California DEN

As another great year comes to a close, we have to share a few highlights of the great things we’ve done this past school-year. We’ve had some fantastic events including the OC CUE Techfest, Virtual Conference, the California Poppy Festival, and KOCE Day of Discovery. Best of all, we won an DENny award for the Most Creative DEN Event for the Grunion Run.

Our first DENny!

Looking for fish at the Grunion Run.

Female grunion laying eggs in sand.

We’ve also had some changes in leadership. Genny Kahlweiss has taken the reigns as our fearless leader and we are excited to have Matt Monjan as our DEN manager. Congratulations to Matt on the birth of his new baby boy Benjamin last week! Word is that he’s cuter than Matt.

We also sent two of our teachers, Ken Shelton and Carolann McGuire along with Jannita D. to Australia on a Discovery Student Adventure and have another traveling to China in August. (yep, that’s me!)

If you haven’t checked out the new developments to Discovery Education Streaming, like the ability to use Flash and the upload resources, summer is the time to catch up. Check out what’s new at DE. Register for the Back to School Preview webinars happening in July.

Thanks to everyone who makes this the GREATEST region in DEN. Everyone do the happy dance . . .

Do you know what the best part of being in DEN is? OK yes, free stuff and parties are fun, but the greatest part in my opinion are the opportunities to network & learn with other STAR teachers. That’s why we’re inviting you to join the best & brightest to Orange County next weekend for the KOCE Day of Discovery. We’ve got a great lineup of sessions on everything from Digital Storytelling to creating a Global Collaborative Classroom. And I heard a secret that there are going to be some fantastic giveaways at this Day of Discovery - you’re really going to like these prizes!

More info? Click on the Events page or go straight to the RSVP now!

Just a quick reminder that coming up on Saturday, April 25th are two fantastic DEN events: the Spring Into Action Virtual Conference and the Grunion Run. Both events are detailed on our new Events but here’s another sneak peek. See you on the 25th!

The Virtual Conference is open to all educators and is a great way to share some of the valuable teaching tips with your colleagues. While there is an in-person event for teachers in the Orange County area, I know I’ll be attending from my living room. Last year’s presentations were excellent and this year’s lineup looks equally good.

The second event, the Grunion Run, was a DEN favorite last year and we are doing it again this year. Beach party, BBQ, private film screening, and of course, the fish that make like land animals when the moon comes out. This is a family friendly event so bring the kids - you’ll have a blast seeing one of the wildest events that goes on here in So Cal.

Also, check out the Events page to preview the upcoming KOCE Day of Discovery . . .

Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike by kalavinka

Join Discovery Educator Network members their families on Saturday April 25th for the 2009 Grunion Run!

This event will include a bonfire, private Grunion movie presentation at the Cabrillo Aquarium followed by time to explore the aquarium’s exhibits before heading back to the beach to watch the Grunions make their annual run to the beach!

See flyer for all the details Grunion Run Event flyer

To attend you MUST RSVP here

Hey CA DEN folks,

It’s 2009 and there are some great DEN events headed your way. It starts with next weekend with the Orange County CUE Tech Fest. Come hang with fellow DEN members and bring a friend. We still have some limited space, so don’t wait to RSVP! Hope we’ll see you there!

Here are the details:

When: Saturday January 24, 2009

Where: Watson’s Soda Fountain, 416 E. Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92866

Time: 4pm-6pm

RSVP: https://discoveryed.wufoo.com/forms/oc-cue-den-event/

The Innovative Learning Conference is one of the premier  Ed-tech events in California and it’s quickly approaching (Oct  14-16). If you plan on attending be sure to take advantage of Discovery’s opportunities, including a very generous $40 discount on registration fees, a preconference event and rockin dinner.

I remember the ol’ days when I used to attend conferences and “just go to the conference.” Now some of the best features of conferences are the extras and networking opportunities provided by the DEN. For more information, please visit the DEN national blog here.

~Kootman

This week CA DEN Stars got to hang with a couple big stars as they attended a sneak preview of Discovery’s upcoming series “When We Left Earth“. We got to see a special screening of the new high-def series that chronicles 50 years of space exploration and includes space footage never seen before. Episode 2 told the stories of the Gemini missions that NASA used as preparation for the eventual Apollo missions to the moon. The mishaps and challenges that astronauts and crew faced gave even more relevance to the heroism of those involved. I couldn’t believe that one pair of astronauts sat in one of those tiny capsules for 14 days while orbiting the earth. Footage of their return showed them stumbling and walking around the aircraft carrier. These are some great stories.
As if the backdrop of the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills and the screening of the new show in the high-definition theater weren’t enough, Buzz Aldrin and Bill Nye were in the crowd. After the show Buzz did a Q&A (with a little more time spent on the A) for the crowd. His knowledge of space history and the current NASA direction was impressive. Finally we ascended to the roof to gaze up at the stars and the same moon Buzz Aldrin had walked on nearly 40 years ago.

The series premiers on June 8th and will be available on DiscoveryStreaming! There’s some great connections to history and science.

DEN Celebration at Palm Springs CUE Conference! Come join your fellow DEN members and their guests on Friday March 7 from 7:00pm to 9:30pm for an evening at Boomer’s. There will be free race car driving, rock wall climbing, mini-golf, bumper boats and free food. This event promises to be a lot of fun, but you must register ASAP. Go here to sign up.

“The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind – computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”

~Daniel Pink

Daniel Pink, bestselling author of A WHOLE NEW MIND, will describe how three powerful economic forces are putting a premium on right-brain abilities in the workforce. He’ll describe the six artistic, empathic abilities that now matter most — and discuss how educators are beginning to surface and sharpen those abilities in students.

Daniel is a contributing editor at Wired, where he has written about topics ranging from grassroots solar power to the rise of Wikipedia to the economics of creativity. His articles on business, technology, and economic transformation have also appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and other publications.

A popular speaker, Dan lectures to corporations, associations, and universities around the world. He’s provided analysis on dozens of television and radio broadcasts -including CNBC’s “Power Lunch,” ABC’s “World News Tonight,” NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and American Public Media’s “Marketplace.” And as an independent business consultant, he’s advised start-up ventures and Fortune 100 companies on recruiting, business trends, and work practices.

RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/2y6f9c

I’m sure you’ve heard, but we are lucky to once again be hosting a fantastic training event. It’s the “Day of Discovery” hosted by KLCS in downtown LA on Saturday Dec. 8. All the great Discovery celebs will be there, including Hall Davidson, Steve Dembo and . . .you!

There’s already been a big response so make sure you RSVP soon - check out the flyer below for details. This is a great chance for DEN educators to get involved in training, networking, and sharing of ideas.

KLCS Flyer