New Jersey

Jannita Demain just sent out notification of this unique opportunity for our students.  Please note the dates- you need to act fast!

“In honor of World Diabetes Day on November 14, Novo Nordisk, Discovery Health, Discovery Education, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation invite your students with type 1 diabetes, their parents and caregivers to a special Youth Forum.

Please share this invite with your students who have type 1 diabetes.

Young Voices: Life with Diabetes

Moderated by ESPN Reporter Brian Kenny, father whose daughter has type 1 diabetes.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet other young people with type 1 diabetes, participate in an interactive “quiz bowl” game, and view videos created by teens living with type 1 diabetes. Plus all participants will receive a gift pack and enjoy free games at ESPN Zone!

Parents and caregivers will also have an opportunity to engage with each other about topics of interest in caring for a young person with type 1 diabetes.”

Where:

ESPN Zone

1472 Broadway, New York, NY 10036

When:

Friday, November 14, 2008

11:30am - 3:30pm

(lunch will be provided)

RSVP by 11/11 to:

Carlos Reaves 240-662-2112 or

RSVP@discovery.com and copy Jannita_Demian@discovery.com

from the Google Teacher Newsletter 9.19.2008:

“The next GTA will take place on Tuesday, November 18th at our offices in New York City. The GTA is our free training program for K-12 educators. It’s an intensive, one-day event (8:30am-7:30pm) where 50 selected participants get hands-on experience with our free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, collaborate with exceptional educators, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, GTA participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local regions. We’re now taking applications and encourage educators from around the U.S. and the world to apply. Applications are due October 10, 2008. To learn more about how to apply for the GTA NYC 2008, visit: http://www.google.com/educators/gta.html “

Many DEN teachers attended this prestigious training academy last year. Let’s see if we can represent the DEN with an even STRONGER presence this year!  Good Luck with you application-  Hope to see you there!

Can’t get enough of the DEN’s amazing professional development events?  Good!  There is still time to register for a series of two-day conferences designed to enhance your use of Discovery Education’s digital media resources.  The DEN Regional Conferences (August through October) are spread out all over the country so that we can reach as many STARs as possible.

Here are the details for the regional conference in our area.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
August 2-3
Monmouth University (West Long Branch, NJ)

Details:
Attendees must RSVP for a regional conference, be accepted, and attend both days.  There is no registration cost associated with attending these two-day conferences. Additionally, DEN will provide your meals during conference hours.  Travel costs are up to you.

Just like any other DEN experience, attendees will leave tired and energized at the same time.  But most importantly during your two days you’ll be sharing and learning with other educators who are passionate about using technology in their classrooms. And, when it is all over, you’ll return with new skills that are guaranteed to help you reach your 21st century students.

You need to open the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference PDF in order to get the full details and register for the event.

You can visit the National Blog to learn about the other regional conferences.

A big shout out to DEN Star Stacy Kasse for the following:

The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative has opened registration for its free summer workshops. The workshops will be held across the country starting June 18 and will target specific grade levels and content areas. Dates and locations for the workshops are shown below. Follow the links to learn more about a particular workshop, including viewing draft agendas for many sites.

Upcoming Workshops:

Supporting Success   www.ed.gov/teacherinitiative

If you like the excitement of law enforcement and rescue operations, you don’t want to miss Uniformed Heroes Day at Liberty Science Center!

The entire Science Center and parking lot will be sizzling with the latest in ultra cool technology, larger-than-life vehicles and amazing demonstrations all day.

Bring the whole family and don’t forget your cameras as you climb on equipment from over 15 uniformed organizations such as: firefighters, police, emergency medical services and more. See cars torn apart in the Jaws of Life demonstration and watch police dogs in action. Then find out all about uncovering counterfeit money and recovering crime scene evidence with a real Crime Scene Investigator (CSI). Try an Air Force training simulator to see if you have “the right stuff,” and end your day of hands-on discovery by suiting up in firefighter or other uniformed gear and watch SWAT teams rappel down our building.

Liberty Science Center is pleased to celebrate our nation’s heroes in uniform by hosting a special day just for them! If you are a uniformed hero, enjoy the day with colleagues*.

Join the celebration on Saturday, June 14!
Time: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Location: Building-wide
Cost: Activities are free with the purchase of an Exhibition Ticket

Participating demonstrators** include:

• US ARMY: Rock wall, football toss, basketball toss, Hummer, chemical units
• Air Force: Training simulator
• Bayonne Police: Motorcycles, Command Post
• Bergen County EMS: Training ambulance, heavy rescue truck
• Hoboken Police: Dare car, patrol car
• Hudson County Jail: Finger printing, gang awareness demo, K-9 dogs
• Hudson County Sheriff’s Office: SWAT truck
• Jersey City Fire department: Fire truck, hazardous materials trailer, fire prevention tips
• Jersey City Medical Center: Ambulance and Special Ops Unit
• Jersey City Police: Emergency Service Unit (ESU) truck, rappelling, Jaws of Life
• Newark Police Department: Horses, motorcycles
• NJ Park Police: Snowmobiles, ATV, SUV truck
• NJ State Police: Marine division-boat, Command Post
• NJ Transit Police: K-9 bomb dogs, Special Ops truck, hazardous materials trailer, Command Post
• North Hudson Fire Department: Fire Simulation Trailer
• Picatinny Arsenal: Robot, video games
• Port Authority: K-9 dogs, ESU truck
• Secret Service: Counterfeit money demo

Don’t miss the magic show, balloons and free giveaways, too!

*Heroes will be admitted to Liberty Science Center’s exhibition floors for free (must be in uniform or present an Official ID).
**Due to the nature of this event, in case of an emergency, demonstrating participants and equipment are subject to change throughout the day.

Learn more about Liberty Science Center’s Heroes in Uniform Day.

Tags: LSC

The VA DEN is going to host a Virginia Day of Discovery on  June 7, 2008!   The really cool thing is that you can participate from the comfort of your house as many of the sessions, including the keynotes, will be delivered via Webex.  And, drum role please, we are pleased to announce that The Hall Davidson, will be delivering the afternoon’s keynote session.

The cost of this program is the best kind of cost - it’s free to attend!To see the agenda and program check out this link:  Virginia Day of Discovery agenda/program

To register make sure you go to the on-line registration form and register today!

And as we always like to promote the concept of sharing, please pass this message along to your friends and colleagues.

Hope to “see you” there!

Another week, another GREAT Discovery Education Event! On Tuesday, May 20th, I had the pleasure of attending a private reception and screening for Discovery’s new show When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions’ which details 50 historic years in space.I was among the first to view archival NASA footage that has never been seen before as well as meet an astronaut featured in the documentary!

This past Friday, I was able to attend another amazing tri-state Discovery Education event with Lance, Martha & a few other DEN stars, like Meg Griffin and Dave Solon from PA. We met at Alma de Cuba, a funky little restaurant in Philly, for an intimate night with Jeff Corwin. Jeff is in town for the Animal Planet’s big Expo in Coatsville, PA. Thanks Discovery for the opportunity to meet this passionate steward of our planet- and for the opportunity to get an autograph for my son!

Jeff took great time and care to explain his latest, and what he says is his most important project to date- an investigation into the expansive and rapid extinction of frogs on our planet. He said that120 frog species have become extinct since the 1980’s and that number is growing exponentially- it is estimated that over half of the remaining 6,000 are currently endangered. As an indicator species, frogs and other amphibians shed light on atmospheric conditions on our planet. In fact, Jeff referred to frogs as the “canaries of our planet” and made a personal plea to us that night to make sure we educate our students about these important environmental indicators.

Please visit Animal Planet and the R.O.A.R. page * to learn more about what you and your students can do to help save these creatures.  Keep an eye out this summer for Jeff Corwin’s show: The Vanishing Frog.

Tomorrow night (May 30) in Philadelphia there is a special kick off reception to the Animal Planet Expo tour and Lance is looking for some STARs to join us.  The reception will take place in downtown Philly from 6-8 pm and will feature Jeff Corwin.  If you are interested, post a comment TODAY on the National Blog that includes your name and email address.  Lance will take the first 3 STARs who post with the correct information.  You will be allowed to bring a guest as well.

Get ready to soar… The DEN has a limited amount of seats for a private reception and screening for Discovery’s new show When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions’  which details 50 historic years in space on Tuesday evening, May 20th.

CA DEN members attended the West Coast Premier last week & said that it was AMAZING!   To see their feedback visit: http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2008/05/14/ca-stars-leave-earth-with-nasa-and-buzz-aldrin/ )

Guests will be among the first to view archival NASA footage that has never been seen before as well as meet an astronaut featured in the documentary!

Premiere information and program description is provided below.  If you are interested in attending, YOU MUST RSVP BY VISITING THIS LINK: https://discoveryed.wufoo.com/forms/nyc-nasa-premiere-event/ You are allowed to bring up to 1 guest… please no children allowed.

Event: WHEN WE LEFT EARTH: THE NASA MISSIONS
          New York Reception and Screening

Date:  Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Venue:American Museum of Natural History
          New York, NY

Time:  6:30 pm     Reception begins
          7:15 pm     Screening: Episode 2 - Gemini Program
          8:30 pm     Reception resumes
          9:30 pm     Evening concludes

Attire: Business attire
Program Description:

WHEN WE LEFT EARTH: THE NASA MISSIONS presents the dramatic story of the space agency’s pioneering, awe-inspiring missions, to commemorate the first 50 years of space exploration. The story of NASA is the story of man’s greatest adventure, of man’s great ambition, and of man’s endeavors to go – quite literally – where no man had gone before.  The series blends astonishing re-mastered archive – 100 hours of original NASA footage, much of it never seen before, is being converted to HD to make the series - with first hand testimony from the men and women who embarked on the greatest action adventure mankind has ever undertaken.  Series Premieres: Sunday, June 8 at 9:00 pm (ET/PT)

Hope to See You There

The following post is from one of our new STAR members, Stacy Kasse

That was the question of the night posed by Captain Sig Hansen, one of the captains of the popular Discovery Network show, “Deadliest Catch” Tuesday night at the Sampson Street Oyster House.

CAPTAIN Andy Hillstrand

The captains mixed and mingled with guests from Comcast, Discovery Network and this lucky educator from Medford, NJ…ME! The captains signed autographs, answered questions, and were very congenial with the many fans who were asking for autographs and photos.

The drinks and food were wonderful! Tons of crab and shrimp and appetizers passed around all night long. For an educator who is thrilled to get just twenty minutes for lunch some days, this was true STAR treatment.

Goodie boxes

Each guest also received a good box filled with gifts: a boxed DVD set of season 3, a t-shirt, and a book about the Deadliest Catch.

Thanks so much for selecting me to go to this great event!

-Stacy Kasse

CAPTAIN Hillstrand

The Illustrious Scott Kinney