Pennsylvania

Discovery Education engages in creating partnerships, both national and global, to bring the best professional development into our classrooms and homes. November is National Epilepsy Month and Discovery has partnered with the Epilepsy Foundation to launch Understanding Epilepsy - a site designed to broaden the understanding of epilepsy and erase stigmas associated with seizure disorders.  I spent about an hour, maybe less, previewing the materials, and was impressed with this new partnership at DE.  I think you will be as well.

Online at www.discoveryeducation.com/epilepsy, you’ll find a wealth of free materials developed by the Epilepsy Foundation including:

• Lesson plans
• First aid guides
• Seizure training for school personnel
• Online training for school nurses focused on managing students with seizures
• Videos featuring teens who speak out about living with epilepsy.

Discovery has a SPECIAL OFFER!

Be one of the first 50 teachers or school personnel to send us your feedback regarding the Epilepsy Foundation’s materials and you’ll receive a free Discovery Education DVD.
Visit www.discoveryeducation.com/epilepsy to learn more. Click here to provide feedback.

Teens who register on GoEYC.org can receive a free laptop skin! Learn more here.

Discovery Education
National Epilepsy Foundation
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In this very special edition of Shining STARs, tonight at 7 PM we are featuring students from the Wilkes/Discovery Education Instructional Media program, who will be sharing some of the best projects that they’ve created during their coursework. Be prepared to be dazzled! You still have time to register.

Vince Hill is the Director of Credenda, an eSchool in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Two additional presenters, Sue Hellerman, a math/science teacher from Vancouver and Ruth Abatzoglou, a science teacher from CA will share their work. The fourth and final presenter, Jennifer Brinson, our own PA DEN STAR and PA Leadership Council Events Team Member, will present her Google Earth project on the 10 richest v. 10 poorest countries on the planet, her digital story on therapy dogs, and frustration-free technology, some of the work she did for differentiation, lesson plans for World War II, Model UN, and Person of the Century. Brinson is the Instructional Coach at Salisbury High School in Allentown, PA (and loves llamas too).

Cross-posted on the DEN blog.

On Wednesday, November 18th at 7pm EST, we’re thrilled to feature Gary Stager as our EdTechConnect speaker!  There are few speakers that are more passionate, dedicated and devoted to bringing about change in education.  If you’ve never had a chance to see him present before,  you won’t want to miss this opportunity.  If you HAVE seen him, perhaps on the Keynote panel from this year’s NECC conference, then I’m sure I don’t even need to say anything more to convince you to register.  As David Thornburg has stated, “Some people think ‘outside of the box.’ Gary is unaware of the box’s existence!”

Creative Computing and the Case for Project-based Learning

Veteran computer-using educator, speaker and journalist Dr. Gary Stager will explore how project-based learning fuels creativity and amplifies the power of computing. This webinar will explore questions of “What is a project?” and “What are the essential elements of a good project?” The theory underlying such practice will be discussed and imaginative applications challenging each learner to maximize their potential will be shared.

Click here to register!

In my current position, or should I say positions(I wear many hats) I get to see a lot of exciting activities.  In addition to being the Director of Technology Integration for Propel Schools, I am the science coordinator.  I am the SOS or Specialist on Site.  I believe that this was due to my knowledge and experiences that I had through my years of teaching elementary and middle school science in 2 previous jobs.

Our district implements ASSET Science which is an Inquiry-based, hands-on science curriculum.  Many of you may be familiar with the FOSS curriculum which is very similar to Asset. If you do, you know that it is hands-on and comes in a kit.  If you do teach either FOSS or Asset, here is a great resource for you to use. http://www.fossweb.com/ Another component of Asset is the use of Carolina resources in addition to the Foss kits.

While at Propel East, I stopped into a classroom teaching a Catastrophic Events unit. In this unit students investigate the causes and effects of thunderstorms, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. Global heating, the water cycle, plate motion, plate tectonics, magma, ash, and effects on the atmosphere are studied in depth.  On this day, there was no lab, no small groups, no experiments, but rather a very interesting, engaging, and intriguing guest speaker named Mara Falk.

At first glance, Mara seemed like just another guest speaker until she began to tell her stories of being a Storm Chaser with Discovery. She talked about how she had interviewed for a job that just turned out to be an extreme weather show on the Discovery Channel called, “Stormchasers.”  Her stories were captivating, telling how she was the driver of the scout(storm chasing vehicle) and how every second was of such importance.  Watching the student’s engagement while she talked what was interesting to me, as 100% of the children were engaged and posed such great questions for Mara. One story she mentioned was of an elderly man who wanted to wait out a particular storm.  On this particular day, it was not a great idea as the storm was very intense and had started to rip through his house.  Lucky for him, the force of the winds through his house took him to his bathroom where he was thrown into the bathtub with the door forcefully falling on top of the tub.  This miracle in disquise saved this elderly man’s life as his entire house crumbled on top of this bathtub. 

With this said, I cannot believe that our school was fortunate enough to have this guest speaker come to speak to our children. 

Now….here is the cool part.  Since you are reading this, you are probably a teacher who has access to Discovery Streaming.  If you do a keyword seach for Storm Chasers, you will see various videos from the Storm Chasers series as well as other teaching materials you will find useful.

In lieu of a Common Craft Google Wave in Plain English (soon, please, Lee LeFever), here’s one you might enjoy.

The Complete Guide to Google Wave is a comprehensive user manual by Gina Trapani with Adam Pash.

As a follow up to the Google Wave post, here’s the complete guide to Google Wave. Through the kindness (and generosity) of a great friend, I have 9 invites to offer. If you are interested, leave a comment with your email and I’ll forward your request to our Director of Data and Technology at STSD, Randy Ziegenfuss, and he will send it your way. Enjoy the Wave!

Google Wave is a new web-based collaboration tool that’s notoriously difficult to understand. This guide will help. Here you’ll learn how to use Google Wave to get things done with your group. Because Wave is such a new product that’s evolving quickly, this guidebook is a work in progress that will update in concert with Wave as it grows and changes. Read more about The Complete Guide to Google Wave.

Table of Contents

This book’s contents are freely available to view online. Click on a chapter to read it.

If you just can’t get enough of Wave, see also our growing compilation of Wave-related links and video clips from across the web.

I strongly encourage you to tune into three webcasts next week (Mon-Wed) featuring STAR Discovery Educator Julene Reed. Julene and colleagues will be discussing polar bears and climate change live from the tundra. Click here to learn more about this amazing opportunity for you and your students.

From the Learning Interchange blog:

Webcasts from the Tundra - Churchill, Canada
Near the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada - not far from the town of Churchill, the “Polar Bear Capital of the World” - members of Polar Bears International, scientists, zoologists, educators, and students gather at different times each winter to observe and study polar bears in the wild.

During October and November 2009, a panels of experts will be conducting six webcasts focused on polar bears and climate change, live from the tundra. We invite you to join these webcasts which are correlated to the educational resources and lessons shared in this exhibit. For more details, a list of panelists, FAQ’s about the webcasts and scheduled videoconferences, and other related information, view the “Tundra Connections Information” page which is listed on the sidebar.

This year’s webcasts will include live shots and video clips of bears on the tundra!

November 2009 Webcasts - all at 11:00 a.m. CST
- Target Audience is Grade 9-12 and Higher Education, but applicable to younger grades and adults.

* Monday, November 9th - “Global Impacts, Warning Signs, and Inherent Issues”
* Tuesday, November 10th - “Conversations: Polar Bears, the Arctic, and Climate Change”
* Wednesday, November 11th - Taking Action, Making a Difference”

To view any of these webcasts, simply return to this site on the day of the webcast and look for the link to participate!

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS RELATED TO POLAR BEARS OR THE UPCOMING “TUNDRA CONNECTIONS,” PLEASE E-MAIL THEM TO THE ADDRESS BELOW. QUESTIONS FOR THE PANELISTS DURING THE LIVE WEBCASTS CAN BE SUBMITTED TO THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS:

rollingonthetundra@me.com

November Panelists include:

• Dr. Don Moore (Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo, Washington, D.C., PBI Advisory Council)
• Julene Reed (St. George’s Independent School, Memphis, TN, PBI Advisory Council, Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Advisory Council, Apple Distinguished Educators Advisory Board)
• Dr. Tom Smith (Brigham Young University, PBI Advisory Council)
• Geoff York (WWF-Arctic Program, PBI Advisory Counil

With well over 100 webinars, Discovery Education leads in professional development, without a doubt. So that you can plan (and register) in advance, here’s a smattering of several special webinars we would like to highlight.

Becoming a Storm Ready School Webinar
Monday, November 16 at 4 PM ET

Learn how your school or district can easily become certified as StormReady. Guest speaker Angelia Enyedi from NOAA’s National Weather Service will walk educators and district administrators through the simple process as well as the benefits of becoming Storm Ready. We’ll also hear from guest speaker Sharyl Wood of Nassau County, Florida’s school board on her district’s Storm Ready certification process and the improvements they’ve made to their overall plan for severe weather. Register today.

Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling Program Webinar
Tuesday, November 17 at 7 PM ET

Save the bottles. Save the sticks. Save the planet! The Elmer’s Glue Crew Recycling Program is back with more fun and interactive ways to engage your students in recycling Elmer’s glue sticks from their classroom or even throughout their school. Join this webinar to learn how to easily get your own classroom involved, and hear from guest speaker Shannon Dominick, whose classroom won last year’s grand prize in the Glue Crew Recycling Program.  Register today!

On Wednesday, November 18th at 7pm EST, we’re thrilled to feature Gary Stager as our EdTechConnect speaker! There are few speakers that are more passionate, dedicated and devoted to bringing about change in education. If you’ve never had a chance to see him present before, you won’t want to miss this opportunity. If you HAVE seen him, perhaps on the Keynote panel from this year’s NECC conference, then I’m sure I don’t even need to say anything more to convince you to register. As David Thornburg has stated, “Some people think ‘outside of the box.’ Gary is unaware of the box’s existence!”

Creative Computing and the Case for Project-based Learning

Veteran computer-using educator, speaker and journalist Dr. Gary Stager will explore how project-based learning fuels creativity and amplifies the power of computing. This webinar will explore questions of “What is a project?” and “What are the essential elements of a good project?” The theory underlying such practice will be discussed and imaginative applications challenging each learner to maximize their potential will be shared.
Click here to register!

Consider joining us for as many of these webinars that your busy (upcoming holidays) schedule can accommodate. And here’s a sneak peek of things to come:

Save the Date! DEN’s Science Fest: January 10, 2010
More information to come about our first ever Science Fest, but we promise that it will be a great start to the new year.

We had a Leadership Council webinar last evening, so I would like to share some of the important reminders and information from Lance.

Without a doubt, the DEN Tech or Trear Fall Virtual Conference was an astounding success. We held the same numbers of attendees as we had last year. But–and here’s the good news–we grew our Live Event sites and numbers.

In addition, we were global in our outreach and welcomed a world of participants from abroad. Speaking for our PA Live Event at IU 21 in Schnecksville, I would like to echo Meg Griffin, our LC President’s sentiments in thanking all the people who made this event possible–Michael Cichocki, Patti Duncan, Tracey McGrath, Jennifer Brinson, and of course, Meg herself. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes who logged on and supported PA. Great job!!

Want to be a DEN GURU? That would step you up to Level 4 in DEN. You ask, what are the “levels.” And the answer is:

1. DEN
2. DEN STAR
3. DEN LC
4. DEN GURU.

There are advantages at any level, but if you step up to GURU (up to 5 people will be chosen this first year), you will have noticeable benefits that set you apart. Perhaps the largest benefit is that Discovery will take you, free of charge, to a national convention. Application deadline: November 15, 2009

This brings me to the big event I really want to push because completing this one is easy and a lot of fun. You can make a podcast or a video telling how you use Discovery Education resources in your classroom. Doesn’t have to be a big deal project–keep it short and simple (the KISS philosophy) and then upload it. Fun, fast, and a FREE Discovery hoodie, limited edition is in the mail to you. And just in case the idea of uploading to Media Share daunts you, this upload is to a simple spot where Discovery will mine your golden uses. Do it today, because the deadline is November 15.

Some of my best friends are actively engaged in pursuing the MS in Instructional Media offered by Discovery Education and Wilkes University. I remember the kick-off two years ago at the National Institute. We were even offered 3 credits for a minimal fee to begin the degree work with our week’s intense completion of learning. Although I am not one to regret decisions, I often wish I had made the choice to study for this degree. Keeping in touch with my friends who were the first class to begin this program, I can tell you that the subject matter is extremely engaging, timely and worthwhile.

This summer I had the good fortune to follow the China Adventure. What an amazing trip this was, packed with singular experiences that only could be found in a Discovery Education adventure. Nothing beats repeating a good thing, so the China and Australia trips are encores. New to the venue are the Arctic, Anarctica, Costa Rica, and Ecudor/Galapagos Islands. You will definitely need to have your prospective students fund raise, but if you get 5 students to sign on, you as their teacher travels free.

Not exactly Fast Five, but there you have it, a synopsis of some of the best and time-sensitive offers from Discovery.

Cross-posted from DEN blog.

The voting was fierce, as the ranks shifted several times over the last few days.  But when the dust settled, three winners emerged!  Congrats to all the winners, a brand new HD Flip Cam is going to be in the mail to you.  And many thanks to everybody who participated, it truly put the ‘treat’ in Tech or Treat!

Best Discovery themed costume:

Christie Berrier, as the MythBusters!

Bekka Stasny as The Deadliest Catch!

Vasantha Rayman as the DEN STAR!