Being a teacher means trying to help every child be successful in the classroom. However, ask yourself this question: What can teachers do to get the most out of their students? There are a lot of answers to this question such as differentiate instruction, use collaboration, conference with the student, make learning real and [...]
Just a note for our partners in the “Sunshine State.” The Florida Department of Education has formally set the new FCAT 2.0 state assessment achievement level cut scores. Since the predictions made by Discovery Education interim benchmark assessments are based on these decisions the Florida Test C interim benchmark will be a predictive measure of [...]
FETC is one of our favorite conferences of the year. And this year is no different. To get this year’s conference jump-started with fantastic friends, great prizes, and an energetic learning experience the DEN is excited to bring back Dr. Lodge McCammon to share his latest work on “flipping the classroom.” Joining Dr. Lodge will [...]
One of my favorite traditions during the holidays is revisiting “A Christmas Carol” written by Charles Dickens. The story is timeless and good for all age levels. Because you can find it printed online, it makes a great resource to use with Lesson Writer. If you haven’t used Lesson Writer before, you really must [...]
Creativity is the most important trait that a person can possess. It allows you to create meaning, importance and curiosity. It is the essence of why and how children and adults learn. As teachers and schools evolve, they should be asking themselves, how are our schools enhancing our students’ and our teachers’ creativity, curiosity, and [...]
Christopher Columbus Columbus Day will be celebrated October 10, 2011. I like to begin my lesson on that day reading sections from a letter that Columbus wrote without letting the class know who it is from or that it is Columbus Day. The letter is a primary document found at http://www.ushistory.org/documents/columbus.htm. The letter tells [...]
Discovery Stars and DEN members interested in becoming a Star were shining at the Teacher Training Center in Fleming Island, Florida, Tuesday, August 16. Over thirty DEN members from three counties met with Kyle Schutt, Manager for Discovery Educator Network, along with Leadership Council Members Trudi Lawson, Janet Hallstrom, Cheryl Woolwine, and Carol Papuga. Cheryl, [...]
South Florida held a Back to School Event at Duffy’s Sports Grill in Boca Raton. It was a huge success with over 20 educators attending. Several educators who were not previously DEN Stars, have now learned all about the DEN network and become DEN stars. We discussed how DEN is such a wonderful community for [...]
This is my first LC blog post after being trained tonight =) but could not wait to tell all about this great site. Web 2.0 – Cool Tools for Schools is from wikispaces, but has anything and everything you need for presentations, resources….everything 2.0 you can use. The url is http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Presentation%20Tools. Check it out to [...]
Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 10th, 2011 from 10am – 2pm for the Orlando Science Center’s annual Teacher Open House. All teachers and their families are invited to attend this free event. If you are interested in attending, you will need to either call (407 -514-2112) or email the Orlando Science Center (classes@osc.org) with the number [...]
Can you believe the school year is right around the corner? The good news is we have two great Welcome Back DEN events in Florida! That’s right, within the next week your DEN Leadership Council has organized two events to help get the school year started! If you are in North Florida, come join us [...]
Hello Florida Educators! Are you located near Orlando? Are you looking for a reason to visit Orlando? Join us next week at the Orlando Science Center for one of two interactive evenings of professional development. Presenters will demonstrate strategies for using Discovery Education STREAMING resources for digital storytelling and how to access these resources on [...]
On May 21, 2011 we will host DEN Geocaching Day! Every Discovery Educator is encouraged to venture out with some colleagues on May 21 and have some fun geocaching as you connect with your fellow educators one more time before the summer. Do you want to join us? For muggles (non-geocachers) and pros alike, we’re [...]
These are the days of “less is more”. Teachers need to embrace the technology that is going to make teaching this generation affordable and possible. John Dewey said “… if we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow”. So how can teachers, technophobic and otherwise, incorporate this new resource to [...]
I knew I was in for a treat when the day started with a video recording of students from all over Palm Beach School District count down “3, 2, 1 Blast-off!”; the theme for this year’s event. And what a phenomenal day it was! This was my first year attending the Palm Beach Tech Conference. [...]
Spring is just around the corner and I know everyone will soon have spring fever. Along with spring there will also be some exciting DEN events to look forward to this year. Coming up on March 7 is the beginning of open enrollment if you are interested in becoming involved in the Leadership Council for [...]
At the Discovery Education FETC Pre-Conference event on Tuesday, February 1, we had the opportunity to ask questions to an all-star panel of experts including: Joe Brennan, Tim Childers, Kathy Schrock, Lee Kolbert, and Steve Dembo. Below are the questions, and the expert responses! What is the best use of a web 2.0 tool that [...]
Indicative of the growing movement toward digital textbooks, Florida has approved the Discovery Education Science Elementary Techbook for Florida for classroom use. Florida joins Indiana, Louisiana and Oregon in adopting Discovery Education’s digital science service as the core instructional resource for elementary science instruction. These approvals, through state textbook adoption processes, empower educators with dynamic [...]
Discovery and the Florida DEN are hosting several fun filled days for Florida Den members in January and February. The first event is a live SCIcon event on January 22nd in Bradenton, Florida. SCIcon is a great way to network with other science teachers. This event will not only feature a DEN Science Guru, but [...]
Join us Feb. 1 for a STAR-studded affair at FETC. The DEN pre-conference event is a great way to connect with fellow STAR Discovery Educators from all over the country. We have a fantastic lineup of special guests this year including FETC?s opening keynote speaker, Reed Timmer from Discovery Channel?s hit series Stormchasers. FETC Pre-Conference [...]
At this time of the year, people are reminiscing about the past year and thinking about the new year. We recall what worked during the previous year and what didn’t. We then contemplate changes we’ll make for a better new year. Discovery has made a change. If you haven’t seen the new “front” page check [...]
STAR Discovery Educators from all over the globe are invited to kick off 2011 with the DEN at our pre-FETC extravaganza on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. The day will feature special presentations from Hall Davidson, Steve Dembo and Kathy Schrock. As always, we’ll have plenty of time for sharing and networking as well. Tuesday, February 1, [...]
In the years that I’ve been associated with DEN, I’ve heard and read about these “things” called “webinars” offered by Discovery. I had attended one “webinar” presented at a workshop and the presenter was experiencing all kinds of problems. Not knowing what a webinar was, how to participate in one or how to deal with [...]
Hub for Teachers is offering a digital storytelling contest for students in grades K-5. Teachers will encourage students to work in groups of 2 -4. This is a great way to incorporate writing and digital storytelling into your curriculum and be eligible for great technology prizes at the same time. Grand prize for the winning [...]
Just a quick reminder that the Global Education Conference will begin this Monday Nov. 15 and run through Nov. 19. The conference is free and will be featuring three of our DEN Gurus! Check out the Keynotes and session schedules on their website. It should be a great conference!
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