network is a community in which members openly
share, collaborate and communicate with like-minded peers, regardless
of geography; a community that celebrates the opportunities to gather
in person at various times throughout the year.  And most importantly,
a community that never loses focus on the worlds most important
resource, our children.

Betsy Whalen
I joined Discovery in 2004 straight
from my third grade classroom at Tyler Elementary School in DC Public
Schools. My favorite teacher was Ms. Nicholson in 4th grade - every day
she’d turn the lights down and read aloud to us. Her enthusiasm made
the books come alive and she helped me develop a lifelong love for
reading. To me, the Educator Network is about teachers working with
teachers to do things they never dreamed of and using the power of
Discovery to make their ideas a reality.