Pennsylvania

Are you in need of some PA History content for your classroom?  Are you in the mood for a free fun filled field trip that will take you back to the 19th century?  Well, look no further, the DEN is here to help.  The Delaware and Pennsylvania Discovery Educator Network will be hosting a field trip to two historical PA landmarks on one fun filled day.
  Our first stop will be dark and dirty but educational. Our tour will begin by riding a train down into one of America’s oldest coal mines followed by a guided tour through the mine to see the hospital, equipment, and elevator shaft.  Later, in the afternoon we’ll visit an anthracite-mining town which has been preserved to imitate the life of a miner over 140 years ago.  All DEN members are invited to participate. Click here to download the flyer Download mine.pdf

.  Space is limited so e-mail me to reserve your spot today!

Discovery Education unitedstreaming School Training Kits Are Back and Better Than Ever!
In the coming weeks, schools will receive the 2006 unitedstreaming Back to School Training Kits.   Developed with the input of educators across the country, these training kits include:
•    A CD-ROM containing additional materials helpful in presenting unitedstreaming to your colleagues which can be reproduced and distributed to teachers.
•    Cool posters you can hang to create unitedstreaming buzz throughout the school.
•    20 Teacher Guides to be distributed to teachers as part of a training or professional development session. Separate guides have been designed for new unitedstreaming users and the more advanced users.  The Teacher Guide clearly explains the basics of navigating unitedstreaming and integrating our digital media resources with applications such as PowerPoint, Inspiration, and Webquests.
•    FREE Discovery Education Tote Bag
Discovery Educators:  You can contact your area Implementation Representative at 1-800-323-9084 to find out who they were sent to at your school or to coordinate a plan for receiving the training kit materials.  These would be great to assist you and your school personnel with back-to-school professional development. 

Discovery Atlas

On October 1, Discovery Channel will present the first installment of DISCOVERY ATLAS, a four part series during the month of October that will profile the rich cultures, social diversities and natural phenomena of China, Italy, Australia and Brazil. The journey begins Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with the world premiere on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD Theater of DISCOVERY ATLAS: CHINA REVEALED. For more information about this series, visit http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/atlas/atlas.html.

The ATLAS series, including videos, images, bonus educational vignettes and teacher resources, will be available on unitedstreamingand Cosmeo.  Additionally, the Discovery Educator Network will provide interested teachers with the opportunity to participate in DEN: Atlas in the classroom program, which will include
•    Materials for hosting Atlas: China Revealed Premiere Parties in your local community
•    Invitations to exclusive Atlas webinar series/discussion group
•    Invitations to discuss and collaborate with educators around the county via webinars, wikis, and discussion boards
•    Access to educational resource kits to support "Discovery Atlas" classroom activities

If you are interested in exploring ATLAS with the DEN, please send an email to debbie_baillie@discovery.com by Friday, September 1 with the subject line "Discovery Atlas" to register for this program.

Looking for Science Lovers
If you have a passion for Science we would love your help!  Lance is looking for DEN members who have experience with Science Fairs.  Either organizing them locally or just participating.  If you have any experience, Lance has a neat opportunity for you.  Just let me know and Lance will get in touch with you to fill in the details.

Do you live in the Allegheny Area?
I will be visiting the Allegheny Area next week and would love to get to know the DEN members in that area.  So let’s get together for dinner.  All the details are on the Blog.  E-mail me if you are interested!!

Over the next couple months, I will be traveling around the state to introduce myself and get to know you better.  My first stop will be the Allegheny Area.  If you live close to The Waterfront in Homestead come join me!  Our DEN’s night of food and fun will be held at Rock Bottom Restaurant on Thursday, September 7th at 6:00pm.  This is a great chance to meet other educators in your area and share back to school stories.   So, if you are interested in relaxing with other DEN members from your area send me an e-mail or post a comment to the Blog.   I can’t wait to meet all of you and I hope you plan on attending.  See you soon!!

Discovery Educator Network is proud to introduce to you Amy Gordon our First Delaware Discovery
Educator!! Amy visited the Discovery booth at NECC this summer and was very impressed with the DEN’s presentation.  Since her district has been using unitedstreaming for the last four years she thought the DEN would be a great resource.  Amy is the Instructional Technology Specialist for the Red Clay Consolidated School District.  She oversees a team that includes 5 instructional technology coaches and their goals are to help teachers integrate technology into their instruction.  I want to welcome Amy to the Discovery Educator Network –I’m soo excited because we’re expanding our network everyday. Now we can officially be called the Delaware/Pennsylvania DEN.   

Lance Update
I know many of you might be wondering what Lance is doing in his new position– I thought I should share this video so you can see what kind of trouble his love for Diet Coke got him into.  If you want a GREAT laugh, check out this home video to find out 1) What happens when you combine Mentos and Diet Coke? 2) How many Mentos can fit in a mouth and 3) Just what will happen if someone tries to keep their mouth (filled with Mentos and Diet Coke) shut tight.
To watch the video check out the Blog…. Warning… it might take a little while for the movie to load… but Lance is definitely worth the wait! Download den_mentos_diet_coke.mov

Cosmeo
Over the last couple months, I have been talking about the power of Cosmeo.
Cosmeo is the online homework help tool, powered by Discovery Channel, for report research, learning games, and more.  It includes:
    30,000 educational video segments correlated to each state’s curriculum standards.
    Over 15,000 quizzes tied to educational video segments.
    More than 20,000 images and clip art animations to use in projects and reports.
    An encyclopedia with more than 27,000 full-text articles.
    Over 200 trusted links to teacher-selected websites.
    Family settings that allow parents to ensure an age-appropriate experience for their students.
    With the helpful point system and viewing history feature, parents can track their student’s progress.
    From addition to advanced algebra, WebMath can illustrate step-by-step math solutions to any problem taught in school.
    200+ "Brain Games" — interactive simulations and learning activities.

Well, I have some exciting news—I have some FREE cosmeo accounts available for my DE/PA Discovery Educators.  This is a great tool for any parent or teacher who wants to test drive the site to see what a powerful homework tool this is. I only have a limited number of accounts so if you are interested, please e-mail or leave a comment to the post ASAP.

Summer Vacations   

Anne Reardon, Joe Brennan, and Carol Anne McGuire, three discovery educators, traveled to Berlin, Germany and then to Prague, Czech Republic this summer.  They themselves, along with 57 other educators, were on a mission to create curriculum materials focused on helping students and teachers become more aware of the world around through a trip sponsored by Apple Distinguished Educators Program.  All of these products, as well as the vast amount of knowledge the educators came away with, are being turned into curriculum products for students from PreK-12th grade as well as pre-service teachers.  Congratulations, to these three Discovery Educators it sounds like you were part of a phenomenal trip!!

If you did something special this summer and want to share your experiences with other educators in the state e-mail me and we can feature your story in our Blog. 

Walden is ready for Travel

Walden is anxious to get back on the road and do some traveling this school year.  If you and your class would like to host Walden at your school please let me know.  He is well rested, well fed  and excited for his next adventure– let me know if you want to be one of his tour guides.

Logging Events

Don’t forget to complete the events log so I can give you credit for all your hard work!  I am still keeping track of Summer Events and the educator with the most recorded workshops by August 30th will receive a goodie package for the beginning of the school year.  The deadline is fast approaching so get those events in to me soon! Download den_event_summary.doc

Gather your family, friends and pets and meet me at the Animal Planet Expo!!

What’s an Animal Planet Expo, you ask?  Basically, the Expo is a free, fun filled family experience that even your cats and dogs will enjoy. A trip to Animal Planet Expo includes:

    * Animal Planet Expo Theater — A captivating live animal show set in a natural habitat.
    * Animal House — A place to get up close and personal with even more live animals.
    * Main Stage — An all-day assortment of Frisbee dog exhibitions, contests, fun trivia games kids of all ages will enjoy.
    * Discovery HD Theater Dome — Showcases the best of high-definition programming with stunning clips of Discovery HD Theater.
    * Safari Snaps — Download the ultimate digital photo with you and an image of Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin or Steve Irwin.
    * Kids Zone — Day-long fun for kids, with face painting, the "Happy Gator" obstacle course and interactive games and great prizes.
    * Heroes of Animal Planet — Be a hero to your pet by creating your own personalized pet tag.
    * Bug House — Get up close with an assortment of creepy crawlers and majestic butterflies.
    * Pet Den — Local animal shelters provide pet adoption opportunities and helpful info.
    * Plus much more!

Mark this event on your calendars and plan to join us at this unique DEN networking event!  Several DEN Field Managers and DEN members will be stopping by throughout the event! Watch your inbox next week for details about where you can find us and what we’ll be doing at the Expo. Hope to see you there!

Details:

When: Saturday, August 26th and Sunday, August 27th, from 10am-4pm

Where: Ridge Road Recreational Park ~~ 21155 Frederick Road, Germantown, MD 20876

More Info: http://www.animal.discovery.com/features/expo/expo.html

Check out the pictures on the site to get an idea of some of the fun events and activities that will be happening. Let me know if you are interested in attending this pet-acular event!

At the end of August, the Discovery Educator Network will join together for a six week effort encouraging classrooms to collect change to help build homes for Katrina victims.  DEN classrooms will have the opportunity to participate in a fundraising activity called Making Change for Katrina.   Discovery has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to raise money for Katrina victims that are still homeless.   This is an easy back to school fundraising activity for you and your students to participate in.  All you have to do is gather the spare change in your pockets, in your car, and under your sofa and donate it to Making Change for Katrina. More details about this project can be found on the DEN’s Making Change for Katrina wiki—http://mcfk.editme.com

Also, on Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 9:00PM the Discovery Channel will premiere “Surviving Katrina” a two-hour special with survivors sharing their experiences of this natural disaster.   

We, as DEN members, can pull together and make a difference in someones life.  If you would like to participate please check out the wiki or e-mail me for more information!

The New Look!!

The DEN is asking for your help once again.  We are changing our look and want your input.  Go to the DEN home Blog and take a second to preview a couple of the new logos we are considering.  You can even vote on your FAVORITE one.

Math Enrichment

Are you looking for Math Software to enhance your lessons?  Well look no further—unitedstreaming was rated Best Overall Solution for Teaching Mathematics by eSchool News 2006 Readers’ Choice Awards.  To read more Download eSNAug06.pdf and check out p.28.

Google Earth

Google Earth recently released its 4^th version in beta form.  The new version has several new features such as a user friendly interface (simpler to use than before), textured 3D buildings, and improvements to the GPS support.  In addition to these advancements this version is available for Linux.  So, if you are a Linux user, like myself—Google Earth is finally here!

Discovery Educator Abroad

Several teachers and two DEN leaders are visiting South Africa with the winners of a contest we had earlier this year. Make sure to check out the discoveryeducatorabroad.com website for blogs, podcasts, and pictures of their travels! 

Need a School fundraiser?

Tired of the traditional cookie and gift wrapper fundraisers?  LearningAddsUp is probably one of the easiest fundraisers I’ve ever seen and is combined with a powerful homework tool, Cosmeo.  Here is how it works: your school signs up on the http://www.learningaddsup.com website (must provide federal id number) and you’re good to go.  Then, your school receives a percent back based on the number of family subscriptions to Cosmeo…. up to 25%!  That’s it!!  This is an easy way to fund technology items that seem just out of reach.  You can also get Cosmeo for free in your school library! When your school signs up on the learningaddsup.com website, they are able to receive 4 Cosmeo accounts that students can access in the media center. If you need more information go to the Learning Adds Up website or contact Brendan at Brendan_Wilkin@Discovery.com

Ideas for Fall Events

Is there a particular training that you’d like to see offered for DEN members this fall?  Are you interested in presenting a session or skill that you have?  Do you have a suggestion on where we should host our next big event? I am in the process of planning our major fall events and would love your input.  Email me your ideas—- or better yet, check the blog and post an idea to ensure you are ACTIVE!