Michigan Discovery Educator Network

This year, several Michigan educators applied and were accepted to be DEN STAR Educators.  To learn more about what that means and to apply, click here.  DEN STARS have access to training kits, special events, and fun perks.  The best part is being connected with other STAR educators from across the nation.  Welcome to the following new 2009 STARS from Michigan!

• Karen Lemmons
• Shawn Massey
• Derk Oosting
• David Taylor
• Andy Blackman
• Stefani Lennard
• Peggy Stasko
• Cynthia Alvarado
• Katherine Lisk
• Karen Christian
• Carol Smith
• Michele Cannaert
• Sharon Kubica
• Mary Johnson
• Mary Lynn Kovach
• Michael Thomasma
• Erica Trowbridge
• Laurie Custer
• Naomi Roberg
• Kristi Cummings
• Kathleen Donohue-Vredevoogd
• LaFleur Linda
• Susan Nykamp
• Megan Reilly
• Karen Shoskey
• Kelly Slagh
• Jill Sloothaak
• Kathy Swanger
• Katharine Valz

Get ready for a new school year with the DEN!  The entire month of August is jam-packed with free webinars.  Tell a colleague, invite your principal and join us for Summer School with the DEN.  Enroll today at: http://community.discoveryeducation.com/webinar.All sessions begin at 11 AM EST. 

Digital Storytelling Week

• 8/3/09: Thinking Outside the Slide: Creating non-linear PowerPoint presentations and learning centers with Discovery Education Media
• 8/4/09: Digital Storytelling Made Easy: Using Discovery Education Content with Animoto and PhotoStory
• 8/5/09: Director’s Cut: Discovery Education Media and MovieMaker (PC)
• 8/6/09: Director’s Cut: Discovery Education Media and iMovie (Mac)

Leadership Week

• 8/10/09: The Information Society is HERE: Are our schools up to the task? with Dr. Scott McLeod
• 8/11/09: Policies, Safety and Social Networking
• 8/12/09: Web 2.0 for Administrators and Others: Schools, Tools, and the 21st Century
• 8/13/09: Data Driven Decisions with Discovery Education Assessment

Science Week

• 8/17/09: Myth Busted: Easy Ways to Integrate Digital Media into Your Science Classroom
• 8/18/09: Getting Your Hands Dirty with Discovery Education Science
• 8/19/09: Differentiating Instruction with the Discovery Education Science Assessment Manager
• 8/20/09: More and Muir Tech Tips for Going Green

Web 2.0 Week

• 8/24/09: Get Your Glog On! The DE streaming Builders and Glogster
• 8/25/09: The Thread that Ties it All Together: Discovery Education Content and Voicethread
• 8/26/09: Two Roundtrip Tickets to Anywhere in the World: Designing Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education Media and Google Earth
• 8/27/09: Learning Through the Funnies: Mixing Discovery Education Content with Free Comic Tools

Enroll today!

Google Earth released new and updated imagery and higher resolution 3D terrain for many locations, including Michigan!   If you have not visited Google Earth lately, you need to check it out!  I took a quick screenshot of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes (NW Michigan’s Lower Peninsula).  I have vivid memories of running up and down the dunes with my family as a child.  It’s time to go back for a visit!  Does this sound interesting to you?  Visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitors Bureau website.

We were lucky to have two geocaching events in the state of Michigan on Saturday, May 30.  Six people met up to celebrate Geocaching Day 2009 in Battle Creek, MI.  We met at our brand new Panera Bread, and walked through the basics of Geocaching.  Everyone was anxious to get out of there, and begin exploring.  Many of them had already visited www.geocaching.com and understood the basics.  We piled into two cars, and set out to find our first cache.  We had our GeoCorgi with us to help.  We began with a beginners cache, and then proceeded to cache’s that were a bit more difficult.  We launched the DEN-Battle Creek travel bug in a cache called “Can you see me now!!”  Overall, we ended up going five for five in finding the caches we set out for.  The group is already planning another outing to continue participating in the sport.  Thanks to the DEN for sponsoring this event, and buying lunch!  Thank you to John Phillips for volunteering to be field guide! 

The Michigan DEN had two teams: one in Commerce and the other in Battle Creek/Kalamazoo.  The Commerce team had a blast!  We found 5 caches and hiked some beautiful trails in Proud Lake Recreation Area.  We saw snakes, spiders, frogs, herons, and of course lots of mosquitos.  We nearly lost a couple of teachers who wandered off, but we found them before too long.  Several of the team were newbies, and now I think they are hooked.  It was a fun day of networking, learning together, with great exercise for all.  Our travel bug has been planted and we hope it travels very  soon!  Thank you DEN! 

Tonight was the last DEN webinar of the year.  It was an evening of recognizing DEN STAR Educators going “above and beyond.” The Michigan DEN blog was one of the state Leadership Council blogs recognized.  Emma Haygood was also recognized for sharing some fantastic resources.  WOOT!

The Michigan Discovery Educator Network Chair, Cheryl Lykowski, publishes a monthly newsletter that is distributed by email.  Click here for the May 2009 edition.

Michigan educators: Do you have a great idea for a cool project involving technology in your classroom? Apply for a 2009-2010 MACUL Grant! Grants are awarded for up to $1500 towards a project that will help benefit the students in your classroom/school. The deadline is June 27th, 2009, so do it NOW!

All of the details are on this page of the MACUL website. Links to the scoring rubric, the official time line, and the application form can be found there. You must be a MACUL member in order to apply for this opportunity; thankfully, you can renew your membership, or join for the first time right here!

On May 30, 2009 the DEN will host the first-ever DEN Geocaching Day!  Question for Michigan teachers… If I volunteer to be the guide for an event in SE Michigan, would you be interested in participating?  If so, leave me a comment on this blog post.  If we get a small group of people who want to get together, we could meet in Proud Lake State Park or Highland Recreation Area. It would be fun!

For muggles (non-geocachers) and pros alike, STAR Discovery Educators Bridget Belardi and Conni Mulligan will host a “Geocaching 101″ webinar to get us ready.  The webinar will answer the basic questions of “What is geoaching?” and “How do I get started?”  as well as emphasize the curricular connections of geocaching.

The webinar will be offered three times:

• Wednesday, May 6, 7pm
• Wednesday, May 13, 7pm
• Wednesday, May 27, 7pm

Register for one of the sessions today.

Be sure to check the National DEN blog every day this week.  There will be special goodies offered every day this week for teacher appreciation week!