Maine

Hi All

As the school year is quickly coming to an end we need your input.  Please post a reply to this blog with some fun summer event ideas!

Saturday, Oct 24, 2008 Edward Little High School will  host a DEN virtual conference which will provide a unique opportunity to learn powerful ways to integrate digital media and Web 2.0 tools into your instruction as well as discover an abundance of resources to expand your own personal learning network. And it’s free!

 We happen to have many slots available for anyone interested in Discovery Streaming. Usually these are only open to STAR DEN members but when space is available we open to our own districts. We are providing 6 hours of professional development, snacks, lunch and giveaways free of charge. Everything is being covered by Discovery Education! Please share this with your staff they would need to register as soon as possible so we have an accurate count for the caterer for lunch.

Register ME 

DEN staff will be sharing a series of information-packed sessions on how to integrate the newest online technologies used by today’s media-savvy students into classroom instruction. Among the topics slated for presentation are an introduction to streaming media, tips and tricks for integrating digital media with popular Web 2.0 websites, and strategies for incorporating free movie making tools and multi-media PowerPoint presentations into curricula. On September 23rd, from 9AM EDT until 9PM EDT, we’ll be sharing a new presentation every hour on the hour. 

Follow this link for more details and registration information. 

  Erin Towns, World History teacher of Edward Little High School has received a Japan Memorial Fulbright Scholarship to study abroad. Erin will start her adventure in Tokyo and spend time visiting Universities and schools. She will have opportunities to talk to teachers, students, parents and spend a few days living with a family.  Before Erin heads overseas in the fall of 2008 she will be incorporating Japan’s culture into her classroom. She will continue to use Discovery Education and Unitedstreaming to support her curriculum. In addition to this introduction to Japan, while overseas she will be working with her students via web cam. 

 Congratulations and Thanks to Erin for all her efforts has she enhances the educational experience for herself and students!

A reminder from our regional director: 

Every year STAR Discovery Educators are asked to report at least two events they have conducted in the past school year in order to have their contracts renewed for the following season (i.e., maintain STAR status for next school year). Give your agent some additional leverage to land you a big contract by reporting more than two events.

Any STAR DE who reports at least three events for the time period of September 1, 2007 through June 6, 2008 will receive a DEN Water Bottle as a signing bonus.

What is an event?

Click here to report your events.

Recruit a RookieWe’re always looking for new prospects who can throw a 90 mph fastball or embed a DE streaming video into PowerPoint. If you help us find a rookie sensation, we’ll hook you up with some new DEN gear.

Any STAR DE who recruits a new STAR Discovery Educator before June 6, 2008 will receive a DEN baseball jersey. Note: The STAR DE you recruit must have his/her contract officially signed by June 6, 2008 (i.e., he/she must complete all parts of the application process by June 6).

Help Your Region Win the PennantYour DEN Account Managers are looking to you to help them bring home the pennant for your region. The DEN Manager whose region has the most new STAR recruits during DEN Spring Training will win the coveted Discovery Educator Network Louisville Slugger straight from the factory in Kentucky.

Feb 2, 2008, in spite of the ice & sleet storm Den’s Virtual Conference in Central Maine was attended by local teachers.

Lance Rougeux presented ‘Lost in Translation’, explained how many of todays students are bilingual, their second language being text messaging. Matt Monjan presented ‘Building A Bigger Blogger’ which introduced web applications that can blend with the teacher resources in Discovery Education’. Next ‘The Bionic Lesson’ presented by Mike Bryant showed how to transform standard lessons into a more engaging presentation using a variety of programs and hardware technologies.

In between programs door prizes were awarded and teachers enjoyed sharing ideas. After a lunch of chicken and roast beef sandwiches, everyone returned to a relaxing presentation by Hall Davidson, the ‘Revenge of the Digital Immigrant’. He described the new brain of the 21st century student and how education needs to evolve to match the evolution of the media.

Following Hall Davidson Steve Dembo presented “50 Ways to Spin a Digital Story”. Steve described how to use web sites to make students’ digital stories come alive.

The 21st century student is quite a different learner than those of us that have been teaching for years — Just ask Harley, (the golden) Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Thank You Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine  for supporting us with a meeting place and beverages!

You can win one of the 5 wireless labs, each of which will include:

• 20 notebook or tablet computers from HP, Lenovo or Toshiba
• 3 wireless access points from D-Link, Linksys or NETGEAR
• 1 Bretford mobile cart
• 1 Promethean interactive whiteboard
• 20 Promethean Activote integrated personal response system
• 1 video projector from Epson or NEC Solutions
• 1 document camera from AVerMedia
• 1 laserjet printer from Epson or HP

Just click on the enter button and register. You may register more than once.

Join us for the 1^st ever

Discovery Educator Network

Virtual Conference! Saturday, February 2^nd Central Maine/Auburn 8:30 – 3:30 Eastern time Lunch will be provided. Pre-registration at http://Community.DiscoveryEducation.Com/virtualconference.You will be notified via email with site information and confirmation of acceptance. Registration ends Thursday Jan. 31, 2008 at noon.

The DEN Virtual Conference is a national event that provides educators a unique opportunity to experience Discovery Education’s high-quality professional development. The day will feature keynote presentations from Discovery’s own Hall Davidson and Lance Rougeux that will be broadcast to each of the regional gatherings. In between the keynote presentations, participants will attend breakout sessions presented by local STAR Discovery Educators. Educators who cannot attend an in-person regional event still have the opportunity to participate virtually in the full-day conference. Special breakout sessions presented by Matt Monjan, Mike Bryant and Steve Dembo will be broadcast throughout the day.

Welcome back to a new school year. As always the beginning of the year is filled with excitement, anxiety, fears and questions, yet we seem to get through it all. Maine has a great teaching staff and I personally thank all of you for your hard work and commitment to our kids.
    This year is extra special for the Maine High Schools that have joined the state MLTI program.  This is a commitment through the school year 2010-11. This years kick off is the distribution of Apple’s Macbook computer to each high school teacher along with the commitment to work collaboratively with schools throughout the state to improve literacy and numeracy.
    To relax from your school schedule consider taking a FREEDOM WALK.

Walk to support our Armed Forces and their families

On Sept. 11, please join the DEN team and the Military Channel as we partner with America Supports You, a Department of Defense program recognizing citizens’ support for our military and communicating that support to members of our Armed Forces and their families. America Supports You connects citizens and corporations who are looking for ways to support the military with homefront organizations that are devoted to helping the troops and their families. The Military Channel is working with our partners to spread the word about these significant events.

In 2005, Pentagon employees wishing to create an event that would commemorate the attack on the Pentagon and honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, created what has become a new national tradition, the America Supports You FREEDOM WALK . On September 11, 2005, over 15,000 people walked from the Pentagon to the National Mall to pay tribute to those who died; to renew their commitment to freedom and the values of our country and to honor our veterans, past and present. The response from people across the country who learned of that first walk was overwhelming. In 2006, the fifth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, volunteers and America Supports You homefront groups organized FREEDOM WALKS in every state in the Union, including more than 130 cities.

FREEDOM WALKS come in many different shapes and sizes. The San Diego, CA walk had an “open course”. People chose a time to walk from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. that worked best with their schedules. In St. Louis, MO all walkers wore yellow t-shirts and formed a “human yellow ribbon” on the Anheuser-Busch Center field. The present Governor and the former Governor of Oklahoma co-chaired the FREEDOM WALK in Oklahoma City attended by over 5,000 people. In Sebring, OH, 9-year-old Colton Lockner organized a FREEDOM WALK for the town’s nearly 3,000 residents with the support of his Mayor and sponsorship for t-shirts from his local Pizza Pan. The College Gate Elementary School in Anchorage, AL walked around their school five times and concluded the event by writing essays on what freedom meant to each of them.

This new national tradition continues to grow. We encourage each city to plan a walk that best fits and exemplifies their community. Walks can be held early in the morning, during the lunch hour or after work. They can be held on September 11, or around the date, depending on local traffic patterns. However they are organized, the America Supports You FREEDOM WALKS are a wonderful opportunity for cities, work places, schools, or groups of citizens to gather together and remember this significant day and those protecting our freedom. FREEDOM WALKS are also an excellent tool to use as a history lesson for students.

Happy May! Spring is here!
    Auburn teachers have been exploring the idea of creating podcasts. Discovery Network did a workshop for us using the program Audacity. The presentation went very well and stirred up excitement. As always in technology and in our multiple platform world there are  somethings to think about for us Mainers, who for the most part, live in the educational world of Macs. As for Auburn, most of our computers have the program Garage Band. Some of us are exploring this program to create podcasts. It is very user friendly and we don’t have to do any downloads. The program Audacity works on some of the older computers but as we update there are conflicts and using the program Lame to export as a MP3 file does not play nice with our computers. If any of you have comments, questions or can offer help to us newbies please let us know, perhaps we can plan some future workshops.