New York DEN

Calling All DEN Members:

Once again, we have a chance to show how wonderful our DEN educators are.

Tech & Learning invites K-12 students to participate in the seventh annual digital photography contest. The competition, open to all K-12 students, challenges you to capture — and share — your unique vision of the world. If you have an artistic side, you also have the option to digitally enhance your photos with your favorite imaging software. The top 4 winners in each grade level (elementary, middle, and high school) win prizes and have their photo featured in the December Awards Issue of Tech & Learning.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER! Deadline: October 9, 2009

Are You Making a Difference?

Tell Tech and Learning how you lead by using technology in education. Enter yourself — or a colleague — in T&L’s 22nd annual Leader of the Year Program.

Click here to enter!

You inspire, encourage, empower, and give wings to others’ dreams. Now it’s your turn. Tech & Learning’s Leader of the Year Program is once again honoring K-12 administrators, technology coordinators, and teachers who use technology in innovative ways to help teachers teach and help students learn. We invite you to share your teaching, training, and managing success stories with our judges. Four finalists will win prizes, gain national recognition, and be profiled in T&L’s December Awards Issue.

Deadline: September 30, 2009

(From Tech and Learning blog)

Students from 3rd to 8th grade are invited to enter their bottle rockets in a contest at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Awards will be given for flight duration as well as prizes for appearance and performance.

Who: Two separate groups - 3rd-5th grade and 6th-8th grade

When: Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 AM*

Rules: A copy of the rules will be posted at www.cradleofaviation.org/education by April 1st. (Click on competitions)

Where: Cradle of Aviation Museum

Cost: Free with museum admission

To Build: Email bquinn@cradleofaviation.org for easy directions

Registration: Email bquinn@cradleofaviation.org before May 31st for $1 off admission

Free rocket building workshop available at 9:00 AM. Includes all materials. Register early-seating is limited.

For more information call Bill Quinn at (516) 572-4028 or email at bquinn@cradleofaviation.org

Click here to nominate an educator who inspires and motivates. Your nominee will receive recognition and 2 free tickets to a NY Liberty game!

Check out the 2009 Read with Kids Challenge, a national effort sponsored by RIF and US Airways to collectively log 5 million minutes reading with kids. All participants are eligible to win a family vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort^® and more great prizes. Starts April 1. Get on board at www.rif.org/readwithkids

Now’s the time for students to enter the nation’s premier science competition for grades 5 through 8. The deadline for the Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge is May 20, 2009.Over the summer, judges will choose up to 51 semifinalists: one from each state and the District of Columbia. Ten finalists will be selected to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to compete in the final challenge in October. The winner will receive $50,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds ($25,000 cash value) and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.” All finalists receive amazing once-in-a-lifetime trips.

Nominate your students today!

Also, one teacher will be selected to win an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to participate in the final competition as an honorary judge or host.For more information on the Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge go to www.youngscientistchallenge.com.

The Ypulse 2009 Totally Wired Teacher Award (sponsored by Dell) will honor a public school teacher from grades 3 to12 who is successfully using technology (the internet/social media, mobile technology, gaming) in the classroom.The award is inspired by Ypulse founder Anastasia Goodstein’s book, Totally Wired: What Teens & Tweens Are Really Doing Online, and the challenges she observed around integrating technology into public school classrooms. We will recognize a teacher who has overcome these challenges and is inspiring both students and other educators.

From our sponsor: “The Totally Wired Teacher Award is a great way to recognize teachers who are harnessing technology to help students collaborate, learn and achieve. Dell’s support for this initiative is part of our longstanding commitment to supporting educators who lead by example, demonstrating for students the power of technology to enhance learning and achievement.”

To nominate a teacher for this award, please visit this website to complete and submit a form. If you have difficulties submitting the form, just submit the answers via email to teacheraward@ypulse.com before May 15th at 5 p.m. PST. Representatives from Ypulse and Dell will choose three finalists to interview by phone. The selected teacher will be honored in person at the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup June 1-2 in San Francisco. Teachers can nominate themselves.

Important! Please read: All nominations must be for grades 3-12 classroom teachers actively teaching in U.S. public schools. Nominations that do not fit these criteria will be disqualified.

Good luck!

Note: Copied the Pennsylvania DEN Blog (Thanks to RJ Stangerlin)

Our friends at Tech4Learning are sponsoring a timely contest–Dear Mr. President.

With today’s struggling economies and natural resource questions, the government needs your help. President Obama has named you as his chief student adviser. What issue would you like him to address in the near future? Why? What should he consider?

Create a 21st-century position paper to share your issue.

Deadline: Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Judging
Entries will be judged by a panel of artists and computer experts for creativity, originality, and style!

Entries could include:

* issues web sites
* print advertisments
* documentaries and docudramas
* and more!

Prizes
Prizes will be announced and awarded on Monday, May 18th, 2009!

1st place - Ages 4-8
iPod Shuffle for you & a pizza party for your class
1st place - Ages 9 and up
iPod Shuffle for you & a pizza party for your class
2nd place - Pizza party for your class
3rd place - 2 gallon specialty popcorn tin for your class
Honorable Mention (2) - Tech4Learning mug of candy

Submissions and Requirements
This contest is open to K-12 students around the world. Submit your entry as a single file or combination of files in the following formats:

* Pixie (.pxi)
* ImageBlender (.ibf)
* Twist (.twi)
* MediaBlender (.prt)
* Frames (.fra)
* WebBlender (.wbs)

Please send your entries to:
contest@tech4learning.com

Your submitted file should include your first name and school in the file name and must include a text box or text layer with the following information:

* Your first name and last initial
* Your age
* Your full school name
* Your city and state

Don’t have these Tech4Learning tools?
You can download a 30-day evaluation for: Frames, ImageBlender, MediaBlender, Pixie, Twist, or WebBlender

Image: ‘Barack Obama‘
www.flickr.com/photos/33524327@N00/1218476612

DEN Spring Training is here! We’ve had a lot of new recruits in the past year and we expect big things from the community this spring. Last year the stat we focused on the most was ESA (Earned STAR Average). This year we are looking for STARs who put up solid numbers in the RS category. Runs scored? Nope. Resources Shared.We’re looking for STARs who will take the time to share their presentations, projects, videos, lesson plans, etc. by uploading them to the Educator Resources section (MediaShare) of the DEN website.

New to MediaShare? Click here to download a user guide.

Any STAR who uploads at least TWO resources between April 6 and May 22 will receive a limited edition DEN Spring Training 2009 t-shirt featuring the design above. So, what are you waiting for? Upload those resources because “If you share it, they will learn!”

Note: At the end of spring training (May 22) we will send an email to all STARs who uploaded at least two resources asking for your address and t-shirt size. Shirts will ship in early June.

Attention Long Island teachers and students! You are encouraged to submit a piece of work for the Embracing Our Differences Art Exhibition. Artists are encouraged to submit works relevant to Long Island. The works that are chosen must address the themes below, but they will also be evaluated on how effectively they will be read outdoors when the art is enlarged to billboard size (16 feet wide by 12 feet high).

Artists are encouraged to interpret and explore:

• the struggles and joys of living in a diverse community;
• the impact on human dignity of prejudice and hatred;
• the varied people, cultures and perspectives in our world.

The deadline for submissions is May 22, 2009.

The release form can be downloaded here.