From the students via their appreciative teachers, these comments on what a typical group of students learned from Phillipe and the folks at Seattle Acquarium:
My students enjoyed learning about and seeing some of the unique fish and sea creatures at the aquarium that they had never seen. They ALL learned about:
why you should leave shells on the beach (for the hermit crabs)
that corral can be many different colors because of the algae.
I learned that coral can be any color.
I learned that we should not eat certain fish because there may not be enough of them and that we shouldn’t pollute.
This morning we were able to experience the Seattle Aquarium with Philippe Cousteau. Many schools around Texas participated and had an amazing time. Williams Elementary even won a chance to have Philippe come to there school for a Day of Discovery with him. Isn’t that waonderful! If you missed it, you definitely missed a huge learning opportunity that was shared with at least 45,000 students at last count… although I am certain that number will go up.
Philippe took us on a tour of the aquarium. We were able to see sea anemone, a coral reef, different types of fish and jelly fish and more. We got to see the back rooms of the aquarium where the scientists maintain the water levels and all of the balance of chemicals etc. We also were able to see a diver go into the aquarium and feed the fish. In all I think it was an awesome learning experience for our children and I hope Discovery will do it again!
Here is a link to a CoverIt Live Session that was going on during the event so you can read some of the information that was being talked about.
Discovery Education and Education Service Center Region XI are proud to present Texas educators a captivating Virtual Field Trip for Texas elementary school students. Join Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the legendary Jacques Cousteau and Discovery Education Chief Spokesperson for Environmental Education, as he takes your students to the Seattle Aquarium to explore animal adaptation in the ocean and the mystery of the coral reefs.
Hosted by Region XI and Discovery, the field trip is totally supported by Lesson plans and activities that are already aligned to the TEKS. After signing up, teachers will be sent these materials in advance of this event. There will be a segment for early elementary and one for secondary elementary classrooms.
After meeting Philippe this week at TCEA, the Texas DEN Leadership committee was very impressed with his ability to communicate with teachers and students. This is an exciting opportunity that is only open to Texas elementary schools. Spread the word and take advantage so we can get more of these special events for Texas students!
Register your class by February 24, 2010 and be entered to win a visit from Philippe Cousteau to your school. All participating classrooms will receive gifts for both students and teachers.
Download the Discovery Virtual Field Trip Flyer to post at your school today. The Texas DEN Leadership team is trying to get 25,000 students registered in Texas so many of our kids can see the depths of the Pacific with this engaging speaker. Spread the word and register today!
One more day until the Bob Bullock State History Museum is taken-over by the DEN! It’s going to be wet and cold here in Austin, but there will be the warmth of sharing and fun within the walls of the museum.
We are glad that so many people have decided to register and attend this event in Austin. But many DEN teachers just couldn’t get away or make it to Austin. So, we are opening our doors, or more precisely- laptop camera, to those who wish to participate from their remote locations. We will be broadcasting much of the day on Ustream. There is nothing to register for and you can watch for free!
The survey results show Wednesday and Thursday noon in a tie for first place as choice for our tweetup meetup eatup. So I am making an “executive decision” and saying that we will have our DEN fellowship on Thursday at 12. For those meeting in person, we will gather at the convention center exhibits main entrance at that time and decide on where to eat from there. For those meeting by tweeting, find yoda_1 on twitter for updates from TCEA, DEN Event, meetup on Thursday and more.
TCEA is coming soon and besides the pre-con event, a Discovery and DEN presence will be felt at the main conference. A couple of events to be aware of:
First, DEN Stars, stop by the DE booth to pick up your lapel pin. Show off your status! Also watch for news and signs announcing DEN Stars and members who are presenting sessions at the conference.
Second, we would like to meetup/tweetup at the conference (dutch treat on food and drink). For a eating meeting, go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/BBXVG96 and register your choice for the time. Also, remember to Tweet all along about what you are learning from the great sessions.
Collette Barragan, DEN Star member and Elementary Fine Arts teacher/Technology Integration Professional for Fort Stockton I.S.D. will be presenting the high energy RM Easiteach Dancemat at TCEA. Collette will be giving the audience a first-hand look at the Dancemat and it’s possibilites. She will also be letting the audience dance their way to higher knowledge with various subjects. RM Easiteach has also given Ms. Barragan a Dancemat and software to giveaway to one lucky TCEA member during the presentation. Quizdom Student Response System will also be highlighted during the 50 minute presentation. Session Title: Dance Your Way to Learning Date: Feb. 10, 2010 Session ID: 100284 Time: 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Room: Ballroom F
Sixty-four teachers joined the Discovery Educator Network Virtual Science Conference at Finch Elementary in McKinney, Texas. Braving the 11 degree temperatures in Texas, the teachers were provided with some of the most effective strategies for transforming their science classes through the meaningful and effective integration of digital media content.
Sessions included ideas from Geocaching to Glogster, Flip cameras to Smartboards, and included sessions titles “Where Do Old Sneakers Go To Die” and “Teaching Process Skills with Mythbusters.”
“It was a huge success,” shared Mary Carol Strother, both an educator from LMS Finch Elementary and a Texas DEN Leadership Team member. “People thanked me all day long for offering the conference.”
Keep your eyes on the announcement board on the DEN websites for more virtual or hands-on conferences in your area. Join the DEN today and get these announcements sent to you!
Discovery Education and the Texas DEN Leadership Council proudly present a Day of Discovery at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum on Tuesday, February 9, 2010.
This Day of Discovery will provide Texas educators and welcomed guests with an exciting and enriching day of professional development focused on creative ways to engage your students using digital media and curriculum resources from Discovery Education. During the day, participants will learn how they can enhance their lessons and student engagement by creating multimedia presentations, digital stories, and virtual field trips! Breakfast refreshments and lunch will be provided and the day will conclude with prizes and fun (Texas Theater style)!
Discovery’s Day of Discovery has a strong history in Texas, and this day promises to be no exception. Over one hundred teachers from across Texas last year enjoyed the fun opportunities to learn about using media in the classroom.
Registration for this year’s pre-conference is on a first-come first-seated basis. Register now to reserve your place! Go to: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/TCEA2010 to register.
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, Austin. The workshop is 8:30a - 3:30p, with registration starting at 8:00a.
“Two heads are better than one” We’ve heard the quote and its relative “two minds are better than one”. In today’s web 2.o- social media world, sharing is encouraged and collaboration cheered, but copyright issues can still arise. What if someone tries to make money off of your freely shared creation? What if they change it with ideas you don’t like?
Enter Creative Commons, a site that allows folks to get creative and share their works, with their chosen rights retained. As more educators hear of Creative Commons — and face copyright questions with online media– a little introduction might be in order. A helpful slideshow-podcast “Creative Commons:What Every Educator Needs to Know”, licensed of course under Creative Commons, can be found at http://www.slideshare.net/thecleversheep/creative-commons-what-every-educator-needs-to-know-presentation . This gives an overview of media copyright and sharing issues, tells about Creative Commons, and the various rights choices available. The Creative Commons webiste is http://creativecommons.org/
While we are on the subject of working with media, remember there are many editable titles available in Discovery Streaming for use by subscribers. Video editing software such as Movie Maker from Microsoft, Premiere Elements from Adobe, VirtualDub- an open source software- can be used for this task.
So, explore a little and get creative in your lessons!
Via RSS
Discovery Education and Education Service Center Region XI are proud to present Texas educators a captivating Virtual Field Trip for Texas elementary school students. Join Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the legendary Jacques Cousteau and Discovery Education Chief Spokesperson for Environmental Education, as he takes your students to the Seattle Aquarium to explore animal adaptation in the ocean and the mystery of the coral reefs.
Discovery Education and the Texas DEN Leadership Council proudly present a Day of Discovery at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum on Tuesday, February 9, 2010.
Discovery’s Day of Discovery has a strong history in Texas, and this day promises to be no exception. Over one hundred teachers from across Texas last year enjoyed the fun opportunities to learn about using media in the classroom.
