VDOE Environmental Science course and Professional Development Opportunities

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is pleased to announce four professional development opportunities to support the instruction of the new Environmental Science Course. These professional development Institutes, designed to support the Environmental Science course that was recently added to the Board of Education Approved Courses to Satisfy Graduation Requirements for the Standard, Advanced Studies, and Modified Standard Diplomas in Virginia Public Schools, are intended to prepare teachers to teach the Environmental Science Content Guidelines and to provide support strategies, including field experiences, to be used in the instruction of the course.

Four two-day Environmental Science Institutes will be held throughout the Commonwealth.

  • New College Institute, 191 Fayette Street, Martinsville, VA 24112, July 11-12, 2018
  • Charlottesville High School, 1400 Melbourne Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901, July 18-19, 2018
  • Battlefield High School, 15000 Graduation Drive, Haymarket, VA 20169, July 25-26, 2018
  • Sandy Bottom Nature Park, 1255 Big Bethel Road, Hampton, VA 23666; August 15-16, 2018

Each Environmental Science Institute will:

  • Provide content support for the implementation of the Environmental Science Course Content Guidelines;
  • Provide strategies and lessons that can support classroom instruction;
  • Provide resources that teachers may use to facilitate the planning and instruction of Environmental Science;
  • Support the teaching of the Environmental Science through both classroom and field activities;
  • Provide strategies to assess student knowledge and skills both in the field and in the classroom through teacher designed performance-based assessments.

Virginia Department of Education funding will cover the cost of registration and meals for all participants. The cost of lodging for participants living more than 50 miles from the Institute site will also be covered.  School divisions are encouraged to cover mileage expenses for participants as this cost is not assumed by the Virginia Department of Education; however, this is not a requirement of the program. Enrollment in each Institute is limited to 30 teachers. Participant selection will provide representation from each Superintendents’ region.

Registration can be completed online at Environmental Science Institute through March 30, 2018. Notification of acceptance will be provided to applicants and the applicants’ school principals by email on or before April 15, 2018.

National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) offers Teacher-in-Residence Program

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) has launched Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°), a national education initiative to promote improved teaching and learning about American Indians. In order to complete our mission, NMAI is looking for dynamic educators for the Teacher-in-Residence (TIR) Program.

One teacher will be selected this summer for a paid residency to work with the Manager of National Education and other NK360° staff. Together, they will develop inquiries using the Inquiry Design Model (IDM). The TIR will join us in Washington, DC, for eight weeks between the months of June and August.

All applications are due by Friday, March 30, 2018.

Please apply and/or share information about NK360° and our TIR Program with qualified teachers in your district, county, state, or organization.

Please click on the links to view the TIR Program overview and other NK360 ° events. Visit our Educators page or click on the application link to begin

Esri’s Free MOOC “Earth Imagery at Work” begins soon

 Imagery collected by satellites and drones is increasingly integrated into the decision-making process across many industries. The analysis of imagery is an efficient way to gain information that increases productivity, saves money, protects the environment, and even saves lives. Earth Imagery at Work introduces applications of imagery that provide solutions to challenges faced in agriculture, disaster management, electric utilities, and many other industries.

This MOOC provides a fun and fast way to stay current with new geospatial technologies. The course runs from February 7 to March 20, 2018 and requires only one to two hours of study per week.

Sign up here

Critical Content for Disaster Response Available in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World

Natural disasters have dramatically increased in frequency and intensity over the past few years. In this webinar Jeff Baranyi, operations manager for the Esri Public Safety Assistance Program, will describe how Esri helped organizations with disaster relief by using Living Atlas content and Esri software. Daniel Siegel, curator of Earth Observations data for the Living Atlas, will demonstrate how to find and use this content for your own planning and disaster response work.

Join our free webinar this Thursday, January 25 at 11:00 a.m. PST and learn how to use content from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World for disaster response.

Register Now

2018 – 2019 Liberty Fund Weekend Colloquia: Applications Are Open!

TeachingAmericanHistory.org and Liberty Fund are proud to continue their series of weekend colloquia for social studies teachers. These weekend programs allow teachers of American history and government to explore the themes of liberty and responsibility throughout America’s history and constitutional tradition.

Teachers selected to participate will have the cost of lodging, meals, and materials for the weekend’s colloquia covered through the generosity of Liberty Fund. In addition, participants will receive a stipend of $400 (contingent on full attendance at program activities) to defray the cost of travel to and from the program site.

Participation is based on a competitive application process. Qualifications are below.

  • Applicants must be current K-12 school teachers, with priority given to high school teachers
  • Teachers who attended a TAH.org Liberty Fund weekend during the 2017-2018 school year are not eligible to apply for the 18-19 year

Participating teachers will read a series of primary source documents, travel to a relevant historic site, and engage in conversation with a select group of colleagues over the course of a weekend. These conversations are open-ended – teachers are not expected to reach a set conclusion about the material, are not required to take an assessment, and are not asked to complete a lesson plan. Participating teachers are only expected to engage fully in conversation, taking an active role in each of the six discussion sessions throughout the weekend.

A special feature of our Liberty Fund Weekend Colloquia is the historical tour or experience, which enables participants to see firsthand the places where our history was made. These tours typically involve at least a moderate amount of walking, and the nature of some historic sites precludes access by people with some disabilities or challenges in moving – for example, the mansion at Mt. Vernon involves going up and down tight, steep stairs, and most sites do not have elevators. Please take this into consideration when deciding whether or not to apply, as participation in all parts of the program is required. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Because of the high interest in these programs, the application will close 1/26/18.

Apply here.

Understanding Global Change: Free Workshop for Middle- and High-School Teachers at National Geographic in D.C.!

Join us at National Geographic headquarters on January 27th for a free workshop on global change! Please see the flyer attached, and register now as spots are limited. Feel free to share this information with friends and colleagues.

 Understanding Global Change
A Collaboration of the University of California Museum of Paleontology
and National Geographic Society

Understanding global change and how to mitigate the causes and consequences of anthropogenic activities are now essential topics to address in K-12 education. In this workshop for middle- and high-school teachers and curriculum and instruction coordinators, Dr. Jessica Bean from UCMP will share materials created by the UC Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley to guide the design of interdisciplinary global change curricula. Additionally, National Geographic will introduce the National Geographic Learning Framework, which supports educators to teach students about the world, empowering them to succeed and make it a better place.

Please see more details on the attached flyer, including the link to register!

Department of Geography at Texas State University invites input on proposed Online Master’s Program in Geography Education.

Injeong Jo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Texas State University, invites Alliance members to participate in a survey regarding the Online Master’s Program in Geography Education that his department considers offering.

The survey should take no more than 5-7 minutes to complete but will provide vital information for our institutional planning. Please know that participation is completely voluntary, and all responses will be confidential. All participants will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon e-gift card.

 Online Master’s Program GeoEd Survey

 

 

Explore our World with ArcGIS Online: two fall teacher institutes

Who?    K-12 Educators in Virginia

What?   ArcGIS Online FREE Teacher Hands-on-Teacher Institute

When?   Saturday, November 18, 2017 (Basics, account set up) and Saturday December 2, 2017 (Using ArcGIS for Deeper Thinking and Learning)

Where? Charlottesville City School Division Admin Annex (located in the lower level of Charlottesville High School)

Why?  Learn how to use the power of GIS to maximize student learning, Use the 5C’s to move student thinking forward, aligned to goals of the Virginia Profile of a Graduate

Set up your FREE ArcGis Online account via ConnectEd. Learn how to use classroom-ready GeoInquiries™  to engage your students.

FREE for all K-12 Virginia educators!! This would also be good training for preservice folks who can establish an account once they are hired in a school division.

  • Obtain a free organizational account for your school (a $10,000 value)
  • Certificates for relicensure hours will be provided to teachers completing the institute.

To register visit:  http://tinyurl.com/CvilleArcGIS

Help by distributing flyer to colleagues

Workshop funded by ESRI with support from the Virginia Geographic Alliance, Old Dominion University, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obtain a free organizational account for your school (a $10,000 value)

Certificates for relicensure hours will be provided to teachers completing the institute.

To register visit:  http://tinyurl.com/CvilleArcGIS

Workshop funded by ESRI with support from the Virginia Geographic Alliance, Old Dominion University, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Geography on Priority List for Federal Competitive Grants – Action Requested!

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed new priorities for doling out funds through existing discretionary grant programs, including a proposed priority for civic learning, all of which are linked here. Geography education is essential to the successful implementation of proposed Priority 4, so we urge explicitly adding the term “Geography education” to it.

How to comment and support this proposed priority:

  • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit your comments electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under “How to use regulations.gov.”
  • Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery: If you mail or deliver your comments, address them to Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 6W231, Washington, DC 20202.

Please consider submitting a comment supporting the explicit inclusion of Geography in Proposed Priority 4 of the Secretary’s Proposed Supplemental Priorities for Competitive Grants by November 13, 2017.

“GIS for Teachers” is here!

The author team of Chris Bunin, Christine Esposito (both VGA members), Barbaree Duke, and Anita Palmer presents a text for pre-service teachers designed to guide educators through a continuum of GIS resources and skill sets to best integrate GIS into a K-12 classroom.

The book includes 10 chapters and access to a comprehensive resource center online, replete with ready-to-use handouts, rubrics, exercises, videos and more.

  • Chapter 1: What is GIS?
  • Chapter 2: Pedagogy and GIS
  • Chapter 3: Where to Start with GIS Integration
  • Chapter 4: Teaching with GIS – Making Simple Maps
  • Chapter 5: Creating your own data sets and data analysis
  • Chapter 6: The GIS Advantage
  • Chapter 7: Project-Based Learning and GIS
  • Chapter 8: Differentiation Strategies and GIS
  • Chapter 9: Logistics for Integrating GIS
  • Chapter 10: Resources

GIS for Teachers: A Guide to Authentic K-12 Integration and Application | ISBN 978-0-9861782-2-1

230 pages | Copyright © 2017 by Carte Diem Press, a division of Critical Think Inc.

Find information on ordering here.